All walks and rides
will begin at the convention center unless otherwise noted.
Note Recent Changes, August 24th.
King Street Tour
King Street is where Madison began, with the first cabin
and first business established by Eben and Rosaline Peck.
The tour highlights six city-designated landmarks including
a very high concentration of mid-19th century buildings.
The tour meets at the Great Dane Pub and Brewing Company
at 123 Doty Street, just four blocks from the Convention
Center. This is a guided tour by the Madison Trust for
Historic Preservation and will be offered once only at
5:30 PM on Tuesday, Sept. 5. The cost is $5 per person.
There are many fine restaurants from which to choose at
the end of the tour.
State Street Walking Tour
State Street not only connects two Madison institutions,
the Capitol and University of Wisconsin Campus, but as
one of the few remaining successful pedestrian malls in
the U.S., State Street is an institution in its own right.
Find out why. The tour meets at the House of Wisconsin
Cheese 107 State Street. The cost is $5 per person and
includes a free drink at the historic Orpheum Lobby Restaurant.
Lakeshore Path and Picnic Point
Thursday, September 7 - 3:00 – 5:30 p.m.
This is the one walk that is a quintessential Madison
experience. It would be difficult to find a Madison walker
who hasn’t done it numerous times. For many the
walk to Picnic Point is a necessary ritual for all seasons,
connecting the urban rambler to a more natural landscape.
The walk maintains pleasant views of Lake Mendota, old
growth trees and primordial marshes. Side trips will include
walks to Allen Centennial Gardens and to ancient Native
American effigy mounds. The walk will begin at the Monona
Terrace Convention Center and end at the Memorial Union
Terrace where walkers may purchase a cone of world-renowned
Babcock Hall ice cream. Harriet Brown, author of Madison
Walks, will lead the walk.
Mansion Hill East Walking Tour
This historic district neighborhood features a fine collection
of 1850s sandstone homes that belonged to Madison’s
early leaders in business, education and society. The
tour meets in the lobby of the Edgewater Hotel , where
Langdon St. and Wisconsin Avenue meets Lake Mendota. This
is a guided tour by the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation
and will be offered once only on Wednesday, Sept. 6 at
5:30 PM. The cost is $5 per person.
Blue Bikes on the Cap City Kickoff
The DASANI Blue Bikes Community Bicycle Program,
sponsored by TREK and DASINI, is coming to Madison. Join
us for the kickoff event. See how the program works, and
what $18,000 in PR for one special event looks like! Pick
up tips on how to put on a special event to launch your
project. Participants will bike approximately 14 miles
round trip from the Convention Center to Lake Farm Park
via the John Nolan Bike Path and the Capitol City Trail.
This guided ride will be led by Brigit Brown, Wisconsin
State Trails Coordinator from 1:00-3:00 PM, Friday, September
8
Historic Pub Crawl
Madison has many historical buildings that have
been saved from destruction by being converted into bars
and restaurants. The pub-crawl will visit a number of
these historical preservation sites in the near downtown
area. This walk will start at the Convention Center at
7:00 PM on Wednesday, September 6.Guide services are free;
drinks are on your own.
Full Moon Hike, Lodi Marsh Segment,
Ice Age National Scenic Trail
Lodi Marsh illustrates some of the most interesting
and beautiful features of the Wisconsin Ice Age. A walk
under a full moon makes this landscape even more dramatic.
Members of the Dane County and Lodi Valley Chapters of
the Ice Age Park & Trail Foundation will provide transportation
and guides for this unique experience. Participants will
meet at the Conference Center at 7:00 PM on Thursday,
September 7. Note: This walk will be weather dependent.
Madison to Paoli Ride
A popular destination for Madison cyclists who want a
ride into the bucolic Wisconsin countryside, Historic
Paoli is the perfect small town gem with unique shops
and galleries and world famous artisans displaying their
art. The village also offers a pub and café for
refreshments and a shop offering the finest of Wisconsin
cheeses. Approximate distance—30 miles round trip.
Maps and cue sheets will also be available for self-guided
riding. This ride will have a ride captain and will be
offered before or after the conference.
Observatory Hill Tree Walk
This is a self-guided, three-mile walk on the University
of Wisconsin campus includes 39 unique and historic trees.
Included in the walk is the President's Bur Oak. Over
300 years old, this tree is still healthy in spite of
being used for gunnery practice by soldiers from Camp
Randall during the Civil War. A map and guide will be
available.
The Old Market Place Neighborhood
This neighborhood, located within easy walking distance
from the Convention Center, has a rich and diverse history.
It has been the site of laborer's cottages and governors'
mansions, ice cutters and major league baseball, factories
and a farmer's market; and it was the childhood home of
world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The walk
will be two miles in length and self-guided. Maps will
be available.
Downtown Walking Tour of Madison's
Historic and Pioneer Buildings
Madison was selected as the Capital of the new
State of Wisconsin when it was mostly a "Paper City"
with a population of less than 100 permanent residents.
This walk will give you the architectural flavor of Madison's
first fifty years. This walk will be self-guided and two
miles in length. Maps will be available.
Third Lake Ridge Historic District
Located on the north shore of Lake Monona, once known
as the Third Lake, the Third Lake Historic District is
one of Madison's earliest neighborhoods, home to diverse
ethnic, economic settlers and a myriad of architectural
styles and building types. Formed as a drumlin by continental
glaciation, it existed as an island in a much larger lake
and used by early Native Americans as a site for their
effigy mounds. This two-mile walk will be self-guided
and will begin at the Convention Center. A map will be
available.
Lake Monona Urban Tour
The circumnavigation of Lake Monona is a classic early
morning or evening ride. It is one of the most popular
rides in the city and can be completed in one to two hours.
Over 50% of this leisurely, 13 mile tour is on designated
bike paths. The rest is on lightly traveled city streets.
The tour is self guided and maps will be available.
Capitol City Circle Loop
This tour is fast becoming the most popular half-day tour
in Madison. For variety and scenery, this 25-mile tour
cannot be surpassed. The ride incorporates heavily traveled
bicycle commuter routes with long stretches of greenway.
Taken in a counterclockwise direction, the uphill sections
are gradual and the downhill sections can be exciting.
Almost all of the tour is on established paths. The tour
is self guided and maps will be available.
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