Discover Madison Scavenger Hunt
Discover Wisconsin's capital on the isthmus with a scavenger hunt that walks State Street end to end. Circle the white-granite Capitol dome, sit on a sunburst chair at Memorial Union Terrace, take in Lake Mendota and squeak through a basket of fresh cheese curds. Two lakes, one isthmus, a Badger or two. Madison is yours for the afternoon.
Stops on this hunt
The geo-tagged checkpoints that anchor this route. You can rearrange, replace or remove any stop after using the template.
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1
Wisconsin State Capitol
Navigate to the Wisconsin State Capitol on Capitol Square in downtown Madison and check in at one of the four entrance staircases.
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2
State Street
Walk southwest down State Street, the pedestrian-only artery that links the Capitol to the university. Check in around the 400 block, halfway down.
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3
Memorial Union Terrace
Walk to the end of State Street and into the Memorial Union. Check in on the lakeside Terrace.
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4
Monona Terrace
Walk back across the isthmus to Monona Terrace on Lake Monona, the convention centre designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Check in at the rooftop garden.
Challenges (20)
Madison kick-off
The hunt begins! Find a classic Madison backdrop (the Capitol dome, the white "W" of the Badgers, a State Street busker) and take a group photo with the whole team in shot.
Checkpoint: Wisconsin State Capitol
Navigate to the Wisconsin State Capitol on Capitol Square in downtown Madison and check in at one of the four entrance staircases.
Capitol dome pose
The Wisconsin State Capitol's white-granite dome is one of the tallest state capitol domes in the country. Step back into Capitol Square, line the team up so the full dome fits in the frame and take a group photo.
Trivia: Madison founded
Madison was founded as the territorial capital of Wisconsin in what year?
Answer: 1836
Trivia: Capitol completion
The current Wisconsin State Capitol was built between 1906 and what year (the year construction was completed)?
Answer: 1917
Checkpoint: State Street
Walk southwest down State Street, the pedestrian-only artery that links the Capitol to the university. Check in around the 400 block, halfway down.
State Street busker shot
State Street is full of buskers, public art, indie shops and food carts. Find a busker mid-performance (or an unusual food cart) and take a squad photo with the team in the scene. Drop a tip if a song is playing.
Checkpoint: Memorial Union Terrace
Walk to the end of State Street and into the Memorial Union. Check in on the lakeside Terrace.
Sunburst chair pose
The Memorial Union Terrace is famous for its painted metal sunburst chairs in green, yellow and orange. Find a cluster of the chairs and take a group photo where the team sits arranged so the sunburst design fans out in the foreground.
Trivia: University of Wisconsin founded
The University of Wisconsin was created by an act of Governor Nelson Dewey on July 26 of what year (the same year Wisconsin became a state)?
Answer: 1848
Lake Mendota lakefront
From the Terrace, Lake Mendota stretches out as Madison's largest lake. Walk to the water's edge and take a group photo with the lake filling the background (sailboats on the water are a bonus).
Bascom Hill Lincoln
At the top of Bascom Hill on the UW campus sits a bronze Abraham Lincoln statue, a tradition for every Wisconsin grad. Climb the hill, find the statue and take a squad photo with Lincoln overlooking the team.
Trivia: Madison isthmus
Downtown Madison sits on an isthmus between two lakes. Name them (both names required, separated by a comma or "and").
Answers: Mendota and Monona / Monona and Mendota / Mendota, Monona / Monona, Mendota / Lake Mendota and Lake Monona / Lake Monona and Lake Mendota
Checkpoint: Monona Terrace
Walk back across the isthmus to Monona Terrace on Lake Monona, the convention centre designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Check in at the rooftop garden.
Monona rooftop view
The rooftop garden of Monona Terrace gives you a panoramic view of Lake Monona and the Capitol dome behind you. Take a group photo with one (or both) views in the background.
Cheese curds taste
Wisconsin invented the squeaky cheese curd. Order a basket of fresh curds (Old Fashioned, Graze, the State Street Brats stand all serve them) and take a group photo with everyone catching the squeak on the first bite.
Bucky Badger spot
Bucky Badger statues and murals are scattered across Madison. Find a Bucky (on Library Mall, on Camp Randall walls, on a State Street store window) and take a squad photo where the team mirrors his pose.
Local Madisonian tip
Convince a local Madison resident to share a tip about the city. Take a photo with your impromptu guide and remember the tip.
Capitol Square sunset shot
Return to Capitol Square and find a vantage point on one of the four corners where the dome catches the late light. Take a group photo with the Capitol behind the team.
Madison finale
Final challenge. Find a beautiful Madison spot (the Terrace at golden hour, the Capitol dome lit up, a State Street alley) and take an amazing closing group photo. Cheers from the isthmus!
Frequently asked questions
Three to four hours covers the State Capitol, State Street, Memorial Union Terrace and the lakeshore at a relaxed pace. State Street runs about half a mile end to end (Capitol Square to the Union), so most groups walk the whole route with stops for cheese curds, beer at the Terrace and a Bucky Badger photo.
The outdoor Terrace is open mid-April through October, weather permitting. The sunburst chairs and Lake Mendota views are the photo every Madison alum wants. In the cold months, the Rathskeller bar inside the Union is the warm-weather replacement. The hunt route works either way.
Yes, if you can. The Dane County Farmers' Market on Capitol Square runs Saturdays April to November and is one of the largest producer-only markets in the country. Plan an early start to catch the cheese curds, fresh kringle and a slow lap around the square before the hunt fans out down State Street.
Capitol Square is the natural starting point: free street parking on weekends, multiple parking garages a block away, and the white dome anchors any opening photo. From there you walk southwest down State Street toward the Union and Lake Mendota, then loop back east to Lake Monona via the Monona Terrace.
Yes. State Street is fully pedestrianised in the central blocks, the Union Terrace is dog and kid friendly, and Bascom Hill makes a great picnic spot. Olbrich Botanical Gardens (free admission) and Henry Vilas Zoo (free admission) are short rideshares away if you want to extend the day.