5534. Go to the University of Wisconsin Geology Museum in Madison

 Last year we did not have much time to explore while at the state tournament. This year because of the format and other changes, the hubby didn't hang out at the softball complex all day. This meant we could explore. I checked the bucket list and made a list of a couple options that seemed feasible. One of these were the Geology Museum which was only about 0.5 mile from the hotel so we decided to check it out.

University of Wisconsin Geology Museum is located in Weeks Hall. It is open 8:30-4:30 Mon-Fri and 9-1 on Saturdays. Admission is free. You can find street parking around campus. We got lucky and parked right across the street. 

Upon entering Weeks Hall, we headed to the second floor to the museum. It is very well signed. The museum took up a good portion of the second floor. but it was not large by any means. I do have to admit the building does smell like a university/college science building. There is just an unique smell about it.

The first part of the museum was filled with various rocks and minerals mainly from the country and North America. 

The size of some of those rocks, gems and minerals were impressive.

My favorite part of the rocks and mineral section was the glow in the dark rocks. They lit up when exposed to black light.

There was a small cave to walk through.

Then you got to my favorite part of Earth Science/Geology -- Fossils. Some of these fossils were billions of years old.

There were some fascinating dinosaur fossils and replicas.

One of the surprising displays was the one about meteor impacts across Wisconsin. I didn't realize how many there were. 

Depending on the time of year and day, you might actually see students and professionals working in the lab. We were not that lucky.

The Geology Museum was a nice break from softball. It was definitely worth exploring. Even the hubby was interested. It is definitely worth checking out the next time you are in Madison. Then go get some Babcock Ice Cream from Babcock Hall. 

25 in 2025 -- Explore At Least One New Park or Trail -- Lakeshore Nature Preserve

 After we ate our donuts, we headed over to Goodman Softball Complex for the hubby's softball game. Because we were there ridicously early in my opinion, I decided to get some steps in and go for a walk. Like usual we exploring a new place, I just kind of follow the sidewalk and see what I find. I discovered Lakeshore Nature Preserve which is part of University of Wisconsin.

Lakeshore Nature Preserve protects the undeveloped lands around Lake Mendota. It is open daily from 4 am to 10 pm. There is a parking lot across the road that they were using for State Softball. 

Lakeshore Nature Preserve covers about 300 acres along the southern shore of Lake Mendota which is roughly 4 miles. 

There is a nice wide walking path that takes through the nature preserve. If I actually looked at the map, I would have seen the trail is a there and back trail ending at the point. I actually walked almost to the end of the point. It was probably a good thing I didn't, I had blisters from my flip flops by the time I got back to the softball field. I am sure they would have been worse if I walked the extra .25 or so.

Along the path are several short paths leading to the lake. Here you sit and fish or just enjoy the beauty of the lake. 

                                        

                                        

On a clear day, you can see the capitol building. As you can see it was quite hazy due to wildfire smoke that the capitol wasn't all that clear.

There are also several picnic spots complete with fire rings along the point. This surprised me for having fire pits in a nature preserve but it is a great idea. Plus they supply fire work for you too.

A  path will lead you down to a small beach.

I only explored a small portion of the Nature Preserve. If the hubby ever gets back to State Softball, I will have to explore more... and I will wear proper footwear. 

Lakeshore Nature Preserve is a great nature preserve that if you ever find yourself on the edge of UW-Wisconsin with time on your hands, go check it out. Maybe pack a picnic lunch and enjoy the natural beauty of Lake Mendota. Best of all it's free. 

Eating Donuts in Mad Town

 One of the many things I want to do in each county in Wisconsin (and State) is have donuts. Not Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme but local donuts. Last year I noticed a bakery not far from our hotel but we opted for bagels instead. This year I gave the hubby the same choice bagels or donuts. He went with donuts from Greenbush Bakery.

Greenbush Bakery has two Madison locations, one on Regent Street and the other on High Crossing Blvd. Both locations are open 6 AM - 8 PM Mon-Sat and 6 AM to 1 PM on Sundays. There is street parking only for the Regent location. We got lucky and ended up parking right in front. 

We opted for 4 donuts. There were many verities to choose from. The hubby and I both got Bavarian cream. He got a sugar ring and I went with sprinkles. They all looked good so it was hard to choose. 

We actually sat outside to eat our donuts. It was a beautiful morning. Behind us we could watch them make donuts. 

Our Bavarian Cream donuts were scrumptious. Not too much filling and not overly sweet. It was light and airy as well. We saved our others for the next morning (and were still pretty good the following day). 

We definitely will be back the next time we are in Madison. They don't beat Munster donuts but they are sure good (and a bit closer). If you haven't tried donuts from Greenbush Bakery, you definitely should.

5544. Go to Dotty Dumpling's Dowry in Madison

 Last year at the State Softball Tournament, the hubby and I were deciding between pizza or burgers for dinner. We opted for pizza but decided to put Dotty's on the list for a future trip since they came highly recommended. 

Dotty Dumpling's Dowry is a Madison institution right off of State Street. It has been around since 1974 and probably is an original burger bar. It is open 11-10 Tue-Sat and according to their website 11-4. Parking can be a treat but we were able to park in the ramp across the street. 

Dotty Dumpling's Dowry is famous for their burgers and cheese curds not to mention the eclectic decor. It is not a large place but definitely a hopping one. We were able to get a table probably because it was a Wednesday night in June. 

The menu consists of burgers including build your own as well as some salads, fish, and chicken. There is even Jambalaya. Fries are extra. They also feature a Friday Night Fish Fry. Despite it's name no dumplings are on the menu.

Since I always want to get a BBQ Bacon burger, I decided to get something different even if the Southwest burger sounded good. I went with their Best Seller burger -- The Melting Pot. It is 3 cheese and bacon burger with a garlic sauce. I asked for the sauce on the side. The hubby built his own with melted cheese, mayo, and ketchup -- A heart attack on a bun.

The burgers lived up to their reputation. They were amazing. I was too busy devouring it to think too deeply how tasty it really was. The garlic sauce was perfect for the French fries. 

My only compliant was that it was the lighting was very dim. It made it hard to read the menu especially for first timers like us. The small print and dimness was not a good combination especially for someone who said they could wait a year for bifocals.. yeah not so much now. Good things cell phones come with flashlights now. 

We would definitely go back to Dotty Dumpling's Dowry. If you are in Madison definitely check out Dotty Dumpling's Dowry. Find out why this place has stood the test of time for yourself. 

Pie Tacos for Breakfast

Stacy asked her friend for restaurant recommendations and Hubbard Avenue Diner was a suggestion. Stacy looked into and saw it was the home of pie tacos. Okay you have me sold. So even though we had free breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Middleton for breakfast

Now of course Stacy and I were trying to be adults and actually ordered breakfast instead of pie tacos or even pie. More about the pies and pie tacos later.

I ordered French Toast and Stacy had a scrambler. O.M.G. We got a lot of food. I thought 2 slices of french toast was going to to be 2 triangles.. or no it was four triangles of fluffy, cinnamon-swirl egg bread. I'm not one for cinnamon bread but this was just like eating a flattened cinnamon roll.

Stacy breakfast came with a biscuit that took up the half her plate and weighed a ton. It was a very flaky and delicious biscuit.

Now that we were full from breakfast, we had no room for pie or pie tacos. Hubbard Avenue Diner is known for their pies and pie tacos. Several years ago when I went to the Mustard Museum, someone asked if I was going to get pie while in town. I was like no and then they explained I need to try the pie at Hubbard Avenue. This is how good they pie is.

Instead of just walking out without any yummy pie goodness, we opted for pie tacos to go. They are just what they sound like. Pie crust folded in a taco shaped filled with yummy goodness. I got S'Mores and Stacy got key lime.There were several other flavors to chose form including apple.

The S'Mores pie taco was amazing. Filled with rich chocolate fudge, it was almost too sweet but the graham cracker helped take away from the sweetness.

If you're in Madison, make the trip to Middleton for pie or pie tacos. It will be worth the trip.

5062. Go to the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison

The third thing I wanted to do in Madison besides seeing the Historical Museum and the Botanical Gardens was go to the zoo. Henry Vilas zoo is a free zoo in Madison. It is larger than the Menominee Park Zoo in Oshkosh and I've only heard good things about it.

We got to to the zoo in the afternoon. The zoo has a small parking lot The lot was full so we had to find street parking. Luckily Stacy knew the area pretty well and we ended up parking on the otherwise of the park. We were able to cut through the park to get to the zoo. I wanted to go down the shoe slide but there were several kids using it besides I wasn't 100% sure I'd fit in the opening.

Our first stop was were the penguins. Who doesn't like penguins. There were quite a few penguins out and about but none in the water... just hanging in the caves.

We checked out the giraffes next. Their enclosure was weirdly fenced and I couldn't get any really good pictures based on the fencing. The two giraffes just wandering in circles in their enclosure.

Then we took a journey to Africa and saw several lions (two males on the same rock) and the rhino. The tigers were not there today.

On our way to the polar bear, we saw some llamas and a camel.

The polar bear was exciting. He was pacing back and forth in front of the glass. Periodically he would growl. I kind of wanted to take him home.

We also checked out the seals, giant tortoises, and flamingos on our to the primates.

I was disappointed in the primates. Hardly any of the primates were on display. The orangutan was quite active though climbing all over his enclosure.

Overall Stacy and I probably spent maybe an hour at the zoo. We didn't have any kids with us and Stacy has been to the zoo several times. I'm one of those "oh look a giraffe. Oh cool. Let's move on" kind of people. I really don't spend time watching the animals. You can definitely spend a lot more tie there. There is a nice children's zoo as well. We skipped that as well as the birds. I would recommend the Henry Villas Zoo to anyone when in Madison. It is a great free zoo.