I did the Monona Terrace tour in the middle of a 3 day Frank Lloyd Wright themed trip to Wisconsin…read more While the tour was interesting it was a bit underwhelming compared to my tours of Taliesin, Unitarian Meeting House and SC Johnson administration building and Research Tower. The tour is reasonably priced, although I did end up paying $6 for parking at Monoma Terrace. Check-in for the tour is in the gift shop which is nicely set up with a nice selection of Frank Lloyd Wright items, Madison items and some other items. I ended up as the only one on my tour so I got a very nice one on one experience. My tour guide was very friendly, knowledgeable and personable. I did get a nice tour through the various parts of the Community and Convention Center; they were setting up for a number of college graduations. The center has a wide variety of rooms and areas, including a great plaza and garden on the roof. The center takes advantage of its lake front location and in true Wright fashion it brings the outside into the building in interesting and effective ways. Monona Terrace went through a number of designs and intended purposes during Frank Lloyd Wright's lifetime, unfortunately it was not built until well after his death so while the outside follows closely to Wright's designs the interior was revised by members of the Taliesin Fellowship, the result is a very nice building and one that seems to work very well, but it seems to be missing a bit of the Frank Lloyd Wright magic and wow factor. There are a couple of places where there is a bit of that sparkle, but as a Frank Lloyd Wright tour it falls a bit short for me. If you are a Frank Lloyd Wright completist or have some extra time Monona Terrace is worth a visit, but if you are planning a trip for the Frank Llyod Wright Wisconsin trail and need to prioritize other site might be worth considering.

It has been six years since my last review and we have now had many chances to attend events at…read morethis venue with great views of the lake. We have been regular attendees of free music events on the roof in summer which are great fun. We have been to many different markets, trade shows and cheese competitions and we have even done their tour of the facility. Most have been free. That alone would rate 4.5 stars. The big downsize is the crummy parking garage which is dark and dirty and hard to navigate. It feels unsafe at night. It is difficult to figure out if it is in the midst of a renovation but it certainly needs a major one. Given this deficit I have downgraded this facility to an overall 4 star rating.

The food was incredible ! . The venue was quite affordable and we were able to decorate it so it…read morebecame quite beautiful for our wedding reception/dance. Can't say enough about how good the food was . Would highly recommend this venue .

The food....AMAZING. We got a smoked pork, vegetarian dish and a Parmesan encrusted chicken breast…read more Our guests still are raving about how delicious it was and you get a very good amount of food. I actually got to sit down and eat and it was easily some of the best food I have had in my life. The staff were very attentive, making sure me and my husband were well taken care of. They would bring us waters when we were looking dehydrated. My guests told me that the staff was amazing and helpful at every turn. The staff knew what they were doing, were very organized and very polite to all of my guests, they wanted to ensure that everyone was having an amazing time. The venue, also amazing. We had about 155 guests that fit in one half of the hall space perfectly. We were able to set everything up the day before the wedding so we weren't stressed on our wedding day. Chad was very responsive to anything we were needing including tables, linens and made sure everything looked beautiful the day of. We booked out wedding at The Heights about 8 months out from our wedding day. The first 7 months or so it was a bit challenging to get ahold of the Chad but the month before the wedding he would answer every call and email right away! Overall I would highly recommend The Heights to anyone looking for a venue. If you like an amazing staff, food and venue this is the place for you! Chad was very kind and made sure that we were well taken care of!

The Bur Oak is a fun spot to catch music - great lineup of bands, perfect acoustics, nice seating,…read morefull bar, etc. Check it out!

Lacy is amazing and kind and makes the best food. Thanks Lacy!!…read more We've been many times and it is consistently good!!

We recently attended a wedding here and were blown away by how gorgeous and well-thought-out this…read morevenue is! The setting feels completely secluded and intimate. The indoor barn space is super cute, and the outdoor ceremony area is stunning. They even set up a beautiful rustic wall that held prosecco for the cocktail hour, which was such a fun touch (and the wine was fantastic!). One of the biggest standouts was the staff. They were incredibly friendly and accommodating across the board. Even though the catering was brought in separately, the venue staff went above and beyond to figure out a plan for me to go up to the buffet early to avoid any cross-contamination. The layout of the property is seamless: there's a great space for the wedding party to stay and get ready, indoor bathrooms that were spotless, plenty of room for a digital photo booth, a great dance floor, and fun outdoor games. Plus, they are animal-friendly, so having pets as part of the wedding was incredibly special. The bride decorated with a lemon theme, which fit the rustic-chic vibe perfectly, and the in-house DJ kept the music fun all night. Highly recommend this hidden gem!

Exceptionally nice wedding venue and banquet hall in a bucolic country setting - just outside…read moreMadison! Beautifully decorated dining space inside the spacious "barn". Attractive grounds provide for spacious and shaded outdoor seating. Friendly staff.

While I loved the ambiance of the stately venue, my meal was a disappointment. The University Club…read moreis situated in a stunning, century old, Tudor revival mansion with views of Lake Mendota and the Memorial Union. I dropped by for lunch recently and ordered the $9 Cauliflower Chickpea Quinoa Sandwich (a seared cauliflower, chickpea and quinoa patty with provolone, sun dried tomato pesto on a griddled sourdough roll) with a side of over salted sweet potato fries. The patty had a bitter taste from being slightly burnt and was overwhelmed flavor-wise by the potent sun-dried tomatoes. While my server was fantastic, the pace of the meal moved along at a crawl, probably due to a large banquet being hosted that day. While I enjoyed the novelty of visiting the venue, the food will keep me from making repeated visits.

Univeristy Club was that elusive building on campus I never got to go in as an undergraduate. After…read moremy friends' recent wedding reception here, that all changed. The building itself is gorgeous. The brick on the outside becomes white walls with exposed wood paneling on the inside. It was a beautiful venue to celebrate the love of my beautiful friend and her wonderful now-husband. However, it was horribly hot inside. The bridal party was sweating uncomfortably, as were the guests. Granted, it's an older building, so I don't know if it has central air or not, but it was blistering hot. The food, however, was only lukewarm when it was served. The staff, however, seemed wonderful, and overall, I thought it was a lovely location for a wedding reception.

I was pleasantly surprised with the Lowell Center. We stayed at Lowell during Spring Parents week…read more Lowell is in a great location, close to University, activities, lakefront and State St. Very affordable. We did opt in for parking so we did not have to worry about meters. Word to the wise, the parking lot is a couple blocks away. Our room was immaculate, modern and organized. Not a large room but not small either. Linens were quality. Room was quiet. TV was functional with cable. Loved the in room Keurig. Bathroom was big, lots of towels, Bath and Body Works lotions, soaps and shampoos. Takes a minute or two for hot water to get up to the sixth floor, but it will get there. Ironing board was hiding in the closet. Lowell has other mentionable amenities. The pool is large and clean. There are computers in the lobby if you need one. So happy to find some much needed afternoon coffee in the lobby right when I needed it. The breakfast buffet was ample; better than a Holiday Inn. Cereals, yogurts, cut fruit, bananas, apples, waffle makers, bagels, toasters, sausages, eggs to order, coffee, juices, teas and probably some other stuff too. Would for sure stay here again.

Comfortable atmosphere, great location to UW campus and downtown Madison. Quiet hotel but very…read moreclose to all the action. Call for confirmation on amenities. The pool has been closed for the entire visit but there was no indication when booking and the website was never updated to let guests know. The staff is extremely polite and helpful.

Garver lounge is a great option when you're looking for a solid cocktail or brunch. I've been there…read morefor brunch a few times and the service is always exceptional with lovely, attentive folks. Their seasonal scramble is my suggestion--great scramble filled with seasonal vegetables. One thing that wasn't ideal was their coffee. It wasn't great and wouldn't order again.

As always the food is delicious and prepared with finesse!!! The poached eggs and hollandaise sauce…read moreis always superb.The space very comfortable and easy to enjoy. Angel is an exceptional server she handles everything with panache'!!!

Scenery was fantastic! The only thing that could have made my wedding smoother, (set-up/clean-up),…read morewould have been a friendlier, more professional staff. Over all, customer service, (Really only Dennis), could have been lots better. Mary and Dennis did not appear to be on the same page. He was making it challenging to keep set up on time by refusing to help get decorations that Mary had offered to us. He also made us shut down the wedding at 11:15pm. We were under the understanding that we had the venue until midnight and everyone must be out then. However, we did not know he was going to make us shut everything down 45min earlier when the only tear down we had to do that night was load up the DJ equipment. He then went around and was being rather rude to the DJ and specific guests. I would have preferred he came to me or my husband with any problems. I also know this is a new facility so with time I am sure it will be more professional.