The first thing to know about Madison is that it is a created city, platted, supposedly in 48 hours, by developers who thought an isthmus between two lakes would be an awful pretty spot for a state capital and who, incidentally of course, just happened to own a lot of real estate there. They built a town in the middle of nowhere, and Madison has remained fairly isolated, psychologically as well as physically, ever since. New residents describe it as 25 square miles (actually 60 or so) surrounded by reality. The streets are clean, the buses run on schedule, and you can trust the old lady standing next to you in the grocery store not to yank the jewelry off your neck. Other provincial characteristics: a casual life-style (some say dressing up in Madison means wearing shoes), an overarching affection for all things dairy, and a dislike for city slickers, especially those from Illinois. Remove your license plates at the border.
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Just up the hill is Washburn Observatory (1401 Observatory Drive, 608-262-9274), a nifty old building that houses the telescope with which UW astronomers determined the size of the galaxy. After 112 years the machinery is obsolete but still provides a terrific view, and on the first and third Wednesday of the month the public is invited to take a gander. Showings are at sunset (9 PM) in the summer months and 7:30 PM in winter if skies are at least 75 percent clear.
Local kids are partial to the Geology Museum in Weeks Hall at 1215 W. Dayton (608-262-2399) and in particular to the 10,000-year-old mastodon skeleton found by farm boys in a creek bed near Boaz in 1897. There’s also a neat collection of phosphorescent rocks–be sure to turn out the lights and bask in the afterglow.
When it comes to recreation, the lakes are great for canoeing, sailing, boarding, ice-skating, and swimming. (I’d check with the public-health department first regarding the latter–we’re developing a problem with ducks who don’t know where the bathroom is.)
Two other one-of-a-kind entertainments: Broom Street Theater (1119 Williamson St., 608-244-8338), the oldest experimental theater in the midwest, which stages locally written plays that are often provocative, sometimes hilarious, and almost always long and loud; and “Whad ‘Ya Know?”, the American Public Radio show that originates in Vilas Communications Hall on the UW campus (821 University Ave., 608-263-5635). Host Michael Feldman is a former Madison schoolteacher and cabdriver who made good as a comic. Be a part of his audience and laugh for two hours. For other local happenings, check Isthmus, the city’s free weekly newspaper.
