The best part of the Willy Street Fair is the people watching - pure old school Madison funky vibe…read more It was a lovely September afternoon that was perfect for a festival and it brought out the crowds. Many great food options (should have tried the apple pieces with caramel and bacon bits - next time!) and good music and street performers. Most of the other vendors were of little interest. I was surprised that it was only a few blocks long - I expected bigger. A fun time for sure.

Just a mere half a block from my house, Willy Street Fair is something I will look forward to for…read moreyears to come! Two days of sheer shenanigans. Expect costumes, great music, beer, delicious local food, amazing local artists, and an all around good time. This event is the epitome of what makes Willy Street unique!

Amazing neighborhood festival that made it through the pandemic better and bigger. The music is…read morealways top notch. Great food and beer options. The spirit of the event is incredible and it brings the east side together! Make sure to check out the night performances with the group that performs from the trees! One of a kind festival!

Often my favorite festival of the summer. Great bands and people. A terrific way to end the summer.read more

The Memorial Union Terrace is the place to be. As a Badger Alum, this is where you ought to be when…read moreyou're skipping class when the weather is nice: I know I certainly was. Don't tell your parents if you're thinking of attending from out of state, you know: $$$$, :O Live music, and food-places either from on the terrace itself or from inside the Memorial Union to bring meals out on a tray (Pro-tip: eastern-inside spots are generally better) Warning: Operations are *seasonal* - this year: 4/17/2026 to 10/27/2026 There's a not so subtle Madison, WI weather subtext message here

We stopped by Memorial Terrace on July 4th 2026 to enjoy some of the festivities going on,…read moreincluding a marching band. We watched some of the World Cup on a giant screen and enjoyed a beer and large pretzel at Der Rathskeller restaurant, stopped by the gift shop/mini-market, walked up and down the lakefront, sat and admired the view and took photos of the big chair and the Badger statue. It was the perfect Wisconsin vacation experience! Helpful?

I am not totally sure what to say about Monroe Street Fest. It happened. There were people there…read more hmmm. yeah... I was most excited about checking out Strictly Discs. They always have a good showing. When I got there (4:00 on Saturday) there were quite a few people going through the cds and I was just not in the mind set to sift through the cds and people. The previous year, I did have lot of time and spent about an hour going through the cds and found 4 for less than $15. As for the rest of the festival, there were hair products, frames, books, random laundry items from the convenience store, and items from Orange Tree imports. Everything was so random. It was worth the stroll through just to see what was going on but was not exciting enough to make the trip across city.

Brace yourself...this neighborhood celebration is an absolute cliche. In the best way possible…read more(because HELLO...cliche's are such because they're true!). First tip: Go into the Festival knowing Monroe Street is going to be busy all day long. Duh! I would recommend the early morning of the first day. Not overly rowdy and a very pleasant stroll. The past 5 years I have attended MSF with different friends and family, I've learned to attend in the morning and/or mid-afternoon. Especially when the weather is turning into a gorgeous, burnt fall day. if you are smart enough to follow my pro-tip above, grab a nice coffee from Barriques, Crescendo, or Colectivo (because local!) and it will send you into a caffeinated bliss, ready for exploration and cutesy conversation with local shop owners and staff. This year, my friend and I made home-made tea candles, browsed books, tossed corks, even had face painting, just for us! Who can turn down face painting?! There was an amazing, small clearance sale at the local theater group's shop, and I found a few FANTASTIC finds for mere dollars! Free food samples and tote bags were also unexpected, but obviously welcomed perks. Trader Joe's was unleashing their seasonal, "buy your pumpkin spice-everything" this same weekend...and I definitely dropped double-digit dollars to bask in the gloriousness. MSF is a classic annual Madison experience. Rain or shine, I've experienced it, and so should you.

I can't wait for another show! Excellent acting, and fun audience! A little hidden Stoughton gem I…read moredidn't know had been hiding in plain sight this entire time. There's also many ways to be involved if you're interested in well. But, if you're here for the show as I was, you won't regret it!

This is one of my favorite local theatres. While the do tend to have a lot of Norwegian shows, they…read morealso try to have a few more well known shows yearly as well. They did Fiddler on the Roof, Titanic, and more and each show is so well done, with great crew, musicians and performers. Well worth it to take the time and see one of their shows.

Beautiful place to hike, especially in the fall. Magnificent views of Lake Mendota, the campus, and…read moreeven the capital building. I stumbled across it my first week living on campus as a hapless freshman and it immediately became one of my favorite spots. I always make sure to stop by whenever I'm back in Madison.

This is roadside attraction that many has post. We got to know by plotting our travel route with…read moreattractions and found this location. This giant elephant is a statue with pink color. The elephant statue located next to the gas station. It is good stop on our route from Chicago to Wisconsin Dells. The statue is cute with giant glasses.

A real size elephant - he is pink with a big eyeglasses, so adorable ! Who wouldn't like him. He…read morestands on the side of a Shell gas station, such a goofy landmark. We stopped by to take picture with him, adored his unique quality and headed back to road. It was such a fun, quick stop. Love the pink elephant.

Michael Feldman's Whad' Ya Know is an entertaining 2-hour live radio broadcast that takes place at…read moreMonona Terrace many Saturday mornings throughout the year. With free donuts, $5 tickets for students and seniors, and $10 tickets for adults, you'd be hard-pressed to find a more fun way to spend your Saturday mornings. Each show features interesting guests ranging from authors to ukulele virtuosos, a talented jazz duo (piano and bass), and LOTS of audience participation and interaction (so if you've ever wanted to hear your voice on nationally-syndicated radio, this is your chance).

First order of business: this live show is A) no longer located at Monona Terrace, and B) no longer…read morebroadcast on NPR. After 30 years, the nationally-syndicated show was, sadly enough, cancelled by NPR. The good news is the show has been revived as a podcast once per month, on a Saturday from 12PM - 2:00 PM at High Noon saloon. Nice symmetry there. I've followed and attended Whad'Ya Know many times over the past 30 years. I love that it is uniquely local, live and very original, in the vein of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me," and "Prairie Home Companion," it's a mix of quiz show, musical guests, cultural guests like actors or writers, and all produced in a semi-scripted and quasi-improvisational format. Whad' Ya Know is the most improvisational with lots of audience interaction. If you are in the audience, you could end up on the quiz show portion of the program if not just interviewed by Michael as he strolls through the audience making sardonic comments about everything and everyone along the way. In fact this audience involvement is always my favorite-funny and unexpected, and a showcase for Michael's unique brand of humor. And dare I say, funnier than his written jokes, or monologue, at the opening of the show. A lot of "groaners" there sometimes. As for the High Noon venue, I loved being able to sit at a bar, order a Bloody Mary, nibble on slices of "imported" Glass Nickel pizza, and still watch the show. You couldn't do that in the auditorium at Monona Terrace. There are tables for groups and other chairs lined up for an audience members. Tickets for the show are only $10.00. And there is full bar service with two bartenders. So with the more intimate venue, and am smaller audience, there is more opportunity for the interaction and improvisation that makes this a special local event. In a more and more canned and artificial world of entertainment, Whad' Ya Know remains fun, immediate, and original. Great place to bring your out of town visitors.