Things To Do
Morning at the Farmers' Market
The Dane County Farmers Market, open 7:00 a.m. to noon, is the largest producer only farmers market in the United States and features over 200 vendors. Some of our favorites at this farmers market are Stella’s hot fresh cheesy bread, cheese curds and Wisconsin cheese of nearly every variety, fresh produce, and cookies. It will be held at Breese Stevens Field. You can even stop and visit the Art Fair on the way to or from the Farmers Market. Madison is an exceptionally walkable city!
Art Fair on the Square
68th Annual Art Fair on the Square, open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday., is one of the Midwest’s most popular and highly regarded outdoor celebrations of the arts. The Art Fair on the Square takes place in the Capitol Square area that begins at the end of State Street in front of the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Lakeshore Path Walk with Ellen
Walk with Ellen on the Lakeshore Path on the northern edge of the University of Wisconsin campus immediately adjacent to Lake Mendota to Picnic Point. This beautiful 75-90 minute walk through nature will cover 4 miles round trip but not require you to scale any hills,let alone mountains. Meet in the lobby of the Graduate Hotel, 601 Langdon Street at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Please let us know if you would be interested in participating in this walk.
Historic University Tour with Rick
Join Rick on a uniquely insightful historical tour of the University of Wisconsin’s bucolic campus that only the immediate past chair of the University of Wisconsin History Department Board could provide. The tour will take you from the UW’s origins in 1848 through the present and will cover topics ranging from when beer was first served at the Memorial Union, communist professors, the Vietnam War protests, UW’s many athletic successes, and how the University has evolved from the 1980s to today. Meet in the lobby of the Graduate Hotel, 601 Langdon Street at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Please tentatively let us know if you would be interested in attending this tour.
Olbrich Botanical Gardens
Special to our family as Ellen’s mother Barbara has volunteered there for decades. Including both indoor conservatories and butterfly enclosures as well as outdoor garden spaces, it is located at 3300 Atwood Avenue, a 15 minute drive from the wedding venue and is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Zoo!
Henry Vilas Park Zoo: This free zoo features species such as American Badgers (appropriately named Kaminsky and Dekker—if you know, you know), lions, polar bears, river otters, and capybaras. The zoo is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. It is located at 702 S. Randall Avenue, and is immediately adjacent to the Vilas Park Beach on Lake Wingra. Yes, Wisconsin really does have beaches!
Art!
The Chazen Museum of Art on the UW campus is temporarily closed for renovations this summer. One interesting alternative is the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. It is open on Friday from 12 noon to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. It is located at 227 State Street.