Town + City Survey: Madison

not a badger riding a plastic pony

Happy Friday, friends!  For today's final installment of the Town + City Survey, we come full circle from where we started—with the other Rose Bowl participant.  The Badgers of Madison, Wisconsin.  I have visited Madison, twice actually, but both visits were many moons ago, and all I remember are fried cheese curds and beer and snow.   Were my more mature self to relocate to Mad City, I think I would partake in (and be proud of*) the following.

• Cheese Farm Tours.  I clicked on the “view map of cheese factories” link, and I saw sparkles when clusters of little, inverted, red raindrops appeared, denoting countless cheesy tour opportunities.   
• The Isthmus Beer & Cheese Fest provides two of my favorite things in one stop.  And from cheese to beer + cheese to just beer: The Great Taste of the Midwest offers about 500 beers to sample.
• Numerous options for fresh and local food—one being, Willy Street Co-op, a full-service grocery cooperative specializing in natural, organic and locally produced foods.  And the Dane County Farmers' Market seems pretty epic.  Apparently, it's the largest producer-only farmers’ market in the country.  Open year-round, rain (snow) or shine.
• I'd make a weekend getaway to Green Bay in order to see the Packers play at Lambeau.  I dig the fact that they are owned by their fans.  
• La Fête de Marquette is a free event, featuring New Orleans, Cajun and Zydeco music, with acts from French-speaking areas all over the world: Quebec, New Orleans, Haiti, to name a few.  French food and beer too!
• Now, I know I might lose a lot of you with my final two choices, but I simply must see the Dead Pals of Sam Sanfillippo.  Taxidermied exhibits of wonder. 
• And, as if Sam's Dead Pals weren't enough, did you know *the official bird of Madison, Wisconsin is the plastic pink flamingo?  Perfect.

Totally mature, right?  And, you, friends?

What do you dig about Madison?

 Dead Pal image source