Madison offers the perfect balance of city life and nature. Downtown is full of vibrant cultural scenes, while gorgeous lakes and beautiful public parks provide you with plenty of opportunities to enjoy outside activities. You can find many cozy spots to chill and relax after (or even during!) your study, including Memorial Terrace, Arboretum, and peaceful lakeside cafes. The convenient and scenic bike paths connect many major landmarks, taking you from the city center to beautiful natural scenes. There are many more reasons why people fall in love with Madison and find it a wonderful place to live as a graduate student. One current Ph.D. student says, “Olbrich Botanical Gardens and the UW Arboretum are some of my favorite places in Madison.” Many other students also recommend the Dane County Farmers’ Market for shopping fresh veggies and pastries from local vendors.
Madison offers vibrant cultural scenes. As one Ph.D. Student says, “If walking and biking aren’t your thing, I’d check out A Room of One’s Own—a top notch queer and trans owned bookstore with a huge and wide-ranging selection—grab coffee at Johnson Public House and go vintage shopping in the Tenney-Lapham neighborhood, or see a concert at Majestic Theatre, High Noon Saloon, or The Sylvee.” Another student also recommends: “If you like theatre or Broadway shows, I would highly recommend the Overture Center! If you are OK waiting till the week of a show, there will usually be student rush tickets that will sell any empty seats.”
You have no trouble finding cozy hangout spots either. According to a current Ph.D. Student, “There’s also enough variety in restaurants, coffee shops, bookstores, etc. that you can find places that feel special to you.” The off-campus area also has many amazing spots. Another student points out that “Williamson Street has a lot of really cool local shops, local businesses, restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. Monroe Street also has some beautiful parks and lots of really good restaurants.”
The easy access to beautiful outdoor spots in Madison makes you want to explore nature more, as one Ph.D. student says, “I really like the outdoor spaces here, like Picnic Point and the bike paths.” Everyone can find their special places, as another student says, “Owen Conservation Park is probably my favorite, especially in the fall, but I also love Pheasant Branch Conservancy. I would also recommend renting a B-Cycle (affordable, public, electric bikes provided by Trek) and spending some time exploring the bike paths.” Lakes are especially dear to many Madisonians. One student says, “I’d say I feel at home by the lakes. I love to run the lake loop, the arboretum, and lakeshore path and watch for birds, muskrats, and other little critters.” Another student also says, “The lakes are so gorgeous and I recommend spending time on the lake to anyone who visits. This could look like walking or running on the paths around Mendota, going to the Memorial Terrace for a drink, or riding the lake loop around Monona.”
A short drive will take you to beautiful public parks and vibrant cities (about 1.5h to Milwaukee, 3h to Chicago) outside of Madison. One student says, “I like to drive out to different state parks, like Governor Dodge, Devil’s Lake, and Blue Mound State Park, to hike and swim in lakes and do kind of Wisconsin outdoorsy things.”