Two weekends ago, I went on one of the best vacations ever. I wasn’t somewhere glamorous like Paris or Milan. Nor was I somewhere luxurious like Positano or Amalfi Coast. I was in Wisconsin, America’s Dairyland.

A lot of people both on the internet and in real life judged me for loving my time in Wisconsin. This post is dedicated to why Wisconsin, especially Madison, was so amazing place. I am breaking down what to do, where to stay, and what to eat in Madison, Wisconsin.

WHERE TO STAY IN MADISON

The great thing about visiting another state when you live in New York is that prices are invariably cheaper than what you’re used to. We stayed at The Edgewater in Downtown Madison for $150 a night, and it was the best experience I could have asked for. Located in Downtown Madison, The Edgewater is a historic hotel and resort located within walking distance of Capitol Square and the rest of Downtown Madison.

What’s most stunning about The Edgewater, aside from its luxurious rooms and great amenities, is its location. It sits at the edge of Lake Mendota, giving you one of the most beautiful views in Madison. With a view of the Lake on one end of the hotel and a view of the Capitol on the other end, any room in The Edgewater is guaranteed to have great view.

The room I stayed in had a view of the lake, a luxurious king bed, a large flat screen, fluffy robes, and an amazing bathroom. My only complaint was that my room did not have the tub that other upgraded rooms have. However, the standing shower was so spacious and twice the size of the standard standing shower.

I wasn’t quite sure why, with all of the pictures I’d taken throughout the trip, that I didn’t take photos of the hotel room I was staying at. Perhaps it had never occurred to me that I would have even wanted to dedicate such a huge section of this post towards where I was staying, but that was how much I loved it there. The luxuriousness of the hotel lulled me into such a state of relaxation that I legitimately forgot all about the fact that I have a blog post that needs photos!

WHAT TO DO IN MADISON

For such a short trip, Mikhail and I surprisingly did a lot. We landed in Madison around 1PM on Saturday and spent the majority of our day exploring Downtown Madison.

That day, UW-Madison was playing BYU. The streets were full of men, women, and children of all ages wearing a red Badgers shirt. Every bar and restaurant with a TV had the game on, and all that cashiers and store clerks talked about was the score of the game.

Sunday was the Packers and Vikings game, and so our day revolved around driving up to Green Bay, watching the game, and driving back to Madison. Whereas Lambeau Field is always worth visiting, Green Bay is about a 2 hour drive from Madison. In the end, that two hour drive was more than worth it. We got to see so much of the greenery and countryside that made me realize what a beautiful state Wisconsin is.

Our flight left Madison on Monday early evening, so we spent the day on Monday exploring the final few places such as the Olbrich Botanical Garden.

Some notable places to visit

All in all, I recommend checking out State Street in Downtown Madison. It’s a walkable street full of shops and restaurant, including the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Fun fact: Frank Lloyd Wright and Andy Warhol are both from Wisconsin. It is immediately evident from the architecture and design of Downtown Madison that architecture and design play a huge role in the culture.

I also recommend checking out a cute little store called Little Luxuries where we bought the a souvenir glass mug. The store is such a cute gift shop that supports so many local artisans and charitable programs. Visiting this store and seeing all of the locally made gifts made me fall in love with the state (and the store) even more.

One of the places we didn’t get around to visiting was The House on the Rock, about an hour’s drive from Downtown Madison. It is one of the few “tourist attractions” in Wisconsin, known for its unique design. If you want to visit and stay somewhere in Wisconsin that is not in a city to experience the outdoors, I highly recommend the House on the Rock.

WHERE TO EAT IN MADISON

One of my favorite highlights of Downtown Madison was a Taiwanese restaurant called Taiwan Little Eats. I had become so used to having no Taiwanese food in Manhattan (no, Chinese food is not the same as Taiwanese food) that this was such a delight.

We also picked up some great fudge and caramel apples at Kilwins. Even after walking around Madison in 80 degree weather for a couple of hours, the fudge was still great by the time we got back to the hotel.

Another place that is a must visit is the Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream. The Blue Moon flavor, which has nothing to do with the beer of the same name, is an imitation of fruit loops cereal. This flavor is unique to Wisconsin, and you cannot visit Wisconsin without having some Blue Moon Ice cream.

One of the other places that sells the Blue Moon ice cream is the Sassy Cow Creamery and Store. Because it is a farm, it creates its own dairy to produce milk, ice cream, and most importantly, cheese. We deliberately drove 30 minutes out of Madison to visit the Sassy Cow Creamery. After all, it was a cheese farm, and I couldn’t leave Wisconsin without buying cheese curds.

Lastly, you need to visit Culver’s! Culver’s is native to Wisconsin, and they have the best butter burgers. All of their dairy is also produced on a Culver’s farm (that we passed by on our drive to Green Bay), which makes their cheese curds TO DIE FOR. The cheese itself was amazing, and the way they fry the outside made it mouthwatering. Just thinking about Culver’s food is making me drool!

Restaurants in Madison

During our stay, there were two restaurants that we got dinner at. We went to Benevenuto on Saturday night. The food was amazing, and although we ordered a ton, the bill totaled to half of a nice dinner out in New York. I ordered the 16oz rib-eye with mashed potatoes, grilled shrimp, and a crock pot of French onion soup. Yes, I really went all in for the food.

The rib eye was cooked to perfection; it was soft, juicy, and full of flavor. The shrimp was grilled just how I liked it, and the mashed potatoes were better than anything I could make at home. The French onion soup had the perfect ratio of soup to onions, and I went home absolutely stuffed.

We found ourselves at Liliana’s for dinner on Sunday night after the game (what a game that was!). Liliana’s is a New Orleans restaurant with a Wisconsin flair. Their Cajun-fried cheese curds was such a fun take on the traditional Wisconsin cheese curds. The addition of the Cajun seasoning was pretty ingenious!

I ordered the étouffée with shrimp and crawfish, and it couldn’t have been a more delightful meal. We rounded out the evening with some beignets that are so incredibly hard to find in New York City.

why this trip to Wisconsin was so important

This trip was meaningful to me for a few reasons. The first reason is fairly simple; Mikhail’s hometown is Madison, Wisconsin. He had spent so much time regaling me with stories of his childhood. By the time I landed in Madison, I felt as though I knew the city like the back of my hand already. The second reason I found this trip meaningful was because my life had undergone several drastic and lifechanging events since I last published my last life update post.

The first biggest change in my life was that my beautiful aunt (who is a second mother to me) suffered from a stroke at the end of July, right when I was home in California. She is still not better and has been in and out of the hospital. You can find my rather emotional post on Instagram here, describing what is happening to my aunt.

My aunt’s condition triggered a lot of emotions, and things went downhill from there.

Soon, I found myself in a situation where it seemed as though one thing after another crumpled down around me. Originally, my plan had been to return to graduate school and finish my degree. After spending countless hours helping Mikhail edit his MBA application essays, however, I realized I didn’t have half the passion he had for attending business school. My reasons for finishing my degree were all wrong. Everything I had envisioned for my future hinged upon my return to graduate school, and soon, I felt lost all over again.

This lack of direction in my life was causing a strain on my relationship. Not everything is as perfect as Instagram shows it to be. It had been hard for several months for us as I struggled to find a direction for me to achieve what it is I want to do. As I struggled to stay afloat financially and mentally and stay on top of all of my responsibilities, my relationship took a hit.

I loved being in Wisconsin because it was such a simple way of life.

Mikhail and I were able to get back to the basics of being a couple, and I was able to get back to the basics of what it is I’m passionate in. I was able to remember why I am so dedicated in promoting sustainable fashion that is attainable for everyone.

Being in Mikhail’s hometown and visiting all of the places he went to as a kid was what we needed. To be able to have the time and reconnect on what it was that made us love each other in the first place. The vacation allowed us to take a step back and give each other the appreciation the other deserved.

On the other hand, I loved the culture of Wisconsin. Nobody in Wisconsin cares where you worked, which is the typical topic of discussion amongst New Yorkers. Wisconsinites only want to know your thoughts on UW-Madison game and when you were going to show up to Lambeau Field to tailgate for the Packers game. To be honest, that is so much more my speed than the small talk New Yorkers make.

Wisconsin has a country lifestyle that I can relate to so much. No, I’m not a country girl (even if I do love horseback riding, country music, and pick up trucks). I squeal when insects gets too close to me, and ever since I discovered makeup, I have never left the house without doing my eyebrows. However, it is their appreciation for the simple lifestyle and their hard work made me fall in love with the state.

what are your thoughts on Madison?

Wisconsin isn’t a typical destination that one would take for vacation, but I am already planning my next trip back. With each visit, I know I will discover more and more amazing places to recommend.

Let me know if you have ever been to Wisconsin and how you liked it! If you want to see more Behid the Scenes, visit my Instagram page, and watch my Travels highlight. You will see all of the stories I posted of my trip to Wisconsin.

Thanks so much for reading, and until next time!