The Best Landmarks in Madison

This is open to the public, including, in our experience, access to the Senate floor. The building is gorgeous and at the time we were there, choir singers on the second floor added a zen and beautiful experience to our self tour. We went because on two previous UWM college tour visits, we never made it inside and honestly, out of things to do that Friday. If I had realized how stunning it is on the inside, and accessible to anyone, I would've made it a first-stop for sure! Really worth your time, plus some of the best restaurants are right outside so we hopped off to dinner afterwards. (Graft, Graze and Canteen.. pick one).

We enjoyed this museum immensely as it took you through the various stages of Wisconsin growth, from the days of pioneering to modern times. They have tons of artifacts, nicely displayed as well as life size dioramas depicting early life of Native Americans and early settlers. Most interesting and surprising were some of the industry associated with Wisconsin. I'm not revealing, but it's not just a cheese state! You need to see this museum to appreciate what Wisconsin has contributed to our country. A must see and I give it an A++ grade.

This museum does a perfect job at packing about as many items in as they can without making things feel crowded. There are displays about meteorites that have been found in Wisconsin, a display case explaining the major differences between minerals and some prehistoric animal skeletons. The absolute best part is the room that shows which minerals display phosphorescence (or glowing in the dark) under different bands of the UV spectrum or in complete darkness. The brilliance of colors displayed is enough to cause one to enter into a state of child-like wonder. If you have a few minutes (or maybe even up to half an hour if you take your time), I would definitely recommend checking this museum.