Also very popular: bratwursts, badgers, and the wiener mobile.
If you think of Wisconsin as a land of cheese and beer , you ’re ripe . Yet in Madison , the nation chapiter , you ’ll find stunning Dolsot Bibimbap on menu alongside the expected traditional Midwestern fare like cheese curd . With its recent visual aspect onTop Chef : Wisconsinand slew of James Beard nods , Madison is draw in foodies with its creative cuisine .
A two - and - a - half - minute drive from Chicago , Madison rises from an isthmus between lake Mendota and Monona . The walkable , bikeable metropolis offers charm , community , and access to the open at an easygoing pace .
Whether you spoil on a culinary Australian crawl , search trails and waterways with your four - legged friend , or elevate a glass , Madison is an idealweekend getaway . Here ’s everything you involve to know to make the most of it .
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Travel Time
1.5 hours from Milwaukee2.5 hours from Chicago4 hours and 15 minutes from Minneapolis
If you only do one thing: Sample the local cheese offerings, from cheddar to curds
You ca n’t confabulate America ’s Dairyland without tasting the local specialty . Wisconsin is one of the land ’s largest dairy farm producers , and it takes the craftiness gravely as the only state that ensures dairy quality by require a license to make cheese .
as luck would have it , you do n’t need to be a Packers fan to be a cheesehead in Madison . Start your education atFromagination , a European - style high mallow shop located on the Capitol Square . The friendly cheesemongers will walk you through display cases stack with golden blocks of goodness . Whether you ’re craving a traditional or artisanal style , you may relish your 15 - yr ripened cheddar or black sheep truffle cheese on the seasonal , pet - friendly patio . Next , get schooled atBabcock Dairy Plant and Storeon the University of Wisconsin – Madison campus . make in 1951 , the construction still dish up Food Science students . seize a seat for you and your pet on the terrace and taste their jalapeño American cheese , older cheddar cheese , and dill Havarti cheeses with a Badger Box from the Dairy Store .
There are few things more comforting than the warm , gooey bite of a cheese curd fried in a crispy batter . deep-fried high mallow curd pair dead with beer , so it ’s no surprise that some of the best muscae volitantes to get your curd on include local pubs with pet - friendly patios . Vintage Brewing Co.in Capitol East serves blank cheddar curds from Ellsworth Creamery that are bread instead of knock about . If you opt your cheese curds dinge in the darling local ale Spotted Cow , heading toTipsy Cownear the Capitol Square . Over on the East Side of town , Starkweather Brewing Companyoffers deep fried Munster curds from Decatur Dairy in Brodhead , WI . That ’s just the tip of the iceberg lettuce , or cheese block , for Madison ’s Malva sylvestris curd scene .
Fill the Weekend With
Outdoor activities
Madisonians proudly celebrate the outdoors in every season , from paddling its five lakes in the summertime to snowshoe on them in the winter and track more than 200 miles of wheel and hiking trails . The metropolis is a certified platinum - levelBicycle Friendly Community , and Madison makes it easy to research on two wheels by lease an galvanic motorcycle at 80 station through theMadison BCycleprogram .
There ’s no shortage of places to soak in Wisconsin ’s natural splendour among the Madison area ’s car park and trails . Check local regulation if a furry friend is joining you as adog permitis required for all firedog commons . Most Madison ballpark allow leashed detent , and there are nineoff - leash wienerwurst parksfor PET to stretch along their legs . Just outside the metropolis in Middleton , Pheasant Branch Conservancyoffers more than 600 acres of breathtaking wetlands , prairies , and wooded hill .
Some of the effective views of Madison are from the water . If you ’re looking to make a splash on the lake , Madison Boatswill get you move with a rental . Dogs are welcome to join you in a canoe , bicycle-built-for-two kayak , or paddleboard , but you ’ll need to allow for your own click life jacket . If your whelp enjoys paddling around , natter the lagune at Warner Park Dog Park . issue forth winter , you could pass over the crisp snow overcompensate Madison ’s lakes and creeks on snowshoe . Rent snowshoe atRutabaga Paddlesportsor theWisconsin Unionand trek the frozen Creek between lake Wingra , Monona , and Waubesa . If you favor whole ground beneath your snowshoes , try Vilas Park or Garner Park . Dogs on - leash are welcome to join your wintertime shoo-in .
Fromagination|Destination Madison
Shop local boutiques
residential district - given Madison is bursting with little businesses and local boutiques to support . Along Atwood Avenue , A Room of One ’s Own Bookstorehas been function the community since 1975 andBad Dog Fridasupplies and support pets . On Williamson Street , affectionately known as Willy Street , stock up on sustainable home and personal products atGreen Life Tradingwhere you’re able to cut down on individual - use container by refilling your supplies . Bop between shop and restaurants on hip Monroe Street , picking up weird and fun gifts atZip - Dang , cover for your four - legged bestie atMadCat , and pupcakes atBloom Bake Shop .
Dog parks
If you ’re looking for a play date for both you and your pooch , do n’t drop theBoneyard , a dog park and biergarten . Dogs can frolic off - rope or get pampered at a grooming assignment while humans obturate out to live on music , compete in triviality , or relax with a cold one by a fire pit . At theMRD Dog Exercise Areain Middleton , detent can get their grooming in with an lightsomeness course and sniff to their mental object in an off - leash dog park . There ’s even an area designated for little dogs . From bounce through fall , admire views of Lake Monona with your leash favourite in one hand and a Wisconsin craft beer in the other at theBiergarten at Olbrich Park .
Where to eat and drink in Madison
For breakfast : part the twenty-four hour period with baked good made from scratch atMadison Sourdough . In increase to being a bakery , Madison Sourdough mills nearly half of its flour in house and offer its stone - milled Wisconsin flour for leverage . Opt for a Viennoiserie pastry made with yeast - leaven loot or an avocado and egg toast with chili crisp on the signature sourdough .
For dinner : Madison is in the philia of an agriculturally rich region , and outsiders are in the end catching on to its quality of ingredients and innovative chef . Visit the city ’s bevy of James Beard - nominated restaurants , many of which were also remark onTop Chef : Wisconsin . Wisconsin aboriginal and James Beard Best Chef Midwest victor Tory Miller deliver approachable farm - to - table transportation atGraze . Savor pork belly from Seven Seeds Organic accompany by Small Family Farm ’s turnip-rooted celery puree , braised collard greens , and a rootbeer - Bourbon dynasty glaze . AtFairchild , James Beard Best Chef Midwest winners Itaru Nagano and Andrew Kroeger change the fare nightly free-base on seasonal ingredients . Both restaurants extend patios where pets are welcome .
For drinks : The first brewery arrived in Madison in 1848 , but whenGreat Dane Pub and Brewingopened downtown in 1994 it was the first of many modern brewery on water tap in town . If spirits are more your speed , you wo n’t go thirsty atOld Sugar Distilleryor down the road atState Line Distillery , which employ Wisconsin - source grain in its products . you could taste Wisconsin ’s apples in every portmanteau atHidden Cave Cideryand see exactly what you ’re drink . Check the date on the bottom of your cyder bottle against their website to memorize what blend of apples made it to your shabu . While you ’re busy sipping cider , your pet can slurp on a puppuccino .
Destination Madison
Where to stay
For easy access to the smasher : TheMoxy Madison Downtownarrived in 2024 within walk distance of the Capitol and music venue like the Sylvee , High Noon Saloon , and Breese Stevens Field .
For summertime inner circle vibes : Graduate Madisonbrings the college nostalgia near the University of Wisconsin - Madison campus . Sip an Old Fashioned and take in lake views at Camp Trippalindee , the rooftop barroom at this positron emission tomography - friendly belongings .
For a dose of history : The Edgewaterhotel , build in 1948 , offers a dash of Art Moderne sumptuousness on the shoring of Lake Mendota . Pets are welcome at the Edgewater , which is walk distance to both the Capitol and University of Wisconsin - Madison .
The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company
Graduate By Hilton Madison
