Day trips from Madison, WI: Taliesin, Devil's Lake, New Glarus and more

West: Spring Green, Mount Horeb and Mineral Point

• Taliesin, Spring Green: Frank Lloyd Wright's home and estate. Tours leave from the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center; the 90-minute house tour is $66 (ages 8 and up) and often sells out, so book ahead. This season's house tours run Friday to Sunday through December 13; the 2027 schedule isn't posted yet.
• The House on the Rock, Spring Green: Alex Jordan's sprawling self-guided attraction, with the Infinity Room and the Carousel. The Christmas season runs November 12 to December 28, 2026 (Thursday to Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), with more than 6,000 Santas. Taxis and rideshare don't serve the area, so drive.
• American Players Theatre, Spring Green: Tony Award-winning classical theater, with the outdoor Hill Theatre in summer. The 2026 season ends November 15 in the indoor Touchstone Theatre; 2027 dates are coming.
• Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds: a National Natural Landmark cave that stays about 50 degrees all year, open daily (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve and Day). Tours take 45 to 60 minutes; adults are $26.99.
• Mount Horeb, the "Troll Capital of the World": carved trolls line the downtown Trollway. It's free and dog-friendly.
• Pendarvis, Mineral Point: Cornish stone cottages from the lead-mining era, run by the Wisconsin Historical Society. It's closed for winter and reopens in May 2027, when Mineral Point celebrates its bicentennial.
• Blue Mound State Park: the highest point in southern Wisconsin, with two observation towers.

North: Baraboo and the Dells

• Devil's Lake State Park, Baraboo: 500-foot quartzite bluffs over a 360-acre lake and nearly 30 miles of trails, open year-round (vehicle admission sticker required). See our hiking guide.
• Circus World, Baraboo: the original Ringling Bros. winter quarters, with the world's largest collection of restored circus wagons. Closed for the off-season; reopens in February 2027.
• Aldo Leopold Foundation, Baraboo: tours of the conservationist's famous Shack run May to October, and sandhill crane viewing tours run in November and early December.
• International Crane Foundation, Baraboo: a crane conservation center, open daily May through October.
• Wisconsin Dells: the self-styled "Waterpark Capital of the World," where the nation's first indoor waterpark opened in 1989. The indoor parks are open all winter.

South: New Glarus

New Glarus, "America's Little Switzerland": a Swiss-heritage village with winter festivals like the Christkindli Market and Winterfest. At New Glarus Brewing, the free self-guided tour is at the original Riverside brewery, and the gift shop and tasting room are at 218 Hoesly Dr. (open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.). The Hilltop Brewery is currently closed to the public except for booked Friday Hard Hat Tours.

East: Milwaukee, Lake Geneva and Old World Wisconsin

• Milwaukee Public Museum: the current building on Wells Street closes for good on January 3, 2027, ahead of the move to the new Nature & Culture Museum of Wisconsin in early 2027. Go before then for a last look.
• Milwaukee Art Museum: famous for the Burke Brise Soleil "wings" on the lakefront, which open with the museum when the weather allows. Closed Monday and Tuesday; pay what you wish on Thursday evenings.
• Lake Geneva Shore Path: a free public footpath of almost 26 miles around Geneva Lake. Start at the Lake Geneva Public Library for an easy paved mile each way. Daylight hours only, no bikes.
• Old World Wisconsin, Eagle: a Wisconsin Historical Society open-air museum of relocated immigrant farms and a crossroads village. Its buildings are closed for winter, but there are grounds hikes and holiday weekends in November and December, and it reopens in spring.

Tip: Wisconsin Historical Society members get in free at its sites, including Circus World, Pendarvis and Old World Wisconsin. Closer to home, see our things to do and free things to do guides.