Things to do

Museums in Madison, WI: free art, history and science museums (and a few worth the drive)

Madison is a great museum town on a budget: most of the big ones are free, and several sit within a few blocks of the Capitol or on the UW campus, so you can see two or three in an afternoon. Hours and exhibitions below were checked with each museum in November 2026; check their sites before you go, especially around holidays and in bad weather.

Checked against official sources · Updated November 2, 2026

Art museums (free)

Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Ave.: UW–Madison's art museum, always free. The main building is open weekdays 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends 11 to 5, and it's a block from the Memorial Union Terrace. Now showing: *Recollection: Exhibiting the Collection* (through December 23, 2026) and *Pressing Issues: Printmaking as Social Justice in 1930s US* (through December 13, 2026); *The Art of Paper* runs February 8 to May 9, 2027.
Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), 227 State St.: free contemporary art on State Street, with a Rooftop Sculpture Garden. Open Wednesday to Sunday (until 9 p.m. Thursdays), closed Monday and Tuesday. Current shows include *Diffuse Control by Beeple* (through January 10, 2027), *Working* (November 4, 2026 to February 14, 2027) and *Extended Play: B-Side* (November 6, 2026 to March 7, 2027).

History

Wisconsin Veterans Museum, 30 W. Mifflin St.: free, on the Capitol Square, telling the stories of Wisconsin's veterans; it's a Smithsonian Affiliate. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 to 5 (Sundays noon to 5 from April to September only).
Wisconsin State Capitol, 101 E. Wilson St.: free guided tours start at the ground-floor Rotunda information desk, Monday to Saturday at 9, 10, 11, 1, 2 and 3, and Sunday at 1, 2 and 3. The observation deck is open mid-April through December, weather permitting. No tours on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas or New Year's Day.
The Wisconsin History Center is coming: the old Wisconsin Historical Museum on the Capitol Square has been torn down, and the Wisconsin Historical Society is building a five-story history center on the site. The Society's latest word is an early 2028 opening. Until then, its temporary History Maker Space in US Bank Plaza on the Square hosts pop-up exhibits and talks, Tuesday to Friday 10 to 5.

Science and kids

Madison Children's Museum, 100 N. Hamilton St.: hands-on play for kids just off the Square, open Wednesday to Sunday 9 to 4, with free Thursday nights from 4 to 8. Admission is $18 ($17 seniors, under 1 free), with a $4 Family Access rate for families who qualify. It's closed Thanksgiving and December 24 and 25, open every day December 26 to January 3, and closed January 4 to 8 for maintenance.
UW Geology Museum, Weeks Hall, 1215 W. Dayton St.: free rocks, minerals, meteorites, glowing fluorescent minerals, dinosaur skeletons and a Wisconsin mastodon. Open weekdays 8:30 to 4:30 and Saturdays 9 to 1.
L.R. Ingersoll Wonders of Physics Museum, second floor of Chamberlin Hall, 1150 University Ave.: more than 65 free hands-on physics exhibits, open weekdays during the day (closed when the physics department is).
More for families in our kids guide.

Gardens with indoor and outdoor collections

Olbrich Botanical Gardens, 3330 Atwood Ave.: free outdoor gardens and the tropical Bolz Conservatory, with orchids, free-flying birds and a waterfall. It's open 10 to 4 daily from October through March. The conservatory has a small fee, with free hours some mornings, and holiday events change pricing, so check Olbrich's site.
Allen Centennial Garden, 620 Babcock Dr.: UW's free teaching garden, open dawn to dusk.

Around the area

National Mustard Museum, 7477 Hubbard Ave., Middleton: a free, playful nonprofit museum devoted to mustard, open daily 10 to 5. See our Middleton guide.
Driftless Historium, 100 S. 2nd St., Mount Horeb: the Mount Horeb Area Historical Society's museum of southwestern Dane County history, open Friday to Tuesday 10 to 4. See our Mount Horeb guide.
Livsreise, 277 W. Main St., Stoughton: a free Norwegian heritage center on immigration and Stoughton's Norwegian roots, with a family history research center. Open Tuesday to Saturday. See our Stoughton guide.
Cave of the Mounds, Blue Mounds: a show cave discovered in 1939, with guided tours daily 9 to 5 in the off-season. Tickets are $26.99 for ages 13 and up and $16.99 for ages 4 to 12.
Taliesin, Spring Green: Frank Lloyd Wright's home, studio and estate, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. House tours are $66 and run Friday to Sunday through December 13, then resume in spring. See our day trips guide.

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