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All the United States Wisconsin Madison

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Madison

18 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Madison, Wisconsin

Updated October 24, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Madison

Madison, Wisconsin

Dapper Cadaver

"Looks so real, it's scary!"

Madison, Wisconsin

Lost City Forest

The arboretum whose marshy soil sucked up the dreams of housing developers.
Lamp House

Madison, Wisconsin

Lamp House

Hidden away in the city of Madison, Wisconsin is a nearly forgotten home that Frank Lloyd Wright built for a childhood friend.
The plaque

Madison, Wisconsin

Elvis Karate Fight Plaque

A stone marker memorializes the spot where the King broke up a street fight with a classic karate stance.

Madison, Wisconsin

L.R. Ingersoll Physics Museum

A hundred-year-old museum filled with giant physics toys and experiments designed by grad students.

Madison, Wisconsin

Vitense Miniature Golf

Three playfully immersive mini golf courses let you travel alongside your ball to the cup at this facility, which has been around since the 1950s.
Muir’s clock, circa 1860.  Exhibit at the Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison.

Madison, Wisconsin

John Muir's Alarm Clock Desk

Before he was America’s most famous preservationist, John Muir was an ingenious mechanical inventor.
Picnic Point Beach House.

Madison, Wisconsin

Picnic Point Beach House

This forgotten beach house built to look like a Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece overlooks a hidden beach.
See All 18 Things To Do in Madison
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Atlas Obscura Itineraries

18 Mini Golf Courses You Should Go Out of Your Way to Play

Adventures filled with oversized characters, obstacles, and castles await—all you need to join is a putter and a ball. Yes, we're talking about miniature golf, the Lilliputian game with a big imagination. Since 2012, we—Tom Loftus and Robin Schwartzman—have been documenting the world of mini golf on our website A Couple of Putts. After putting our way through more than 300 courses, we’ve stumbled into becoming experts who design, build, and consult on all things miniature golf. With our keen eye for elements that make courses distinctive and magical destinations, we’ve created this world tour to showcase some of our personal favorites, as well as a few courses on our “must play” list. In keeping with the theme, here are 18 unique courses that span the globe. This wild assortment of putting places offer unique ways to interact with the past and present. Putt when ready!

View Itinerary
The courses may be miniature, but the spectacle is gigantic.

Explore Madison, Wisconsin

Architecture 3
Taxidermy 2
Science 2
Music 2
Animals 2
Memorials 2
Anthropomorphic 2
Frank Lloyd Wright 2
Plaques 2
History & Culture 2

Madison Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. jason tish
    2
  2. orstonestreet
    2
  3. ajackson
    1
  4. prairieyankee
    1
  5. CouplePutts
    1
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Add an unusual place to Madison.

Places Edited

  1. Bennyjammin
    4
  2. Collector of Experiences
    4
  3. Martin
    3
  4. 45rpm
    3
  5. Rachel
    2
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Places Visited

  1. kevbot
    16
  2. Amandala
    15
  3. collinqburke
    15
  4. grotjanl
    12
  5. t6vrzwrnz5
    12
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Visit a place in Madison.

Recent Madison Activity

  • agtarantino

    wants to go to Picnic Point Beach House

  • loose51

    has been to Picnic Point Beach House

  • loose51

    has been to Otis Redding Memorial Plaque

  • anitamke

    has been to John Muir's Alarm Clock Desk

  • marl3igh

    wants to go to Dapper Cadaver

Stories About Madison

With chattering squirrels, chirping birds, and often lush vegetation, cemeteries are full of life—including multiple lichen species.

A Cemetery's Immortal Residents and the Scientist Who Studies Them

Lichens growing on gravestones appear immune to aging. What does their life cycle teach us about death?
by Kate Golembiewski
October 24, 2024

Lists Featuring Madison

Blue Sky Mausoleum.
Darwin Martin House Complex.
Skylights on the exterior porch made of red cypress.
A restored Wright house on the Burnham Block.

A 12-Stop Road Trip of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Most Surprising Designs

A UFO-inspired church, a futurist gas station, and more deep cuts.

12

Including Blue Sky Mausoleum, The Darwin D. Martin House, and Kentuck Knob

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