Middleton: Enjoy Small-Town Charm in Wisconsin

Middleton: Enjoy Small-Town Charm in Wisconsin

Surrounded by beautiful outdoor spaces and peppered with fun shops, breweries, and quirky museums, Middleton, Wisconsin, has something to offer every traveler.

Foodie Finds

The city is small in comparison to some, but within its borders are 80 restaurants, cafes, and bakeries. A hidden gem is Louisianne’s Etc, a little bit of New Orleans found in a historic building downtown—enjoy live jazz and blues every Friday and Saturday. Longtable Beer Cafe serves Wisconsin favorites like fish fry, fried cheese curds, traditional frites and burgers, but what makes it special is its open atmosphere, locally sourced ingredients, and selection of 300 kinds of beer. And, of course, everyone should stop by 1847 at the Stamm House—Middleton’s original tavern has served guests for 177 years, more currently as a modern take on a Wisconsin Supper Club.

And practically next door to one another are the Lumani brothers’ restaurants—Villa Dolce, all charm with amazing wood-fire pizza and pastas—and Sofra’s Family Bistro, an Albanian-American restaurant loved for its brunch menu and traditional Turkish coffee service.

Everyone visiting Middleton has to make a stop at two extraordinary places.

Capital Brewery & Bier Garten is known as “Middleton’s backyard.” Its traditional German-style lagers are award-winning, its winter festival, Bockfest, is memory-making (mainly because the brewmaster tosses frozen fish to the audience for “luck”), and live music is found on the patio every summer Friday night.

The second must-see spot is the National Mustard Museum and gift shop. Stop in and peruse hundreds of mustards for sale and some available to taste-test. There is also a free museum with more than 6,000 mustards from around the world, as well as mustard pots, antiques, and other memorabilia. The first

Saturday of August is National Mustard Day, and Middleton shuts down the street and busts out the games, pretzels, bands, and, of course, mustard, to celebrate as thousands stop by for good food and an even better story to tell.

Leisure & Living

Middleton has about 50 shops, from locally owned boutiques downtown to the 51-acre outdoor Greenway Station shopping center. Find local and regional artists’ work for sale, such as jewelry, artwork, textiles, and more, and attend the Art Walk every May, downtown.

The environment is essential to Middleton. The city has committed to using 100 percent green energy by 2050 and is the only city in Wisconsin that has achieved LEED Gold certification. So, it’s obvious that besides caring for its future, the city takes pride in its outdoor spaces.

Combine a leisurely weekend with outdoor adventures on 27 miles of trails; test out the new bike pump track; rent a boat, kayak, or paddleboard on Lake Mendota; pick up some skis and head across the country at the CXC Outdoor Center; and get lost in more than 500 acres of protected Pheasant Branch Conservancy land, from prairie to woods to creeks.

Zero Roughing It

Middleton is 20 minutes from the Dane County Regional Airport, an hour and a half from Milwaukee, and two and a half hours from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Staying in Middleton is as easy as choosing among its nine hotels—all minutes from its charming downtown. Expand your trip; stay in Middleton and travel to one of Southern Wisconsin’s most popular attractions—like Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin or the Circus World Museum.

Ready for a Middleton escape? Get all the information you need to book your trip today at visitmiddleton.com