Nearby Places of Interest

State Parks

 

 

 

Even though we all love the city of Madison, every once in a while it's nice to get away. The 95 state parks, forests, trails, and recreation areas are perfect places to go for camping, hiking, biking, rock climbing, swimming, or just relaxing. Many of us have traveled to quite a few of these state parks either through our public outreach program Universe in the Park (UiTP), with the Hoofers Club, or on our own for a day or weekend trip. One of our favorite and closest parks is Devil's Lake (located about 30 miles north of Madison). The Upper Midwest's premier rock-climbing destination, Devil's Lake also offers spectacular views, swimming, and many hiking trails.

 

 

 

 

 

Along the way to Devil's Lake, you can find the unique and bizarre metal sculpture garden of Dr. Evermore.

 

 

Door County

Arguably the most beautiful parks in Wisconsin are found in Door County, some of the most coveted spots on the UiTP calendar. Door County occupies the north-east peninsula of Wisconsin jutting into Lake Michigan and is home to over 300 miles of scenic shoreline with five state parks, ten lighthouses and more than a dozen county parks. You can take a scenic drive up through the state, ride a ferry over to Washington and Rock Islands, camp right on the water, enjoy a few days of hiking, and then catch a Packers game on the way back.

 

 

 

 

 

New Glarus

If you like towns and cities more than state parks, there are many quaint towns to explore within the state of Wisconsin, or you can travel to one of the larger cities located within driving distance of Madison. Some of the best beer in Wisconsin comes from the town of New Glarus located about 25 miles south-west of Madison. You can tour the brewery, go cheese tasting, or just enjoy the unique Swiss ambience of the town.

Spring Green

Those of you interested in architecture will know that Frank Lloyd Wright loved Madison and designed many building here including homes and even the Monona Terrace. One of his greatest works can be found at his childhood home near Spring Green, Wisconsin located about 40 miles west of Madison. Not only a home, studio, and architecture school, Taliesin was also Wright's laboratory for testing many of the techniques and styles that he used in his famous buildings all across the globe and is truly a sight to behold. After visiting Taliesin, you can catch a play at the beautiful outdoor American Players Theater in Spring Green.

Further Out

Lake Geneva, a quaint town located just 90 miles south-east of Madison, is home to Yerkes Observatory. Or if you'd prefer a bigger city experience, you can easily drive to Milwaukee, Chicago, or the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Other Unique Spots

Wisconsin has many other unique opportunities for exploration. There are 30 wineries in the state, many offering touring and tasting. You can enjoy a movie under the stars at one of the old time drive-in theaters across the state. And of course, if you like water parks, the Wisconsin Dells, the self proclaimed "water park capital of the world," is only an hour's drive north of Madison. As the home of the cheese-heads, you would be right to expect the ability to tour some of the great cheese factories across the state. Mt. Horeb offers the unparalleled Mustard Museum for your viewing and tasting pleasure. You can take a short half hour drive west and explore the Cave of the Mounds. Or you could even go sky-diving.