1 John Nolen Drive, Madison.

608-261-4000.
This graceful building was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright to complement the capitol building, which is a short walk away. A first draft of the building was completed in 1938, but it wasn't until half a century later, that the city built the lakeside center. Daily 8 am-5 pm, guided tours at 1 pm. The rooftop garden with a view of the lake view of the lake is open daily until midnight.

Nathaniel W. Dean House

4718 Monona Drive (eastern outskirts of Madison)

Madison, Wisconsin

608-222-5783.
A pre-Civil War brick home, restored in 1972 and furnished with 19th-century amenities. The Historic Blooming Grove Historical Society maintains the house as a living museum to support the study of the Wisconsin farm family during the Victorian Age. Scheduled events are primarily reenactments of the daily routines and significant occasions of the family, ranging from laundry days to holiday celebrations. Free guided tours every other Sunday afternoon (donations accepted).

State Capitol

Capitol Square, Madison. 

608-266-0382.

Monday-Friday 8 am-6 pm, Saturday and Sunday 8 am-4 pm.

Free tours depart from the information desk on the ground floor Monday-Saturday hourly. 9-3.

This white-domed granite building was modeled after the U.S. Capitol. It contains 43 kinds of stone from around the world, elaborate allegorical murals, glass mosaics and hand-carved furniture. The Governor's Conference Room is styled after a council chamber in the Doge's Palace in Venice.

Unitarian Meeting House

900 University Bay Drive (just west of the UW campus), Madison. 

608-233-9774.
This triangular-shaped church, is one of the most interesting Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings in Madison. It is also considered one of the world's most innovative examples of church architecture. Completed in 1951, the building has a glass prow in the auditorium that creates the sense of soaring space without the use of a steeple.

Guided tours are available May-October Monday-Friday 10 am-3:45 pm and Saturday 9 am-noon (advance reservations required). Visitors are welcome at Sunday services. 

but no tours of the building are allowed then. free self-guided tours.

University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus

608-265-9500 for tour information
A city focal point since 1848, this 900 acre campus occupies much of the south shoreline of Lake Mendota west of downtown. One of the largest universities in the U.S., it contains a mixture of modern and classical buildings and pretty quadrangles for strolling. There are also about a dozen Native American effigy mounds on campus. Two are on Observatory Hill, which overlooks Lake Mendota. The Terrace, located in the student union building, is a popular outdoor gathering spot for the entire Madison community.