By Saul Schwartz
My wife Fern and I spent four days in Wisconsin during July. This was our first trip together to the Badger state. The weather was delightful, with warm days and cool, but pleasant mornings. We flew into Milwaukee and out of Madison. An invitation to a wonderful wedding in Madison resulted in a fabulous trip.
Attractions: Miller Brewery Tour – Milwaukee – Located in Miller Valley, the brewery tour is located at 4251 West State Street. The parking is free, and the parking lot is large. The informative guided tour lasts a little more than one hour and includes several tastings of cold beverages. We walked by the packing and distribution centers, into the historic caves with their colorful beer garden mural, and stopped in the Bavarian-style Miller Inn with a beautiful bar area. On the outdoor portion, we walked by the historic stables and brewhouse buildings.
Although we are not beer drinkers, we found the tour to be both educational and fun. The tour begins in the Visitor Center and ends in the outdoor beer garden where we enjoyed the newly distrusted Happy Thursday refreshers and climbed aboard the high life cruiser bus. Advanced on-line reservations are required. The cost is $20 plus tax per adult. A free souvenir is provided at the end of the tour.
Music in Madison – On our first night, we briefly listened to the free classical music concert on the grounds of the Capitol The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra performs for 90 minutes on summer Wednesdays at 7 p.m. On the second night, we briefly listened to a free rhythm and blues concert at the Monoma Terrace. The two-hour rooftop concerts are on Thursdays at 7 p.m. Tickets were required, so we listened from the hotel complex.
Bike paths in Madison – On several days, we walked or jogged along Lake Monona paths. The paved lake loop paths primarily follow the lake in several directions. The various paths are full of bikers, walkers, and joggers and connects with other similar paths. By the Monona Terrace, fishing on the shore and in boats was very popular.
Tour of the state Capitol building in Madison – The free one-hour guided tour was exceptional. Located at 2 East Main Street, the 200-foot-high Capitol dome can be seen throughout the downtown area. The Capitol dome is topped by Daniel Chester French’s elegant gilded bronze statue, “Wisconsin.” Inside the building, we marveled at the textures of 43 varieties of stone from around the world, including four exquisite glass mosaics seen from the rotunda featuring the three branches of government and democracy. The tour included the state Supreme Court chambers and the Senate chamber. This beautiful building, designed after the U.S. Capitol, was completed in 1917. A state museum is located on the sixth floor. Reservations were not required for the tour.
State Street and the surrounding Downtown Madison – In the heart of the city, the State Street area is fun to walk around to see the shops and restaurants. Most of the State Street area is blocked off as a pedestrian mall. We stopped in at 11 West Main Street to sample high quality, expensive chocolates at Candinas Chocolatier. The Wisconsin Cheese Mart at 119 State Street offers the world’s largest selection of Wisconsin cheeses. It is a fun stop for pictures with the iconic Cheesehead, the three-cornered hat shaped like a cheese wedge.
University of Wisconsin, Madison campus – We spent several hours exploring the university campus, on the shores of Lake Mendota. Since its founding in 1848, the university has been a major land-grant university, with over 37,000 undergraduate students. The lovely campus includes 26 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Up on a hill behind a long green law, Bascom Hall, one of the most iconic buildings, features a squared white portico with columns in front of the brown brick façade. Constructed of masonry and metal, the striking red brick Science Hall features a massive central tower and lesser corner towers on each wing. We spent some time within the five-level Memorial Union, which includes many food options. The Union is easily recognized for its classical architecture. The Memorial Union Terrace behind the building was a great place for us to relax with lake views and enjoy an informal meal. Metered parking was available within the campus area. https://www.wisc.edu.
Taliesin East – Near Spring Green – We took the one hour and fifteen minutes introductory house tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright house and property. Advanced on-line reservations are required at a cost of $40 per adult. The tour was exceptionally informative about Frank Lloyd Wright’s life while he was living and working at Taliesin East (and before). The tour began at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Visitor Center. We were then shuttled over to the house and studio.
Portions of the 800-acre property overlook the Wisconsin River. The house is in harmony with the surrounding hills and valley. Designated as a national historic landmark and UNESCO world heritage site, the amazing house and studio blends in with nature. There is a small café and gift shop within the Visitor Center. Longer tours were available, but we were quite content with our tour! The property is about one hour west of Madison. https://www.travelwisconsin.com/architecture/taliesin-estate-and-frank-lloyd-wright-visitor-center-203648
Our day in New Glarus – In 1845, the canton of Switzerland of Glarus sent several families to the United States to purchase land for a Swiss settlement. Today in New Glarus, the Swiss culture is not forgotten, as the town is full of Swiss immigrants and buildings. With a population of just over 2000, the town called “Little Switzerland” provided us with an entertaining day trip. New Glarus is about 45 minutes from Madison.
We began our day in Little Switzerland at the Visitor Center at the Chamber of Commerce. At the Visitor Center, we purchased the combination museum ticket for $15 per adult. The ticket includes admission to the Chalet of the Golden Fleece and the Swiss Historical Village.
Swiss Historical Village – A guided one-hour tour is included in the admission price. Our guide told us about the founding of New Glarus. He explained how the 14 buildings within the village were either replicas or original buildings moved to the village. The buildings contained original and donated Swiss collectables. Our guide provided us with a glimpse of Swiss pioneer life, as we explored many of the artifact-filled Swiss Historical Village buildings, including a settler’s log cabin, collectibles shop, school, a blacksmith shop, a store for farm implements, a bee house, a church, a bee house, and a cheese factory. https://www.swisshistoricalvillage.org/
Chalet of the Golden Fleece – Located at 618 Second Street in New Glarus, the charming Swiss chalet is the former home of Edwin Barlow. Reservations are required. The three-level home contains a huge collection of artifacts collected by Barlow during his travels abroad. The home was designed by the architect to look like a home in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. Our two guides provided extensive information about the collection and Barlow’s life. The tour lasted more than one hour. https://newglarusvillage.com/recreation/chalet-of-the-golden-fleece
The Swiss United Church – Easily seen throughout the town, the church address is 18 Fifth Avenue in New Glarus. After calling the church, we were able to arrange a brief viewing of its interior and talk to the pastor. Built in 1900 as noted on an exterior cornerstone, the red brick building includes a large clock tower and steeple. The interior contains a series of lovely stained-glass windows, including a rose window. https://swisschurch.org/
Dining and coffee:
Café Manna – Located outside Milwaukee in Brookfield at 3815 North Brookfield Road, this restaurant more than lives up to its motto: fresh, yummy and good for you food! The restaurant is small but has both indoor and outdoor seating. The menu is totally vegan and vegetarian. The service was superb! The food was so unbelievably tasty, that we asked to meet the chef, Jordan. Prices were moderate. The food options were so interesting that we had to ask the server for advice. We began with the tasty hummus plate with crackers and vegetables. Then we really enjoyed the “peace” bowl filled with grains and vegetables. The dessert choices were amazing. Portions were generous. We shared a decedent chocolate tart filled with pistachio. https://cafemanna.com/
Madison – Everly – Located at 2701 Monroe Street, this casual sit-down restaurant has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. In the bustling Monroe Street neighborhood, the interior space is light and bright, with nice arty decorations and greenery. The diverse menu offered many vegan and vegetarian options for us. Prices were moderate. Due to the crowds, the service was a little slow. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed the hummus toast and the Southern California grain bowl, with some requested modifications. https://www.everlymadison.com/
Madison – Michelangelo’s Coffee House – Located downtown on 114 State Street, this neighborly hangout was recommended to us in several podcasts about Madison. Established in 1997, the coffee shop features a wide array of coffee and tea options, along with a limited menu of homemade foods, including desserts. We enjoyed the hummus plate with pita and vegetables, with our drinks. Indoor and outdoor seating is available. Prices are moderate. The artwork inside has a Michelangelo theme. Cozy chairs are available. https://www.michelangeloscoffeehouse.com/
Madison – Ian’s Pizza – In February 2011, pizza was delivered by Ian’s to masses of protestors against Wisconsin Act 10. The state law proposed ending union collective bargaining rights in the public sector. The location at 100 State Street is one of three Ian’s locations, featuring pizza and salads. Indoor and outdoor seating is available. Prices are very reasonable. Our salad was surprisingly good! https://ianspizza.com/city/madison/
Spring Green General Store – Spring Green – We stopped by for lunch after our tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright house. The limited lunch menu is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The salads and wraps were better than average. The prices were very reasonable. Located at 137 South Albany Street, there is limited street parking right outside the store. The retail store offers a varied selection of women’s clothing, jewelry, accessories, and gift shop items. The cute café and store is located in a 1910 converted cheese warehouse.
Ancora Coffee – Madison – With four locations throughout Madison, the cafes offer tea, coffee, and limited food options. https://www.ancoracafes.com/about/
Fat Cat Coffee Works – New Glarus – Located at 606 Railroad Street, the coffee shop has limited outdoor and indoor seating. Unfortunately, they close at 2 p.m. daily, so we had to take our drinks to go. Opened in 2007, the café also sells homemade baked goods and Ancora coffee. https://fatcatcoffeeworks.com/
Lodging – Our original plan was to stay in Milwaukee for two nights, but our hotel reservation was canceled by the hotel due to a major national convention that blocked all the rooms. Instead, we stayed all four nights in Madison at the Madison Hilton Monona Terrace. The hotel location was great, being right downtown, overlooking the clear waters of Lake Monona, and within a few blocks of the state Capitol. Our large room had lake views. The bed was very comfortable. The gym was small, but adequate, with weights and cardio equipment. We enjoyed breakfast each morning in the Executive Lounge, which also had incredible lake views and offered both cold and hot breakfast items, including granola and oatmeal. The location on 9 East Wilson Street was connected by skywalk to Frank Lloyd Wright designed Monona Terrace. Although the room rate was higher than expected, the lodging here was worthwhile.
Fern and I concluded that our four days in Wisconsin provided us with a nice introduction to the state. The locals were very friendly! Our trip exceeded all our expectations.
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