Memorial Union Terrace is great - pitchers, popcorn & hanging out at the lake!
You can also rent boats, and sometimes they are doing a water jet pack which I’ve always wanted to try LOL.
If you feel like a long walk you could also take the lakeshore path west from the Union and keep going up to Picnic Point which has a nice view of the lake & the capitol.
I really like Tenney Park!
Olbrich botanical garden
BB Clark Beach (check if its open for swimming)
Walking around in the State capitol can be fun if you like that sort of thing! There’s an observation deck/roof you can climb up to.
🍺 Bars
Mickey’s Tavern - This bar is in a house with multiple different rooms. It’s a cool vibe. Nice back patio. Decent bar food & good bloody mary’s. Get the sexy fries!
The Caribou - AKA the Bou. The divey-est, with strong drinks and a bunch of regulars. A classic.
Tornado Room - Fancy steak house with a foodie menu, in a Wisconsin bar setting. My best friend Silas bartends here, if you visit, tell him I sent you!
The Shamrock - next door to Tornado. Gay bar I used to frequent often (say hello to AJ) and they are also famous for their brunch. But be careful of the mimosa’s b/c they serve them in a pint glass and add vodka! Welcome to Wisconsin.
The Ivory Room - Karaoke spot where the guy plays all the songs on piano while you sing along. It was fun when I last went but don’t remember what the vibe is like (potential to skew college-age based on the location.)
Honorable Mention: Le Tigre Lounge - it’s on the west side of Madison and I’ve only been there once but it’s got a lot of tiger paraphernalia and is a real trip lol, I think they have a “no swearing” rule.
Cocktails
Old Sugar Distillery
Robin Room
Gib’s
Mint Mark
🍜 Food
Natt Spil - One of my favorite spots in Madison. Cozy ambience, good cocktails. I looooove their mussels, and the other food is good too!
Himal Chuli - Bomb-ass Nepalese food on State St
Paul’s Pelmeni - Russian dumplings with beef/potatoes & spicy sauce - SO GOOD!! Get a full order, mixed, with the works
Umami - Ramen & dumplings - their pork buns are incredible!!
Lao Laan-Xang - Laotian
Fried Cheese Curds - The cheese curds at The Tipsy Cow are pretty good. (Some people also like the curds at The Old Fashioned but I personally think they’re a little over-hyped.)
Stella’s Spicy Cheese Bread - Get some Stella’s spicy cheese bread at any grocery store - they had these cute little mini loafs last time I was there.
Batch Bakehouse - Bakery with a wide variety of sweet & savory - go in the morning cause they run out of the good stuff.
Madison Favs