Wisconsin State Capitol

Madison and its four lakes lie in the ancestral homeland of the Ho-Chunk, whose villages, effigy mounds, and long presence around these waters reach back thousands of years. When Wisconsin chose this narrow isthmus for its capital, it selected a place already deeply woven into the region's older history, and mounds and cultural sites survive in the area to this day.

The city was laid out to make the capitol its centerpiece, set at the highest point of the isthmus with streets radiating outward toward the surrounding lakes. The present building rose in the early twentieth century after an earlier capitol was destroyed by fire, and it was built to be a source of civic pride, a grand and lasting expression of the state's ambitions, at the literal and figurative center of Wisconsin life.

Inside, the capitol is a showcase of craftsmanship. The rotunda soars up into the dome, lined with marble drawn from many countries and crowned by a great mural, and the wings hold richly decorated chambers for the legislature, the courts, and the governor. Painted murals, mosaics, and detailed stonework fill the interior, making the building as much a work of art as a seat of government.

High above, the gilded statue called Wisconsin stands atop the dome, and the dome itself is one of the tallest of any statehouse. An observation area beneath it, when open, rewards the climb with a panorama of the isthmus, the lakes, and the city spread out below. Guided tours walk visitors through the art and history of the building, which is a National Historic Landmark.

The capitol does not stand aloof from the city but at the very center of its daily life. Around it runs Capitol Square, ringed by shops, restaurants, and government buildings, and on market days a celebrated farmers market wraps the entire square, one of the largest producer-only markets in the country, a Madison institution.

From the square, State Street leads down to the University of Wisconsin campus and its lakefront terraces, tying the seat of government to the life of the university and the lakes. Festivals, concerts, protests, and celebrations all gather at the capitol, which serves as the shared front lawn of the whole city and a symbol of Wisconsin's public life.

Summer is when Capitol Square is at its liveliest, the farmers market in full swing, concerts and festivals filling the grounds, and the lakes that frame the isthmus at their most inviting. It is a wonderful time to combine a capitol visit with the wider pleasures of Madison.

Autumn brings crisp air and turning leaves to the square and the lakeshores, a handsome backdrop to the granite dome, and the market carries on through the harvest. Winter dresses the capitol in snow and holiday lights, and while the outdoor square quiets, the warm marble interior and its art make a fine cold-weather visit.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.