Frank Lloyd Wright in Madison: Monona Terrace, the Meeting House and Taliesin

Monona Terrace

Wright first designed Monona Terrace in 1938 as a civic center on Lake Monona, revised the plans over the next two decades and approved the final version in 1959, seven weeks before he died. Madison voters approved building it in referenda in 1992, and it opened on July 18, 1997. The exterior follows Wright's design, and Tony Puttnam, a Wright apprentice, redesigned the interior.

Much of it is open to anyone:

• Rooftop gardens (Level 6): open Sunday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. to midnight, closed in bad weather.
• Wright exhibits: "The Wright Picture," photographs by Pedro E. Guerrero from the last 20 years of Wright's life, is on Level 4. "Beyond the Drawing Board: The Journey of Frank Lloyd Wright's Monona Terrace" is on Level 3. Monona Terrace lists both as free, with daily viewing from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Gift shop: Tuesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tours. Public tours run about an hour on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m., by advance reservation only. They cover the story of Wright's civic center and his trademarks of open spaces, strong geometric forms and lake views. There are no tours on November 26 and 27 or December 24, 25 and 31. Its pages list slightly different building hours in different places, so confirm before a special trip. You can find the venue in our event venues directory.

The Unitarian Meeting House

The First Unitarian Society's Meeting House, at 900 University Bay Drive in Shorewood Hills, was built in 1951 and was Wright's own church. Wright was a member of the congregation, and the society says he was the son of one of its founders. The Friends of the Meeting House say it became a National Historic Landmark in 2004, and 2026 is the 75th anniversary of its opening. The congregation's newer atrium addition opened in 2008.

The First Unitarian Society's tour page says public tours are led by volunteers most Fridays at 2:30 p.m. and Sundays at 11:30 a.m. throughout the year, with no tours on Saturdays, and that all tours need booking at least 24 hours ahead. Proceeds go toward preservation. The tour page does not give a tour length. You can also drop in to see the historic Landmark Auditorium Tuesday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. when it isn't being used for an event, though unescorted access to the rest of the building is not allowed. Groups of 10 or more can request a private tour through an online form.

The same room hosts free Friday noon musicales through much of the year. See our Shorewood Hills guide and the Meeting House listing.

Wright houses you can only see from outside

Four Wright-designed houses appear on the City of Madison's landmarks list, and several are visible from the public sidewalk. All are privately owned homes. Please stay on the street, do not walk up to the doors or into yards, and do not expect tours. Visit Madison, the area's tourism bureau, notes that most of Wright's work around Madison is privately owned and cannot be entered.

• Robert Lamp House, on North Butler Street downtown, built in 1903 and listed as a city landmark in 1976.
• Eugene Gilmore "Airplane" House, on Ely Place in University Heights, built in 1908 and listed in 1972.
• Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House, on Toepfer Avenue on the west side, built in 1937 and listed in 1974. It is one of the eight Wright sites that UNESCO added to the World Heritage List in July 2019.
• Jacobs Second House, on Shawn Trail on the far west side, built from 1943 to 1948 and listed in 1993.

We give streets rather than house numbers because people live in these homes. Treat them as a drive-by or a short, quiet stroll.

Taliesin, a day trip to Spring Green

Taliesin, near Spring Green, which Monona Terrace puts at less than an hour from Madison, was Wright's Wisconsin home for nearly 50 years. Taliesin Preservation describes an 800-acre estate in the Driftless Region with a home, studio and school, with buildings dating from the 1890s to the 1950s. It is a National Historic Landmark and, since 2019, part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing.

Tours leave from the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, 5607 County Road C, Spring Green, where a shuttle takes you to the estate. Taliesin Preservation's current schedule:

• April: Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• May 1 to October 31: daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• November 1 to December 13: Friday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The 90-minute house tour is for ages 8 and up. Taliesin also lists group, private and accessible tours, and self-paced house tours in the summer. Reservations are strongly recommended because tours often sell out, though walk-ins are welcome if space allows. The 2027 schedule had not been posted as of November 2026, and no tour hours are published for the rest of the winter. Taliesin Preservation's site explains how to arrange an accessible tour. For more stops along the way, see our day trips guide.

Wright and Like and other programs

Wright in Wisconsin, a nonprofit that promotes Wright's heritage in the state, runs an annual tour called Wright and Like. It describes the tour as a chance to see private homes along with public buildings by Wright and related architects, and the location changes. Past tours have been in Milwaukee, Racine, Madison, Delavan Lake, Wausau, Spring Green and central Wisconsin. The 2026 edition was around Delavan Lake and has already taken place. Check wrightinwisconsin.org for the next one. The group also co-sponsors a lecture series at Monona Terrace.

Planning a Wright day

Monona Terrace's 1 p.m. tour pairs well with a rooftop stop afterward. The Meeting House is near the UW campus (see visiting UW-Madison), and Taliesin deserves a full day. For other cultural stops, see our museums guide, and for lodging see hotels.