Noted: At the campus end of the street, continue past the university’s main library and veer right. Ahead of you, just across Langdon Street, sits the university’s Memorial Union, a popular gathering spot for students, locals and tourists.
The terrace behind the building overlooks Lake Mendota, the biggest of Madison’s five lakes. There are open-air tables at which to enjoy a beer and a brat while watching canoeists paddle through the tranquil water. (Canoes are available to rent by the hour.)
The university’s Lakeshore Path enters a wooded preserve just west of the Memorial Union. It continues all the way out to Picnic Point, at the tip of a skinny peninsula jutting into the lake. The round trip is a little more than 3 miles, so feel free to indulge with an ice cream cone upon your return to the union. The Daily Scoop sells ice cream made just a few blocks away at the university’s Babcock Hall.