<p>DD2 has been accepted and will be declaring engineering as a major. We now need to make a trip to tour the campus. I think it might be best to see Wisc in winter. If she likes it enough in winter, she'll probably love it in spring. I'm thinking we'll fly to Milwaukee, rent a car and drive the 90 minutes to campus on a Thursday and take a tour on a Friday and return to Boston on Saturday, giving us Sunday as a buffer in case of delays. Any suggestions on where to stay, where to eat and what to see?</p>
<p>Your official presentation and tour hub will be at Union South which serves primarily the engineering campus. There are two major campus residential areas, Southeast and Lakeshore. The tour will take you to the SE area but does not cover the lakeshore well. I would suggest walking around the lakeshore to get an idea of what the older “quieter” living area is like. After having Babcock Ice Cream at the Memorial Union. Make sure you take a stroll down State Street from the library mall down to the capital. This is where most of the student retail is located. State Street Brats would be a good place to stop for a casual lunch/dinner. I prefer the white brats. If your daughter has any interest in Greek, you can cut up to Langdon street where most of the Sorority houses are located. Choose a weekend when classes are in session so that you see lots of students</p>
<p>New boutique hotel near Engineering</p>
<p>Hotel Red.</p>
<p>I highly recommend staying at the Union South Hotel. Then you will be right in the hub of things and can also check out the climbing wall and bowling alley. There is also the Marquis
theatre which shows free movies every night. It would be fun to feel the vibe of the Union on
a weekend. Don’t miss the Babcock Ice cream sold at the Union South and Memorial Union.
Best on the planet!</p>
<p>Other restaurant suggestions: The Old Fashioned which is a great burgers and more spot on Capitol Square; the Tornado which is an authentic Wisconsin Supper Club (no membership) which serves wonderful steaks, and Sardine, for delicious French Bistro food in a cute setting overlooking Lake Monona.</p>
<p>Awesome! Thanks for the tips.</p>
<p>I was going to suggest the Fluno Center hotel also but they have a restriction on who can stay there–only those attending official UW functions or alumni. Does US Hotel not have any such restrictions? The local hotel lobby was very adamant about that with Fluno. They had to get a change to state law just so alums could stay there too.</p>
<p>I would recommend the middle eastern and other ethnic restaurants near campus instead of what has been suggested. My point is that dining choices are not limited to standard European-American fare.</p>
<p>It is best to visit when classes are in session, but that likely does not coincide with your D’s vacations. Easy to check the semester schedule on the UW website. When school is in session you can also eat in the Res Halls (public dorms) dining halls and snack bars- the food there is excellent (students who have been eating it for several months may disagree as they are tired of it) and open to the public. I like it better than food served at the Unions. It is a la carte- you pay for as few or many items chosen. A good way to assess dorm food (btw- students will have a refrigerator in their dorm room and can provide a microwave oven, plus carry out foods, pay as little or as much into a food account also). Look at the online Res Halls menus when you are in town.</p>
<p>State St is a must see. So are both Unions. The Lakeshore also. Also wander in several libraries, not just the engineering one. Take time to visit the computer science building’s tech center. Visit University Bookstore on State St. The basement has the books for courses, there are lockers for backpacks et al. It is a private store (not connected to UW) and there are some other book buying options close to campus as well. It also will have several free publications in its lobby- including The Onion (remember it started in Madison).</p>
<p>Since entering freshmen who plan on engineering will take mostly L&S courses do not only consider the dorms on that end of campus. Visiting the dorm public areas- the food services- is a good way of checking out the ambience of various areas. Before you go be sure to check the birdseye views of campus and research the Res Halls dorms to get a feel for things. There is a wide range of dorm locations and building styles to choose from to suit many different preferences. All will have the same upkeep/maintenance/amenities- unlike some I have heard about on CC.</p>
<p>Consider O’Hare in Chicago and the drive from there to Madison as well if you find better flights/prices. Be prepared for screwy streets in Madison- not as bad as Boston but plenty of going around the downtown square, one way streets and lakes to confuse you. Also- plan your drive around the campus during class time and not during the student between class rushes (I still remember class start times, most are not on the hour as there are 50 minute “hours” with 15 minutes between most). There is public parking in limited places- check the UW website- so plan on leaving the car in a permissible UW lot or a city lot near State St then walking. It is a pedestrian area so sidewalks get cleared quickly.</p>
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<p>I think ALL are good suggestions. Madison has so many great restaurants. I would also suggest Merchant, which features locally sourced ingredients, and Heritage Tavern, a newish restaurant that is getting rave reviews (not great for vegetarians, though). If you want a real Madison experience you could venture over to Willy Street and try Jolly Bob’s for Caribbean fare, Ha Long Bay for Vietnamese/Thai (the best I’ve ever had), or Weary Traveler, which is a cozy pub.</p>
<p>I also agree that it’s no worse driving from O’Hare to Madison than it is from MKE. It’s marginally longer but to me it’s a less stressful drive. (You will have tolls, though.)</p>
<p>The Hilton downtown is also a good place to stay.</p>
<p>I have stayed at Hotel Red and would enthusiastically recommend it.</p>
<p>We just did a weekend at the Mansion Hill Inn which is an easy walk to State Street and campus. I second the suggestion to eat at ethnic places - we ate Nepalese one night and I think Pakistani the next. Touring the capitol building is also fun. I think Madison has a lot to offer as a college town.</p>
<p>Parent here – agree that Union South Hotel is a great choice for accommodations. Info sessions and tours leave from Union South, plus you can relax at the tables and watch the UW population --my son loved seeing the diversity of the students moving through Union South as we ate our pizza.</p>
<p>You can make Union South hotel reservations online. Lowell conference center, is further away, but has rooms facing the lake. That is where we stayed our first time in Madison – a bit of a mess to find, at night, but when my son woke up to see the lake glistening outside the window, he was pretty much sold. </p>
<p>Dress warmly!</p>
<p>I would also recommend staying at Union South Hotel. So convenient. And if you have time, consider breakfast at Mickie’s Dairy Bar near Camp Randall. It’s a Madison icon. It’s a cash only place.</p>
<p>Such great info - thank you all so much. Can’t wait to take this trip if for no other reason than the food!</p>
<p>One of the reasons DD2 became interested in W is State St. We’ve heard about the diversity of restaurants and she loves to try new foods. She loves the idea of a big school with distinct campus with lots of shops and restaurants nearby. We’re picturing something like PSU and State College except much bigger.</p>
<p>That would be about right. Madison is larger than SC and more urban but the campus State Street area is not all that different from the commercial area adjacent to PSU. Both student dominated.</p>
<p>I went to UW in the early 1970’s and son was there in the late 2000’s. The campus end of State St became a mall and there are more restaurants but surprisingly there were similar shops reminiscent of the “hippy” era. Many new buildings over the generations and still plans in the works. Some things remain the same but some also change so each set of students has a different campus- it is a dynamic campus in many ways.</p>
<p>Be sure to bring your hat/gloves/walking shoes so you can enjoy the campus. Consider packing an ice scraper for the rental car- winter routines…</p>
<p>We’re cheap so when we have visited Madison we typically have stayed at west or east side inexpensive hotels. But with limited time and a campus visit I would certainly spend the money to be close. It is possible to leave the car and do everything on foot, especially for the college age students. When you are middle aged the hills seem steeper…</p>
<p>I’m just going to poke my nose in and rec my fav restaurant on State Street, which is Mediterrenean Cafe (usually called Med Cafe). It’s just off campus, only open for lunch, only can pay cash. It’s always busy because it’s super great, and has really reasonable prices. Also the Algerian tea is awesome. I also like Green, which is near the Capitol, and is entirely glass windows so you have a view of the Capitol area.</p>
<p>Bennie congratulations on your D’s admission to engg. My son (OH) is also admitted into engg. We are also thinking of visiting. Christmas holidays are easy to plan a visit, but the downside is the school is nearly closed. On the other hand, finding a slot in Spring with his spring class load is a big challenge. Let us share the visit info and any other thoughts so we all can benefit. Thanks</p>
<p>Bennie:</p>
<p>Take a look at this thread you will find it helpful.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-wisconsin-madison/1529143-any-tips-campus-vist.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-wisconsin-madison/1529143-any-tips-campus-vist.html</a></p>
<p>Just a quick update and thank you. We made the trip for an accepted students event, stayed at the Union South hotel. It was very convenient, especially with the free parking. The room was well decorated but a bit cramped. The biggest problem for us was the weather. Just miserable - freezing rain, thunder snow, 30 mph winds. Too miserable to get to State St., though DH and DD2 did make the walk to Mickys Dairy Bar, which they enjoyed. Had lunch at The Library, which was good and convenient, and dinner at Dotty Dumpling Dowry, also good. Took in a women’s basketball game - fun but very little student support despite free admission and free t-shirts. </p>
<p>While everyone we encountered was as nice as could be and clearly loved the school. Unfortunately, the campus wasn’t my daughter’s cup of tea, so she’s crossed it off her list. </p>
<p>Thanks to all that provided feedback. It was very much appreciated.</p>