Allen Centennial Garden
This 2.5-acre garden on the UW-Madison campus has plants, flowers, a gazebo, and a fish pond. Open free to the public daily from dawn until dusk, with great photo opportunities.
www.hort.wisc.edu/acg/
620 Babcock Drive, 608-262-8406
Babcock Hall Dairy Store
Learn how cheese and ice cream are made. No tours are offered but the production can be viewed through an observation window. Best time to watch is before 12:30 pm daily. Fresh milk, ice cream, and cheese are available for purchase.
www.wisc.edu/foodsci/store
2975 Linden Drive, 608-262-3045
Dairy Cattle Center
Learn about life on a farm without leaving the city. The public is welcome to view milking of 90 dairy cows, done daily at 3:30 am and 3:30 pm. Tours are available by reservation.
www.wisc.edu/dysci/facility/index.htm
1815 Linden Drive, 608-262-2271
Henry Vilas Zoo
The Henry Vilas Zoo, located at 702 S Randall Avenue (just in back of Edgewood College), is free to the public, open year-round and supported by The Henry Vilas Zoological society. View more than 600 animals, including a Tropical Rain Forest Aviary. The Herpetarium and Discovery Center is filled with reptiles, amphibians, and hands-on exhibits. A new exhibit in the Children's Zoo has recently opened. It currently houses Asian Porcupines, Wallabies, Cockatoos, White-handed Gibbons, a Red Panda, and two new Meerkats. Zoo hours are 9:30 am to 5 pm daily. www.vilaszoo.org
702 S. Randall Ave., 608-266-4732
State Capitol
Free tours on the hour from 9 am to 3 pm, (except noon) Monday – Saturday, and from 1 to 4 pm on Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The sixth-level museum and observation deck are open during the summer months.
www.wisconsin.gov/state/captour
Capitol Square, 608-266-0382
UW-Madison Arboretum
This is an ideal resource for observing nature, hiking, walking, biking, jogging, skiing, snowshoeing, and photography. Widely recognized as the site of historic research in ecological restoration, the UW Arboretum includes the oldest and most varied collection of restored ecological communities in the world, including tall grass prairies, savannas, several forest types and wetlands. It also houses flowering trees, shrubs and a world-famous lilac collection. Educational tours for groups and the general public, science and nature-based classes for all ages and abilities, and a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for groups, families and individuals are available. The Arboretum features many distinct ecological communities, several horticultural collections, effigy mounds, historic artifacts, a Visitor Center and more than 20 miles of a trail system. Grounds are open year-round from 7 am – 10 pm. www.uwarboretum.org/
1207 Seminole Hwy., 608-263-7888
UW Geology Museum
This free museum explores all facets of geology, including minerals, rocks, fossils and dinosaur skeletons. Also has a mastodon display.
www.geology.wisc.edu/~museum/
Weeks Hall, 1215 Dayton St., 608-262-2399
UW Space Place
The Space Place offers a fun way to learn about astronomy and space science.
www.spaceplace.wisc.edu
Villager Mall, 2300 S. Park St., 608-262-4779
Vilas Park Tenis Courts
Public courts are located just a short walk at the end of the Campus Park & Pleasure Drive.
Wisconsin Historical Museum
Located on the State Street side of the Capitol Square, the museum offers four floors of exhibits exploring Wisconsin’s heritage and history. Admission is by donation, $4 for adults, $3 for children under 18, or $10 for a family.
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
The Veterans museum tells the story of men and women from Wisconsin who served in America’s conflicts from the Civil War to the present.
www.museum.dva.state.wi.us
Capitol Square, 30 W. Mifflin St.