Travel Log: Madison, Wisconsin
Something really cool that happens for travel writers is that we are occasionally invited on press trips — trips for journalists designed to show off a destination.
I’ve only taken a handful of these trips, but my favorites are the ones that take me someplace I would normally never think to go on my own. I’m often reminded by these destinations how big the world is and how many great places our country has to explore.
One such place is Madison, Wisconsin. I was invited to Madison last December by the team at Destination Madison. “You don’t want me to come to Wisconsin in December, right?” I asked, but they assured me there would be plenty to do in December and boy, oh boy, were they right!
Here are just five of my favorite experiences:
The Mustard Museum
I cannot begin to tell you how hysterical and memorable my experience at the Mustard Museum was. Barry Levenson, creator and curator of the museum, is a former lawyer who began collecting mustard bottles as a distraction after his favorite baseball team, the Boston Red Sox, lost the 1986 World Series.
The museum now has over 6,090 mustards from across the country and around the world. They also showcase mustard themed art, history and memorabilia. And in the gift shop visitors can sample hundreds of different types of Mustard from sweet and savory to super hot.
I don’t normally “get” or like mustard (please don’t tell Barry that) but isn’t that why travel is so fun -- because it gets us out of our comfort zones? I really enjoyed quite a lot of the mustard samples and that’s not something I ever would have bothered trying on my own. The Mustard Museum was such a fun and quirky experience that I have to recommend it.
All The Cheese Curds
Cheese curds are the excess cheese curdles that don’t make it into the wheel or block of cheese during the cheese-making process. They are usually served fried but can also be served just as they are. You can tell how fresh the cheese curds are based on whether or not you hear the cheese squeak when you bite into it. During the weekend in Madison, I tried goat cheese curds, cheddar cheese curds, mozzarella cheese curds, and so many more that I can’t even remember them all. There are no bad cheese curds in Madison!
Breakfast With a Flamingo
OK, bear with me here, but the official bird of Madison, Wisconsin is the pink plastic flamingo. Why? The short answer: Madison is a really, wacky place!
The long answer: On September 4,1979, a group of University of Wisconsin students covered the lawn of the University’s Bascom Hill with 1,008 pink plastic flamingos. The students who organized the prank referred to themselves as the “Pail and Shovel” party and were well known for organizing legendary stunts, but this is the one that became a tradition. And by 2015, the pink plastic flamingo was named the official bird of Madison, Wisconsin.
During my visit, my guides arranged for me to have breakfast with a “witness” of the original flocking and he brought along an original flamingo. Now you may not be able to have breakfast with a flamingo on your own trip to Madison, but I would still recommend breakfast at Mickie’s Dairy Bar - an iconic no-frills diner serving up great food to locals and UW students since 1946.
All The Cocktails!
Madison has a truly creative cocktail scene. The city is packed with great cocktail bars; many offering unique drink experiences -- like a bitters class; speakeasies; an after hours tour of the botanical garden featuring drinks made with ingredients found in the garden; and an “after dark” exploratory stroll - complete with beverage-tasting stations and live jazz - through the Cave of the Mounds.
Circus School!
No seriously! Madison is home to one of the country’s only circus schools, Madison Circus Space. Now that I’ve experienced circus school, I can truly say it’s a shame that there are not more circus schools -- because everybody deserves to have a circus school in their life.
What is Madison Circus Space? It is a non-profit with a focus on educating individuals with an interest in circus and movement arts. They have lessons and clubs that teach juggling, acrobatics, hoop dancing, the German wheel (what I tried), aerial arts (what I want to try next), and much more.
The idea of visiting Wisconsin in December was deeply concerning to me, but Madison really took me by surprise and reminded me that America is full of gems.
At the start of 2020, inspired by my time in Madison and some other press trips, I wrote down that I wanted to travel less internationally in 2020 and explore more of America.
As we move into 2021, I plan to take this goal with me into the new year and encourage you to consider exploring places closer to home in the coming months and year. The small businesses can certainly use the support, and you’ll be able to stay safer and keep others safer by staying closer to home.
Have you been to Wisconsin? Tell us about your trip in the comments below!