12 Family-Favorite Wisconsin Destinations

A huge new home for the Madison Children's Museum gives kids plenty of creative places to burn energy (608/256-6445; madisonchildrensmuseum.org). On the first floor of the $5 million building just off Capitol Square, the 5-and-under set will be captivated by the Ewok villagelike Wildernest area, with its tree-trunk huts and dinosaur-bone bridge. Older youngsters will likely race up to the second floor to run in a giant gerbil wheel or construct contraptions in the Possible-opolis area.

Elsewhere in Madison, take the kids for a generous scoop of campus-made ice cream at Babcock Hall Dairy Store, the flagship of the University of Wisconsin's respected dairy program (608/262-3045; babcockhalldairystore.wisc.edu). Older kids will enjoy free tours of the Wisconsin State Capitol (608/266-0382; wisconsin.gov) or the summer butterfly show at Olbrich Botanical Gardens (608/246-4550; olbrich.org).

Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau