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There are lots of fun things to do with kids in Madison.  Here are 15 ideas to get you started and keep the little ones busy:

Explore the Capitol Building and go up onto the outdoor observation deck to get an awesome view of the city.
Ride the Carousel at Ella's Deli and have an ice cream delight while you're at it. 
Learn something new at the ...

It's a hot, muggy Madison day and nothing would feel better than a cool dip in the lake. Take your pick, we've got lots of Lakes: Mendota, Monona, and Wingra are all within the city's limits.  And Madison has plenty of beaches, too --- 13 in all, ten of them with lifeguards.

What Madison doesn't have, however, is consistently swimable water. The problem? Well, all those wonderful bodies of water are surrounded ...

Ella's Deli, on Madison's east side, not only temps the taste buds, it noggles all the senses.   How to describe it? 

Can you imagine Spiderman flying across the room while you dig into your banana split?  How about downing a corned beef reuben while circus performers dance about your head? Or slurping matso ball soup over a medieval landscape made out of Legos?

Ella's is a sensory experience you can't imagine until you, well...experience ...

I've been away from my post for awhile. Okay, for longer than a while...for most of a year.  So I just want to refresh some of the great --- FREE --- musical activities in and around Madison for the month of July.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES at Warner Park,  Mondays at 6pm

(Sponsored by North/Eastside Senior Coalition)

July 14 - Kydd and Byrd

July 21 - Que Flavor

July 28 - The Midwesterners

LUNCH TIME LIVE  on ...

What are the four major food groups in Wisconsin?

Cheese . . . brats . . . corn . . . and beer!

Cheese is so common you can pick it up anywhere, in any grocery store,  order it added on to any item in any restaurant anytime. Cheese to a native Wisconsinite is like the air you breathe.

And, for that matter. . . so is beer.

But brats and corn. . . well, ...

The Isthmus-Madison's free weekly alternative newspaper-ran a great article by Robin Shepard this week profiling the revival of the brewery scene in Madison.

But what caught my eye was a side-bar titled: "The bars that brewers patronize." It was a listing of ten bars/taverns "that Madison-area brewers named when asked to identify their [favorite] hangouts."  The side-bar did not promise that these bars had great beer, but rather that they had an ...

Before you say "Opera? Are you nuts?" hear me out.  I am the queen of free musical experiences. I once listened to a live Rolling Stones concert from UW's Camp Randall Stadium for free. I wasn't in the stadium--couldn't actually see Mick himself--but I found the coolest place up on Observatory Drive where, not only could you hear the music clearly, you could FEEL the drums. 

So when I tell you ...

It's the biggest and the best art fair you will likely ever see. Madison's Art Fair On The Square - Saturday July 14 and Sunday July 15 - is a must see event.

With nearly 500 artists, you can browse ceramics, fiber, glasswork, jewelry, leather, painting, photography, sculpture, wood and a variety of mixed media.  Plan on plenty of refreshments, food, and live music to enliven the scene.

And that's not all!  ...

One of the special treats of summer in Madison are the Wednesday evening "Concerts on the Square."  The ambiance is incredible.  The music superb. 

These free concerts, performed by the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra with director Andrew Sewell, are held on the State Capitol Lawn every Wednesday at 7:00pm from June 27 - Aug. 1. 

But you had better plan to get there early --- attendance typically numbers around 20,000 people each week!  ...

Looking for a place to take the kiddies for an afternoon?  Or just want a a pleasant location to wander around with your significant other, a friend, or by yourself?  Try the Henry Vilas Zoo, nestled along the shores of Lake Wingra.

Open year round, and free to the public, the Madison zoo opens its gates at 9:30 each morning.  The display buildings open at 10:00am.  However, plan on this being a ...