COLLEGE DAYS
MADISON WISCONSIN
HOME OF THE WISCONSIN BADGERS
Help paint the town red during homecoming weekend, October 17–22, when the Badgers host Purdue for a Saturday-afternoon showdown at Camp Randall Stadium.
HAVING GROWN UP in northern Illinois, Madison Magazine editor Andrea Behling sees herself as a small-town girl at heart. One of the things Behling likes most about living in her adopted hometown is that she can navigate between the urban sprawl of downtown Madison and the laid-back setting of rural Wisconsin with relative ease. “If you want a fun night downtown, you can stay out for drinks and visit one of the posh places like Eno Vino,” Behling says. “Then, on Sunday morning, if you want brunch in the ‘burbs, you can go to Green Lantern in McFarland, Wisconsin, and get a lobster Benedict and a bloody mary while sitting on Lake Waubesa and feel like you’re in the north woods.”
The Madison food scene features much more than Spotted Cow ale and fried cheese curds–but if that’s your thing, The Biergarten at Olbrich Park is a good place to grab a pint and a pretzel. For approachable fine dining in Madison, Behling recommends Fairchild. Chef Itaru Nagano blends upscale eats with neighborhood hospitality. On the east side of town, recent James Beard semi-finalist Sean Pharr’s Mint Mark is the place for vegetable-forward small plates.
Plan a fall visit around the , which takes place the weekend of September 17. The festival features a parade, live music, local vendors, and the cartoonish Bubblemobile—an older-model Cadillac that blows bubbles as it’s driven. Later in the season, anyone looking for fall foliage will find gorgeous views, particularly on the hourlong drive from Madison to in Baraboo. University of Wisconsin football games are not to be missed. This fall, the Badgers will play seven home games at . “There’s
