Madison is the State Capitol of Wisconsin, the home of the Wisconsin Badgers, the University of Wisconsin and my hometown.

The "Mad City" is a fairly liberal college town with a vibrant downtown and is an isthmus surrounded by three lakes: Mendota (the largest), Monona, and Wingra (the smallest).

The capital anchors the downtown area and would impossible to miss as it resembles the White House in D.C. Most of the cities festivals and activities will be based in this immediate area.

The Capital stands 284 feet high and can be toured during the summer months. You can either take a guided tour usually starting on the hour or you can take a self guided tour. The interior of the building is very ornate and really cool to look at. When you enter the building stand in the center and look up to see the mural on the ceiling!

The exterior of the building is made entirely of White Bethel Vermont granite, which really just looks like marble to most people.
The dome is the focal point of the Capitol building. It is 162 feet tall. Three observation decks encircle the outer dome. The first or the lowest observation deck is open to the public during the summer. The four wings of the Capitol face the four diagonal streets of the City of Madison. Each wing is one hundred and twenty-five feet wide, eighty-four feet high and one hundred and eighty-seven feet long. You will have nice views of the city from the observation deck.

While inside-don't forget to see the replica of the Liberty Bell.

The views of Madison from the first observation deck on a rainy day.

Looking up at the statues atop the observation deck.

State Street is a pedestrian/bus only street that covers aprox 3 city blocks. Here you will have a great view of downtown as well as many specialty shops, restaurants and the

Olbrich Gardens

Henry Vilas Zoo

UW Arboretum

Little Americka

Ella's Deli- This place is a must stop in Madison. Especially if you have kids. There was no better treat as a child than to get to go to Ella's Deli. This place is a kids dream shop. Not only are there Tons of animated displays throughout the deli there is the unmistakeable landmark of the giant 1920's carasul out front.
The type of food here-considered a kosher deli & Ice Cream Parlour. They have many flavors of ice cream. I still remember "blue moon", which taste kind of like Fruit Loops cereal in ice cream form.

This place will leave ya speechless, so just trust me if you have kids they'll want to go. And if even if you don't have kids, but want a totally different dining experience-this is the place