The Memorial Union & Terrace
The Memorial Union has everything a student needs! Great food, live music and beautiful sunsets to enjoy while studying. There are the famous sunburst chairs to grab when you wish to be part of the action, or indoor facilities to use when you need a quieter place to focus. Grab some famous Babcock ice cream and join us for a lakefront stroll!
Lakeshore Path
Along Lake Mendota, trails connect the Lakeshore Nature Preserve together. Take a stroll or ride a bike along this scenic route to see glittering lake and relax in the beauty of nature!
Picnic Point
Traveling around Lakeshore Path will bring you to Picnic Point, one of the most popular destinations in the Preserve. As the name stands, the peninsula serves as a great gathering spot to enjoy food or study in nature.
Saturday on the Square
Every Saturday, from June to November, the Capitol Square in downtown Madison fills with produce, art, flowers, and other goods! While this is the most popular Madison farmers market, it’s not the only one. There’s also the Wednesday Market, Eastside Market, and more! Some personal favorites are Stella’s Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread, fresh apples, and cheese curds—make sure they squeak!
Summer Sweet Spots by UW-Madison
Still Looking for Events to Partake in?
Check out the suggestions given by Isthmus, an independent, local news source based in Madison. Events are organized both chronologically and by category, making it easy for you to find your kind of events for the days you wish to explore Madison on.
Fun & Fitness
The Nicholas Recreation Center
The Nicholas Recreation Center is UW-Madison’s newest recreational center. Affectionately nicknamed “the Nick”, the center holds 30,000 square feet of fitness space, 8 courts, 5 studios, an Olympic size pool, and more.
The Nielsen Tennis Stadium is perfect for those looking to serve up some fun and competition. It includes 12 indoor tennis courts, two squash courts, equipment rental and racquet services, and a system to help you find a tennis partner.
The Shell, officially Camp Randall Sports Center, houses our ice rink, courts, cardio and strength equipment, and a 200m indoor track. From ice skating to track workouts, the Shell has several options for you to play hard and live well.
The Holt Fitness Center is a great alternative to our other larger workout centers. It may be a smaller facility, but can be less intimidating for those new to fitness. It is packed with strength and cardio equipment
The Wisconsin Hoofers is the premier outdoors club at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With nearly 2,000 members, it is one of the oldest and largest student organizations on campus. From sailing on Lake Mendota to climbing at Devil’s Lake, Hoofers is a place where people of all abilities can learn outdoor skills and enjoy outdoor activities. There are six Hoofers clubs that you can join: Mountaineering, Outing, Riding, Sailing, Scuba and Skiing.
Study Spots
While we want you to enjoy your time learning your language in Madison for the summer, an intensive learning program does require some study. Fear not! The UW-Madison campus holds some of the best libraries for quiet, individual work and group study. Check out some popular libraries below:
Most Popular
With amazing views of Lake Mendota, College Library is a fairly popular spot to buckle down on studies. College Library, like most libraries on campus, includes floors with noise levels– from group work to quite study.
Memorial Library is located in the heart of campus, with state street just down the road. It is known for its study rooms to be reserved by individuals.
Steenbock Library settles in the Lakeshore part of campus. With lower levels reserved for group work and presentations (as seen above, and upper levels kept quiet, Steenbock is a perfect marriage between individual and group study!
Personal Favorites
The Law Library is great for late nights and open views. Silent study is more common here, but group work is welcome in some areas as well.
Wisconsin Historical Society Library
The Historical Society is great for a classic academia aesthetic. Individual work is popular here, due to the lack of distractions. If you need a study break, exploring the statues and artwork is a must!
Culture and Art
A personal favorite is The Chazen Museum of Art. It has approximately 23,000 work-of-art collections, making it the second-largest art collection in Wisconsin.
A terrific place to observe and learn about a vast array of animal species, or volunteer, if you are an animal person.
Madison Outlet Malls
While there are multiple shops, cafes, & service centers around the UW-Madison campus, there are two major outlets for all your essentials. We are so lucky to have a campus integrated into the city of Madison as you are never too far from a place to eat, shop, or study!
University Square
- The University Book Store
- Walgreens
- Clothing shops (Urban Outfitters, Ragstock, Sconnie Nation, etc)
- Target
- Multiple restaurants & fast food outlets (Noodles & Company, Raising Cane’s, Dubai Mediterranean, Tutto Pasta, etc)
- Cafés (Colectivo, Michelangelo’s, Starbucks, etc)
- Various convenience stores
East Campus Mall
- University Health Services
- Upper House community center
- Aveda Institute hair & beauty salon
- Walgreens
- Milos
- Pitaya
- A Just Brew café
- Gordon’s (UW-Madison student dining center)