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Madison
Capital of Wisconsin, United States

Madison

Madison is the capital of the U.S.

Plan a trip to Madison→From Milwaukee

state of Wisconsin. It is the second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 census. The Madison metropolitan area has an estimated 708,000 residents. With a downtown centrally located on an isthmus between Lakes Mendota and Monona, the city also encompasses Lake Wingra. Founded in 1836, Madison is named after American Founding Father and President James Madison. The city is the county seat of Dane County.

Get in

Getting to Madison

  1. 01
    Dane County Regional Airport

    Northeast of downtown Madison, 15 minutes to the Capitol and the university by car or taxi.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    The Memorial Union Terrace

    A lovely terrace which overlooks beautiful Lake Mendota.

  2. 02
    Monona Terrace

    1 John Nolen Dr, fax: +1 608-261-4049, info@mononaterrace.com.

  3. 03
    Henry Vilas Zoo

    Founded in 1914, this is one of the few free zoos left in the country.

  4. 04
    Olbrich Botanical Gardens

    These 16 free outdoor gardens have many ponds and greens, as well as the only Thai Pavilion in the continental United States.

  5. 05
    UW Arboretum

    A massive, man-made nature reserve that has been carefully planned out with several different types of forests and plant species.

  6. 06
    Wisconsin State Capitol

    The State Capitol Building, modeled after the U.S.

Eat

Where to eat

Madison is said to have the highest number of restaurants per capita in the entire United States. The sheer diversity of and intense competition among Madison's restaurants is enough to put any city of similar size to shame (as well as many larger cities!), making Madison one of the best cities in the country to be a foodie.

  1. 01
    Nam's Noodles

    Excellent Chinese food close to the university.

  2. 02
    Ian's Pizza
  3. 03
    Mediterranean Cafe

    This narrow room is a Madison gem and a favorite with the university crowd.

  4. 04
    Mickies Dairy Bar

    A classic diner close to the University, and right across from the football stadium.

  5. 05
    Greenbush Bakery

    Excellent doughnuts, which just happen to be kosher.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Christopher Michel (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.