SASS 2009 - Activities and Extras

Downtown Madison has a multitude of good restaurants, many just a short walk from the Monona Terrace. The Capitol Square area features a number of options right on the square and just off of it. The fabled State Street, which connects the state capitol building with the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Library Mall, features a variety of delicious alternatives, many of which specialize in fare from around the world—the ten-minute venture down State Street from the conference location is worth the extra few steps! Here are a few dining recommendations; a selection of pubs that might be nice for evening gatherings follows. Also included is information about other sights to see in downtown Madison and options for activities for children for any conference participants who may be traveling with their families.

Maps with locations

RESTAURANTS

Restaurants on the Capitol Square

Café Soleil
25 North Pinckney St., phone: (608) 251-0500
Café Soliel offers fresh, organic, locally grown food and is fantastic for morning coffee and a croissant and/or for a light salad or sandwich lunch.

The Old Fashioned
23 North Pinckney St., phone: (608) 310-4545
Specializes in Wisconsin fare (which does extend beyond brats and cheese and beer!). Their lazy-susan plates feature a nice sampling of tastes.

Brocach
7 West Main St., phone: (608) 255-2015
A nice variety of soups, salads, and sandwiches for lunchtime (including a variety of vegetarian options), their dinner menu offers a wide range of selections.

Harvest
21 North Pinckney St., phone: (608) 255-6075
One of Madison’s most-lauded higher-end dining establishments. Simple, yet elegant, Harvest’s changing menu features locally grown, organic food. (Dinner only.)

Restaurants just off the Capitol Square

Marigold Kitchen
118 South Pinckney St., phone: (608) 661-5559
A colorful, sunny, cheerful spot for breakfast and lunch, with daily specials for both mealtimes.

Gotham New York Bagels and Eats
112 East Mifflin St., phone: (608) 467-7642
Their hand-rolled bagels and homemade cream cheeses serve well for breakfast or a light lunch, and their lunchtimes sandwich menu features house specialties and build-your-own options.

The Great Dane Pub and Brewery
123 East Doty St., phone: (608) 284-0000
For lunch or dinner, the Great Dane food menu is quite expansive, including a choices for a wide variety of palettes. Their signature beers range from lagers to stouts.

Barriques Café and Wine Bar
127 West Washington Ave., phone: (608) 268-6264
A café by morning and daytime and a wine bar by night, Barriques’s food menu offers pastries, hearty sandwiches, and healthy salads and soups.

Restaurants On State Street

Himul Chuli
318 State St., phone: (608) 251-9225
Traditional freshly made, whole-grain, and Nepalese fare (with numerous vegetarian options). (Not to be missed!)

Chautara
334 State St., phone: (608) 251-3626
Sister restaurant to Himul Chuli, Chautara offers a wider variety of meat and seafood entrées than Himul Chuli, served in a little fancier setting.

Wasabi
449 State St. #2G, phone: (608) 255-5020
Located on the second floor of a modern storefront, Wasabi is a dependable bet for Japanese food in Madison.

Buraka Restaurant
543 State St., phone: (608) 255-3646
A pleasing selection of traditional East African and Ethiopian specialties (the restaurant entrance is on State Street, but the restaurant is downstairs).

Kabul Afghani Restaurant
541 State St., phone: (608) 256-6322
Kabul features meat, fish, and vegetarian Afghani and Middle Eastern dishes, with daily specials.

Hüsnüs
547 State St., phone: (608) 256-0900
A State Street staple since 1979, Hüsnüs specializes in traditional Turkish food.

PUBS

Genna’s Cocktail Lounge
105 West Main St., phone: (608) 255-4770)
Located (diagonally) just off the Capitol Square, Genna’s cozy, two-floored interior, or warmer-weather patio seating is a good place to gather with friends. (They do not have a food menu.)

Café Montmartre
127 East Mifflin St., phone: (608) 255-5900
A nice space for gathering with friends, Café Montmartre offers a light food menu in addition to an ample selection of wines, beers, and cocktails. Also occasionally features live music.

Restaurant Magnus
120 East Wilson St., phone: (608) 258-8787
The bar at Restaurant Magnus offers tapas along with their wide selection of wines, cocktails, and beers. Live music most weekend nights.

Natt Spil
211 King St., phone: (608) 258-8787
This little, hidden cove of a bar (note: there is no sign out front) features an impressive variety of reasonably priced wines, cocktails, and beers. They also have a limited, but tasty, food menu.

The Terrace at UW–Madison’s Memorial Union
This space is one of the pleasures of life at UW–Madison; many a student (and faculty member) read here by day, families come to enjoy an ice cream cone (the famed ice cream is made on campus in dairy science’s Babcock Hall), and in the evening, the Terrace becomes a place for catching up with friends. The Terrace is in the back of UW Memorial Union, overlooking Lake Mendota. (Please note: a valid student UW student/staff/faculty ID or UW alumni card must be presented when ordering drinks.)

OTHER DOWNTOWN SIGHTS TO SEE

Dane County (Capitol Square) Farmer’s Market
When you wake up on Saturday morning, you might want to forego the hotel’s breakfast and venture to the Dane Count Farmer’s Market, which takes place on the Capitol Square from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. every Saturday from mid April through the beginning of November. Freshly baked pastry booths and coffee carts abound. Locally grown vegetables and fruit and locally produced cheeses and meats, freshly cut flowers and potted plants and vegetables, honey sellers, egg farmers, bakers, street musicians and performers are also all gathered around the square of Wisconsin’s Capitol—Madison’s farmer’s market is the second largest in the United States.

Wisconsin Historical Museum
816 State St., phone: (608) 264-6555
Located on the Capitol Square in downtown Madison, the Wisconsin Historical Museum brings the history of the state of Wisconsin alive for visitors through photographs, artifacts, dioramas, audio-visual presentations, interactive multimedia programs, and changing exhibits.

Madison Museum of Contemporary Art
227 State St., phone: (608) 257-0158
Features contemporary works of art and is free of charge.

FOR CHILDREN

Madison Children’s Museum
100 State Street, phone: (608) 256-6445
The Madison Children’s Museum offers hands-on exhibits and programs for children ages one through twelve.

Vilas Zoo
702 South Randall Ave., phone: (608) 266-4732
The Vilas Zoo is located approximately three miles from downtown Madison. It is free of charge and features a special Children’s Zoo section for kids.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

If participants have questions about other things to do in Madison, please feel free to ask one of the UW–Madison conference participants for tips or suggestions!