How To Spend 3 Autumn Days In Madison, Wisconsin
Fall can be a difficult time to get away. Not only does September mean the start of a new school year (and all the hustle-bustle of soccer, Scouts and ukulele lessons that come with it), the golden aspens and finally cool temperatures make our Colorado home hard to leave. Trust us when we say the direct, two-hour flight to a multi-colored autumn getaway in Madison, Wisconsin is worth it.
Day 1
Home to the highest number of parks per capita in the U.S., Wisconsin’s capital city is a walkable, bikeable, 280,000-person mini metropolis situated on an isthmus between two glacial lakes. Start your time here with a taste of the state’s delicacy at locally owned Fromagination, a cut-to-order cheese shop offering a wide range of Wisconsin’s award-winning blocks and wheels. Try the 15-year cheddar or delightfully squeaky cheese curds (or both!) and munch as you walk down the street to check into the Park Hotel. Request a room on the ninth floor for a clear view of the Capitol building (and the only granite dome in the world), along with the green lawns and changing trees of the surrounding square.
Spend the rest of the afternoon downtown poking into shops or meandering through the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (admission is free) before walking to your dinner reservation at the farm-to-table Heritage Tavern. Dinner and drink menus change seasonally, but the flight of Heritage Deviled Eggs — topped with crispy pork, pickled turmeric or some other decadence — are a staple. Choose foraged mushroom pappardelle or a mushroom-and-peppercorn-crusted striploin for your main, paired perhaps with broccoli stem and chili peanut slaw. Finish the meal, and your evening, with a creation from Pastry Sous Chef Kalyn Schultz.
Farmers Market. Photos courtesy of Destination Madison.
Day 2
Rise and shine for the Dane County Farmers Market, steps (literally) from your hotel’s front door. Breathe in the scent of fresh dahlias, and don’t be shy about sampling a ground cherry or smackerel of honeycomb as you wander through the more than 150 vendors who ring Capitol Square each Saturday morning. More evidence of fall’s harvest — squash, apples and pumpkins — will also be on display at what’s reported to be the largest producers-only farmers market in the country.
For lunch, enjoy a black kale Caesar or Korean fried chicken and waffle at James Beard award-winner Chef Tory Miller’s Graze. Then head out in search of amber elms and golden-orange ash trees on a hike. Where to go? You could wander through Wingra Woods, a section of the 17-plus miles of trail in the UW-Madison Arboretum. Or, you might enjoy the flame-colored leaves of sugar maples and white oaks as you hike the relatively level 2-mile out-and-back to Picnic Point along Lake Mendota’s south shore. Work up a sweat — and of course get your leaf peeping on — but don’t overdo it. There’s more adventure on the menu for today.
But first, dinner in the plant-filled, atrium-esque main dining room at Everly. Autumn’s bounty is on display here too, evident in everything from their tea-braised pork with carrots and mushrooms to their chocolate mousse terrine featuring Fresno chilis.
Instead of after-dinner sips, it’s after-dinner splashes on your Brittingham Full Moon Paddle. You’ll row your kayak out on Lake Monona with the pros at Madison Boats and then cap off the evening with live marimba music, floating fire pits and s’mores under the stars.
Olbrich Garden
Olbrich Garden Thai Pavillion
Day 3
Go ahead and sleep in, but if extra zzz’s aren’t enough to perk you up after yesterday’s busy itinerary, walk across the street to Wonderstate Coffee. Order a fall-inspired maple latte to go and sip while taking in the 16 acres of outdoor gardens — plus an indoor, tropical conservatory — at Olbrich Botanical Gardens. Expect the Autumn Garden, with its carpet of native grasses, as well as the asters and mums in planted beds and containers to be especially vibrant, but make time to stroll through the white bark of the Birch Walk and to snap a selfie by one of just four Thai pavilions located outside Thailand.
End your time in Madison with a game of truth or dairy at the trendy, mixed-use Garver Feed Mill. There, try a slice of mac and cheese ‘za and a Wisco Salad (featuring bleu cheese) from Ian’s Pizza followed by a stop at Calliope Ice Cream. Before digging into your slightly wacky and seriously delicious flavor of choice — maybe Sriracha-infused hot peanut butter or hearty breakfast with chunks of French toast and bacon — raise your spoon to a colorful and delicious visit to Madison.
Originally published in the fall 2025 issue of Spoke+Blossom.