Free things to do in Madison, WI: museums, gardens, tours and more

Around the Capitol Square

• Wisconsin State Capitol: free 45-minute guided tours start in the Rotunda Monday to Saturday at 9, 10 and 11 a.m. and 1, 2 and 3 p.m., and Sunday at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. No reservation is needed for groups under 10. The sixth-floor observation deck and museum are open from mid-April through December, with no admission charge listed.
• Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, 227 State St.: exhibitions are free, Wednesday to Sunday, open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Don't miss the rooftop sculpture garden.
• Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 W. Mifflin St.: free, Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Monona Terrace: the Rooftop Gardens over Lake Monona and the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibits are free. (Guided tours cost $5.)
• Central Library, 201 W. Mifflin St.: the Bubbler offers free hands-on making, workshops and rotating art exhibitions.
• Dane County Farmers' Market: free to browse. The outdoor market on the Square runs Saturdays through November 14, then moves indoors to Monona Terrace for the Holiday Market and to Garver Feed Mill for the Winter Market.

Free museums

• Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Ave.: "always free," open weekdays until 7 p.m. and weekends 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• UW Geology Museum in Weeks Hall, 1215 W. Dayton St.: free, weekdays and Saturday mornings.
• L.R. Ingersoll Physics Museum in Chamberlin Hall, 1150 University Ave.: free hands-on physics exhibits on weekdays, no reservation needed.
• Madison Children's Museum, 100 N. Hamilton St.: free every Thursday from 4 to 8 p.m. (except Thanksgiving week). Babies under 1 are always free.

Gardens, parks and lakes

• Henry Vilas Zoo, 702 S. Randall Ave.: free admission and free parking, open daily 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The lots have a three-hour limit, and the carousel and train cost extra in season.
• Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave.: the outdoor gardens are free and open daily. The tropical Bolz Conservatory is free on Wednesday and Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to noon ($2 other times).
• UW–Madison Arboretum, 1207 Seminole Hwy.: free trails open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., plus free guided nature walks most Sunday afternoons.
• Allen Centennial Garden, 620 Babcock Dr.: UW's teaching garden, free and open dawn to dusk. Street parking is metered.
• Picnic Point and the Lakeshore Path: walk nearly a mile out into Lake Mendota, or follow the lakeshore path along campus.
• Olin Park: the best free skyline view across Lake Monona, with paths linking to the city's bike trails.
• Tenney Park and Elver Park: a lagoon and Lake Mendota beach at Tenney, and 250 acres at Elver with a free splash park in summer.

On campus

• UW Cinematheque, 4070 Vilas Hall, 821 University Ave.: every screening is free and open to the public, first come, first seated, during the fall and spring semesters and part of the summer.
• Free concerts from the UW School of Music: most jazz concerts, student ensembles and recitals, and the chamber series. Large ensembles and guest artists are ticketed, so check each listing.
• Washburn Observatory: free public stargazing on the first and third Wednesday of each month (every Wednesday in summer), weather permitting. The dome is open to the air, so dress warmly.

With kids

• The zoo and Children's Museum free Thursdays (above).
• Kids in the Rotunda at Overture Center: free Saturday shows for families during the arts season.
• Free disc golf: check out the disc golf kit from Madison Public Library's Library of Things, and the receipt works as your permit at Elver, Hiestand, Capital Springs and Vallarta-Ast.

More ideas in our kids guide.

Free by the season

• Winter: free skating on about 20 city rinks and lagoons, ice permitting (skate rental costs extra), free sledding hills including the lit hill at Elver, and the free drive-through Holiday Fantasy in Lights at Olin Park from mid-November into early January. See our winter guide.
• Summer: Concerts on the Square, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra's free concerts on the Capitol lawn; Concerts on the Rooftop at Monona Terrace (free, but tickets required); and Art Fair on the Square in July, free to attend. The 2027 dates are announced in spring.

For what's on this week, see the events calendar.