Madison, Wisconsin TOTALLY surprised me. The best week yet! This is partially because we got 5 days off in Madison so I basically was on vacation. But, heck, there are many worse places to be on vacation.
I had no idea what to expect going into the capital of Wisconsin - but I had loooowww expectations. It is Wisconsin after all. Isn't that just like, cheese and Culvers?
While that is technically accurate - Madison had so many more surprises to offer!
Before I start my recap I wanted to put out a little announcement that I have a Postcard Mailing List you can sign up for right here on my website! I have been collecting and sending postcards from every city we do an event in, and would love to send one out to the people who read this! Your address and information will only go to me. Please feel free to click this link to sign up, or you can always find it at the bottom of my blog home page. https://jessiecarl.com/blog#postcard-submission-form
We started our time in Wisco outside Madison at the Hormel Plant in Beloit. They were celebrating the plant's 50th anniversary and requested that the NUTmobile, Peanutters, and Mr. Peanut be in attendance. We got a tour of the inside of the plant (no pictures allowed, sorry😓), and then I got to be "friends" with Mr. Peanut for the rest of the day which was an absolute blast. Everyone was so kind at the plant and all the families were so excited we were there! It was probably one of my favorite events we have done so far!
After that, it was off to Madison, WI for the rest of the week.
Our next event was right across the street from our hotel at the Dane Country Fair. We were told there would be 13,000 people there - we were kinda relieved when the turnout was significantly less than that. They had us tucked into a corner right in front of the competition barn, so Mr. Peanut got to meet and take pictures with a ton of horses! We gave a bunch of tours to kids and families. Everyone was very sweet in their Midwestern way and the event was very chill!
Our final event before vacation time was in Poynette, WI at the Harvest Moon Pond venue. I randomly reached out to the owner of the venue because I saw they held concerts there that raised money for non-profits and asked if they'd be interested in the NUTmobile being one of the vendors at this week's concert. The owner was surprised and so excited I reached out - which is something I love about this job! While our request forms are always open, a lot of our event planning involves one of us cold-calling a venue and just asking if they want the NUTmobile at their event. We will literally type into Google - "events happening in Madison Wisconsin July 23" and then start throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks!
Everyone at Harvest Moon Pond was really excited about us being there and Katie and I walked around the whole venue and passed out peanuts to everyone. The location is a GORGEOUS barn in the middle of WI, they have weddings there every weekend!
Vacation time!
Katie and I went to dinner in downtown Madison at a restaurant called Eno Vino - which I highly recommend! The bruschetta was incredible and the sights were a direct ceiling-to-floor view of the capital building. We had a delicious dinner and then ended up walking the whole way home on the lakefront trail.
The next morning, Katie left for a bachelorette weekend which left Ryan and I to our own devices.
If you like to bike - Madison, Wisconsin is the Midwestern getaway for you. Right outside of our hotel was a rental e-bike station and I was able to get unlimited rides for the entire 10 days for only $35 bucks. This ended up paying for itself because I never had to take an Uber! I don't know the exact number, but I would guess I ended up biking well over 20 total miles by the end of our off days.
We decided to bike into downtown Madison and walk around UWMadison's campus, explore the shops, and check out an art museum. We went to the Contemporary Art Museum since I hadn't been to one yet this summer. Our favorite exhibit was a pile of stars made from wax and we were invited to take one home with us. (Apparently, the stars equaled the weight of the artist's body and by giving away the stars she was spreading her art throughout the world... or at least that is what the museum attendant told us😂)
We went to the terrace right by the lake and relaxed by the Union chairs which was one of my favorite parts of Madison - I didn’t evem realize they were iconic to the city but it totally makes sense. Bright yellow, green, and orange chairs right on the lake to relax, eat, and socialize - one of my favorite things.
On our way back we indulged in some Insomnia cookies hot out of the oven and then popped over to the Ivory Room Piano Bar. I had never been to a piano bar before, and NOW I WANT TO GO ALL THE TIME. Andy Schnieder played us every request on his piano for 3 hours and we sang and laughed our asses off and had the absolute best time. I got him to sing High School Musical which was the highlight of my night. I will be actively seeking out piano bars for the rest of my trip with the NUTmobile.
The next day, we had to take in Marshell for a check-up at the Madison Penske and we were met with the rudest Penske worker I've ever interacted with! Ryan and I were in shock - he told us that he believes the NUTmobile should be 6 feet underground and tried to tell us that we don't have a partnership with Penske (we do). It was a WACKY experience and we felt very weird leaving our dear Marshell in this grumpy guy's hands but alas, we were left with no choice. At least we met some more hotdoggers!
That night we saw Fly Me To the Moon and I actually REALLY loved it which I wasn’t expecting. The only picture I got from the theatre was a documentation of what I can only imagine was someone’s tragedy:
With no vehicle on our hands, we picked up a rental at the Enterprise and Ryan decided to take it to drive up to meet some buddies in a city close by.
Suddenly - I was alone with all of Madison to explore! The next day, I hopped on an e-bike and headed over to a nearby park that Google said had some cool trails. Right when I got there, it became very apparent the trail was for feet and not for wheels, so I turned around. Madison's streets have designated bike paths and so I just started to blindly follow these signs that said "Lake Loop" for a while. The path took me right up against the water of Lake Monona and then through some of the beautiful neighborhoods of Madison. I had no GPS, no plan! When I finally stopped for a water break I decided to look up how long the "lake loop" actually was and discovered I was already halfway done with the 13-mile trip around Lake Manona (ebikes make things like this MUCH much easier). I pulled off into a beach and let my e-bike charge in a station while I painted watercolors, and then finished the 13-mile lake loop. The second half was definitely more challenging than the first, but the euphoria I felt when I saw the emblem of the Sheraton Hotel peaking from the trees on mile 13 was unmatched. I felt like I had just achieved something incredible 😂 (that I had no idea I was going to do until it had already happened). So what's the first thing I do? Call my dad. 😊
I stayed in the rest of the night and decided to book what is well-deserved after an unplanned 13-mile bike ride - a massage!
Saturday morning, I woke up and biked into downtown Madison once again, this time up to the capital to check out the famous Capital Square Farmers Market! Since the market surrounds the entire capital building, everyone moves in one singular direction. Something about walking together with a giant conga line of strangers made me appreciate humankind as a whole. I know it sounds so ✨woo-woo✨, but every once in a while I think we get lucky enough to have moments where we can appreciate and love human nature. In this case, the collective silent agreement that it makes most sense if we all move together. Hundreds of people follow suit, simply to maintain the peace and order of things. How beautiful!
I biked to grab a quick bite and then headed over to the spa for my massage. I have never been to a massage place where they actually STAND on your back - now I can say that I have. I was sore for quite a few days after that😂.
Sunday I went into town on a mission to find postcards but got immediately distracted by a very cute piercing studio called Studs. One needle and a $100 transaction on my card later, and I have a new piercing on my left earlobe. (I didn't even bleed, which I feel holds bragging rights for some reason💅🏻). The rain started to come in, so I quickly biked home right before it started pouring. Ryan then got back with the rental car, so I braved the impending storm and drove downtown one last time to snag a few postcards to keep and send out (which you can sign up to receive!!) inside the capital building. I headed back home (hotel), which concluded my amazing week in Madison, WI!
I'm starting to find a lot of joy in exploring independently, which was a major goal of mine this year. It's exciting to feel the growth already happening!
We are headed to Michigan next, which will be great! I can't wait to see my family and show Katie and Ryan more of the Mitten State. Cashew soon!
How sad is the picture with the popcorn all over the floor in the bathroom?!?!?!