Being named after revered founding father James Madison and having streets named for each of the 39 signers of the Constitution may have earned votes for Madison to become the Wisconsin Territory’s capital back in the 1830s, but the city’s amalgamation of intellectuals, indie rockers, beach bums (the city has 13 public beaches) and denizens open to differences gets “Mad City” attention in 2008.
Madison is full of local color. Barry Levenson, 38-year resident of Madison, provides the color yellow in Mad Town’s spectrum. He’s curator of the Mount Horeb Mustard Museum, located just outside town. He left his job as assistant attorney general for the state of Wisconsin to open his museum in 1992.
“Madison is a lot of fun,” Levenson says. “There are a lot of quirky things to see and do. There are misconceptions about Madison—that life is slow and the weather is bad. The truth is that for most of the year—for seven months at least—the weather is gorgeous, and there’s always something going on.”
There’s definitely a lot of learning going on: The city is home to the highest number of PhDs per capita, according to Forbes magazine. It’s home to five colleges, including the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW), one of the largest public universities in the U.S., and a handful of satellite campuses.
Of course, college often goes hand-in-hand with a hoppin’ music scene, and on that note Madison certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Butch Vig, producer of the seminal alternative rock album, Nevermind, by grunge band Nirvana, hails from Madison, and Madison Music Online, a local music forum (www.madline.com), lists nearly 160 local bands on the scene.
“If you want nightlife and live music, Madison is the place,” Levenson says. “Just stroll around downtown and you’ll just happen upon something cool without trying.”
After burning the midnight oil listening to performers work their guitars like power tools, head for the lakes to clear your mind.
Downtown Madison is located on an isthmus between lakes Mendota and Monona, hence the city’s tagline, “Lake. City. Lake.”
A popular way for groups to experience the city is a cruise along the lakes from (April to October) to soak in the sunshine—or moonlight, if you fancy—and views of the skyline and shoreline.
If terra firma is more your thing, stroll along the shores of Lake Mendota, past the UW Memorial Union. Or take a two-hour bike ride around Lake Monona. It’s not difficult to find bike rental shops here: Madison has more bikes than cars.
Probably the best way to take in Mad City culture, though, is to take a walk.
Prevention magazine ranks the town as the “Best Walking City” in the country. Make sure that Saturday stroll leads to the nationally praised Dane County Farmer’s Market downtown, where more than 300 vendors offer local products, making it the largest producers’ market in the country.
But Levenson says what really makes Madison a “wow” is the people.
“I know a lot of people say that about their towns,”Levenson says. “But there’s this great sense that you can be who you want to be. I’ve seen that attitude rub off on visitors.”
