The Wisconsin State Capitol lies at the heart of downtown Madison. There are many restaurants and shops on the Capitol square as well as along State Street, which runs west from the Capitol. If you're here Saturday morning, we highly recommend making time to visit the Dane County Farmer's Market, which is held around the Capitol.

Olbrich Botanical Gardens is a 16-acre outdoor botanical garden and 10,000-square-foot conservatory, and the site of our proposal! Admission to the outdoor gardens is free and a wonderful way to get some fresh air. Be sure to check out the Royal Thai Pavilion!

Memorial Union, or colloquially known as "The Terrace", is a popular spot to grab a beer and cheese curds while looking out across Lake Mendota. If you arrive Thursday evening or are staying through Sunday and are looking for somewhere outdoors with great vibes, we can't recommend The Terrace enough!

Brittingham Boats is an affordable kayak and canoe rental at Brittingham Park. If the weather's nice and you're looking for some fun on Lakes Wingra & Monona, we highly recommend checking this place out!

A free museum with a sizeable collection of art from all over the world. Located very close to Memorial Union and a great way to fill an afternoon.

Madison has an incredible food scene, and here are just a few of our recommendations. Be sure to save some room if you plan to go to The Terrace or the Saturday Farmer's Market!

Breakfast/Brunch:

Marigold Kitchen -- Our favorite brunch spot in Madison, right off of the Capitol square. This place gets busy fast, so arrive early if you plan on going, especially on Saturday!

The Curve (cash only!) -- A classic diner located very close to our apartment. This place is fairly small, so plan to arrive early or have a long wait.

Short Stack Eatery (if it's still open...) -- A downtown Madison staple famous for its blind specials but sadly closing its doors for good in May. We're unsure of the exact date it's closing, so if it's still open while you're in town, we recommend going while you still can.

Indie Coffee -- Our favorite coffee shop in the Greenbush neighborhood (where we live) and the site of our first date!

Lazy Jane's Cafe -- A great coffee shop and bakery in the Willy St neighborhood (near The Tinsmith) and the first place we went to right after the proposal.

Lunch/Dinner:

Ahan -- Truly divine Southeast Asian food served in the Willy St neighborhood. The red curry udon is the best!

Alimentari -- A specialty grocery in the Willy St neighborhood with amazing Italian sandwiches. These sandwiches are huge, so arrive hungry!

Settle Down Tavern -- Located off the Capitol square. Although they have a small menu, they have excellent smash burgers and great seasonal cocktails.

Butterbird -- Owned and operated by the same people who run The Harvey House (our favorite date night restaurant in Madison). Located near the Greenbush neighborhood, near where we live. They do a good fried chicken.

Strings Ramen -- Our favorite place for ramen and donburi and located downtown.

Prost -- Located near downtown in an old church, this German pub serves great German beers, brats, pretzels, schnitzel, and sausages.

Ian's Pizza -- A Madison classic. Open late and serves massive slices of pizza right off the Capitol square.

Tornado Club Steak House -- An old school Wisconsin steakhouse and supper club right downtown. We haven't been there, but my parents have and they can't stop raving about it!

Heritage Tavern -- Upscale restaurant off the Capitol square known for its farm-to-table food and run by Daniel Fox, a James Beard semi-finalist. We went here for Valentine's one year and was probably our best meal in Madison!

Drinks:

Youngblood -- Our favorite local brewery right off of the Capitol square that we're really going to miss when we move. They have excellent sours!

Plain Spoke Cocktails -- A cocktail bar situated directly above Youngblood with a house amaro on tap.

Old Sugar Distillery -- Very close to The Tinsmith and has excellent craft spirits.

The Great Dane -- A large brewpub with several pool tables and bar games off of the Capitol square.