Resources for Meeting Planners

Madison Like a Local enhances your attendees' experiences by helping them find local dining, drinks, cultural attractions, shopping and natural areas that will make their trip to Madison unforgettable! This digital itinerary does the work of identifying stops of interest, so your event attendees can spend more time exploring, and less time searching.

Our curated itinerary offers "know before you go" tips for cultural attractions and spots with the best views of our city, many of which are free! We've designed the itinerary to include stops within one walkable mile of Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center, downtown hotels and the Capitol Building, making it quick and easy to explore during breaks or downtime. We hope your attendees love this offering, and use it to explore the amazing attractions that are near and dear to our locals!

Yes! We've curated an incredible list of local cafes and dining options for visitors, all within one mile of Monona Terrace Convention Center, downtown hotels and the Capitol Building. This makes it quick and easy for attendees to find a variety of options that are close to your meeting space or hotel block.

Once you have the Madison Like a Local platform open, click the "filters" icon on the right to filter stops by category:

• Coffee & Tea
• Bars & Drinks
• Cultural Attractions
• Dining
• Shopping
• Views & Natural Areas
• Open for Lunch
• Open for Dinner
• Open Mondays
• Open Tuesdays

Not a problem! Each attendee can sign up for their own pass, which provides a digital itinerary with stops within short walking and travel distance from several downtown hotels.

There are several transportation options available to get downtown. Catch a taxi, rapid-transit metro bus, Lyft or Uber for simple navigation. Madison BCycle offers 500 electric bike rentals at 90 e-bike rental stations throughout the city, with stations to dock all over the downtown area.

This list was curated with stops that help meeting attendees explore the unique history, culture and offerings of Madison. Meeting planners often comment on how wonderful our downtown is due to the abundance of local and independent shops and restaurants that they've never seen before. It's also safe and walkable.

To keep the experience as local as possible, we did not include national chains on our list. The retail stores listed sell items that are unique to the Madison area or made in Madison. And many of the restaurants and bars in this guide use locally-grown, seasonal ingredients. In Madison, we're fortunate to have an incredible selection of local businesses. We hope these curated stops will be memorable to attendees and help them discover Madison's local flair!

Madison Like a Local is a digital travel itinerary without gamification or prizes. A limited number of stops on this guide provide deals or special discounts, which may be redeemed according to the instructions on the listing. Pass holders are free to drop by these stops without having to complete a trail. 

If your attendees are interested in participating in gamified trails with prizes and discounts, please share our other trails with them!

Madison By Bike: https://www.visitmadison.com/madison-by-bike/

Madison on Tap: https://www.visitmadison.com/madison-on-tap/

Wright in Madison: https://www.visitmadison.com/wright-in-madison

Yes. However, we do encourage individuals to sign up for their own account so they can keep track of stops they've visited. This also helps Destination Madison accurately track usage of the itinerary so we can continue to make improvements to the experience. It's free and easy to sign up!

If you coordinate any dedicated spouse or companion tours, please feel free to contact your Event Services Manager at Destination Madison for additional assistance.