Location: Madison
Top Things to do in Madison
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10 Things to do Good for a Rainy Day in Madison That You Shouldn't Miss
The sprawling University of Wisconsin sets the tone for this college town of cafes, bookstores, brewpubs, numerous restaurants (more per capita than anywhere else in the U.S.) and a good share of cultural and historical attractions. Stunning glacial waterways make the City of Lakes one of the more picturesque state capitals in the country. More than 250 parks offer residents and tourists plenty of recreational areas to choose from. If you visit the campus, be sure to try the famous Babcock Ice Cream at Memorial Union or Babcock Hall, before or after a visit to the Elvehjem Museum of Art's collection of Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities. And to really get into the college spirit, head over to State Street's eclectic range of ethnic restaurants. Be sure to try the mouth-watering bratwurst sandwich on a homemade bun at State Street Brats, a student favorite. At the end of State Street, the white granite, Roman Renaissance-style Capitol dominates the skyline and offers an observation platform for views of the city and lakes.
Restaurants in Madison
1. Hop Head Tours
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 100 reviews
Since 2010, we have provided fun, safe & educational tour experiences. Based out of Madison and now expanded to Milwaukee. We are not a party bus or a pub crawl. We visit breweries, brewpubs, distilleries & wineries and related attractions.
2. Monkey Business Institute
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 34 reviews
Every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday, Monkey Business Institute creates unique performances at the Glass Nickel Pizza East - 2916 Atwood Ave. We craft spur-of-the-moment, seat-of-the-pants improv comedy by mixing audience suggestions, decades of improv experience, and sheer moxie. Our group features over 20 experienced and talented performers with backgrounds in stand-up comedy, acting, writing and music. Many of our members are also frequent guests of the Blame Society Films ensemble (Chad Vader, Beer & Board Games, Welcome to the Basement) We recommend buying your tickets online to guarantee your seats, as our venue sells out quickly. Tuesday House Blend Show ($5, 7:00PM, Seating begins at 6:15), Friday Improv Lab Show ($7, 8:00PM, Seating at 7:15) Saturday All-Ages Show ($7, 5:30PM, Seating at 4:45PM), and Saturday Grown-Up Show ($12, 8PM, Seating at 7:15PM)! See our website for special shows and showcases. Full menu and bar available. Free parking. No food/drink minimum.
3. Escape This
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 80 reviews
We offer live room escape games that provide a unique & entertaining experience for families, friends and co-workers. Teams of players are "locked" in a themed room with only 60 minutes to use wit, creativity and teamwork to search for clues, solve puzzles and ultimately escape the room. It's smart fun that puts a new twist on team building, birthday parties, date nights and outings with friends.
Reviewed By 472terry - Verona, United States
We have been to a ton of escape rooms all over the country. There are many similarities and many things that make each experience unique. Escape This stands out as one of the best that we have done. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful from the moment we walked in the building. Our game Master was Matthew and he was wonderful at letting us dictate any help we wanted from him. On hindsight, we wished that we had asked for a little help earlier. This is a challenging room with a ton of puzzles to solve. Great room for a bigger group because there is a lot to accomplish. We did not escape and still had many steps to do. That was disappointing but we did feel successful with the things we did solve. I especially like the balance between relevant things in the room and distractions. The story made sense and the tasks were completely tied to the story. This is a top notch experience that I would highly recommend.
4. Float Madison
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 13 reviews
Floatation therapy and sensory deprivation tank spa that offers 60 minute and longer float sessions in the highest quality float tanks around today, the Ocean Float Room and the Evolution Float Pod. We also have a beautiful and peaceful space to relax.
Reviewed By 959davidd959 - Racine, United States
Our first-in-life floats were spectacular. Greg runs a first rate business, meticulously clean and well organized. Thank you so much!
5. Wisconsin Veterans Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 240 reviews
The Wisconsin Veterans Museum acknowledges, affirms, and commemorates the role of Wisconsin citizens from Civil War to present military history.
Reviewed By 866TaylorB - Chicago, United States
In our travels from coast to coast, my wife and I love to visit art museums and history museums. In Madison, Wisconsin, we visited the Wisconsin Historical Museum, the Chazen Museum of Art and the Overture Center for the Arts. Then one of the docents at the Chazen asked: "Have you been to the Veterans Museum?" Now we have. We would have been disappointed if we had missed it. Located at 30 West Mifflin Street, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum was founded in 1901 and has been housed at this site since 1993. Dedicated to the soldiers of the state of Wisconsin, it is composed of two galleries that chronicle the history of their service in the nation's wars from the Civil War to the Persian Gulf War to the War on Terror through exhibits, videos, maps, photographs and dioramas. The 19th century gallery showcases Wisconsin's involvement in the Civil War, including a large diorama depicting the Battle of Antietam. Three Wisconsin regiments formed part of the famed Iron Brigade that fought in most of the major battles in the eastern theater, including Antietam, Gettysburg, Chancellorsville and Petersburg. In the 20th century gallery, see exhibits that illustrate Wisconsin's roles in the Mexican Border campaign, World War I and World War II and the Korean, Vietnam and Persian Gulf conflicts. Many historical firearms and three full-scale aircraft also are on display--a Sopwith Camel from WW I, a P-51 Mustang from WW II and a Huey helicopter from the Vietnam War. Even if you aren't from Wisconsin, a visit to the Wisconsin Veterans Museum is a very sobering and educational experience.
6. Chazen Museum of Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 312 reviews
This art museum's impressive collection includes prints, photographs, paintings and sculptures from prehistoric times to modern day. Special exhibitions showcasing local artists take place throughout the year. The Chazen remains free, but you must book an appointment in advance to visit during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic:
Reviewed By BAR1025 - Mount Horeb, United States
They have a new cafe with wifi, treats, espresso, and gifts. It's a gift shop with benefits! I already bought a book and a few mochas. Really nice addition to a great museum!
7. Madison Civic Center
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 10 reviews
Downtown arts and entertainment complex features Repertory Theatre, Broadway-style productions and live concerts.
8. Point Cinema
9. Madison Children's Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 309 reviews
(Note: The museum is closed indefinitely, due to the pandemic. MCM will reopen sometime in 2021.) The Madison Children's Museum is an award-winning destination for fun family activities and hands-on learning! Visit our inventive city of Possible-opolis for ages 6 and up, and our four-season Rooftop Ramble, with animals and gardens. Kids under 5 have a place of their own in the Wildernest, a global village made with natural, local materials.There's always something new to do at Madison Children's Museum, where our mission is to connect children with their family, their community, and the world beyond through discovery learning and creative play.
Reviewed By EvergreenCOmom - Evergreen, United States
My 11, 8, and 5 year olds had a blast exploring this highly interactive and innovative children's museum. It's high candy for kids and adults alike from the moment you walk in and see the 5 and under Wildernest area on the lower level while looking straight up at the open staircase to see the older kid climbing play structure "thing" that you have to see to believe. Naturally, we went straight up to climb and slide. Great energy burner and the slide is steep/fast enough that kids don't get held up waiting to go. Next we made our way through the coops to cathedrals portion. I was fascinated! I had no idea about the history of Frank Lloyd Wright- I knew he was from Madison but I learned so much about his life and design ideas. There was everything from the types of blocks he played with as a child to a fun barn space for kids to try out building and chores to a functioning "studio" space where they can try to design a dog house with large interlocking puzzles pieces. So cool! I finally weaned my kids off this section because I was eager to check out the rooftop. For older kids the staircase is yet another helpful energy burner (up a few flights). The rooftop is beautiful and another creative place to explore, with interesting garden spaces and indoor lab space to check out beetles, turtles, and other small animals. There's also a chicken coop outside, plus a couple of small climbing structures and beautiful look out spots (especially fun for us out oft owners). The one last thing my daughter wanted to do was the giant hamster wheel back down by the climbing structure. It's a fun little novel thing to do but be prepared to wait a few minutes in line since it's open sporadically as staff are able to come and open it. I assume it's open more readily on weekends. And now a few logistics: I bought my tickets online ahead of time to see if it saved any time. For one adult & three kids it was just over $31, so not bad. It saved a few seconds when we walked in, but since there wasn't a separate line I was confused about how this would help on really crowded days. We were there on a June Tuesday afternoon. Parking was crazy easy since a street space opened up right outside the front door. I also saw multiple parking structures, so even on weekends I figure parking is not impossible. I saw that they allow you to bring food in to the cafe, which is super helpful. You can bring in food for the little ones just within the Wildernest, also helpful. Bathrooms and elevators were really easy to find once inside. I also appreciated that they had environmentally friendly features like high flow/low flow toilet flushers and hand dryers. Most of all, I appreciated the time and effort that clearly went into making this an amazing space for a wide variety of ages.
10. Wisconsin Historical Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 104 reviews
Bringing Wisconsin's history to life through exhibits on the material culture of the state and the Upper Midwest, from prehistoric times to present day.
Reviewed By Bluey114 - Brisbane, Australia
Absolutely loves this museum. Spent way longer here than we thought as there was so much to see. Lots of historical artifacts and displays. Loved it
