Madison

Madison, Wisconsin has consistently placed at or near the top of rankings of America’s most livable cities. Its success is due largely to its abundant natural beauty, its longstanding commitment to sustainable development, its heritage of environmental leadership, and its outstanding cultural and recreational opportunities. The city is home to the Flagship University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is widely known as the Midwest’s capitol of environmental and progressive thought.

Madison’s progressive legacy began with Governor Robert “Fighting Bob” LaFollette, a father of the modern Progressive movement. A few decades later Aldo Leopold founded the University of Wisconsin’s Wildlife Ecology Program, and began work on the world’s first, and now oldest, native prairie restoration at the UW Arboretum. Then, in 1970, former Wisconsin Governor and United States Senator Gaylord Nelson led the movement to establish Earth Day. The names of these leaders are familiar throughout Madison on schools, University departments, and parks.

Situated on a narrow isthmus between glacial lakes Mendota and Monona, a visitor to downtown Madison is never far from a good view. The heart of the city is the state capitol square, every Wednesday the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra performs a free concert and every Saturday the nation’s largest producer only farmer’s market is held during the summer. The Monona Terrace Convention Center lies just two blocks south, while to the west, pedestrian/bike only State Street connects the square to the University of Wisconsin campus. State Street is home to a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and bars, and is populated by an eclectic mix of students, locals, and visitors.

Most streets downtown have bike lanes, and the city boasts one of the nation’s most developed networks of dedicated bike paths, making navigation without a car safe, efficient, and enjoyable. In addition, an enviable system of parks and natural areas provide ample destinations for the recreational biker. The long, narrow peninsula of Picnic Point, located within the Lakeshore Nature Preserve, provides spectacular views of the Madison skyline across Lake Mendota from the north, while the 100 + year old oak savannah at Olin Turville Park looks upon the city across Lake Monona from the south. The 1260 acre UW Arboretum with its many miles of trails provides the opportunity to visit every ecosystem type in Wisconsin without ever leaving the city.

For more info:

City of Madison Visitor Site

Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau

Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center

Madison Bike Map (PDF)

Wisconsin Refuges Locater Map

The Aldo Leopold Foundation

University of Wisconsin-Madison

UW Arboretum

Dane County Farmers’ Market on the Square

Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Concerts on the Square