Between 300 and 1300 CE, Native Americans lived in what was to become Madison, building thousands of effigy mounds in the area. The Ho-Chunk nation lived near the lakes until the 1940s, when white settlers arrived. In 1829, judge and land speculator James Duane Doty visited the isthmus and bought much of it. Doty persuaded the territorial legislature to rename Madison as the new capital in 1836. He named Madison after 4th President James Madison. Eben and Rosaline Peck were the first white settlers in Madison in 1837. Eight years after Wisconsin became a state, Madison grew to 6,864 residents. The original settlers were Yankees from the east. Then came the Germans, Irish, and Norwegians. Finally, Italians, Greeks, Jews, and African Americans arrived in the early 1900s. Madison, the state capital and the city with the most prominent university campus, has long been a hub of political and intellectual life in Wisconsin. In the early 20th century, they started progressive reforms like workers' compensation, unemployment insurance, and Social Security in Madison. This gave the city a liberal reputation that prevailed through the turbulent 1960s when it was the central hub of anti-Vietnam activity.

Several museums, galleries, and performing arts venues offer cultural experiences that improve the quality of life in Madison. If you intend to own property here, you should take the time to enjoy some of the refined pleasures and activities the land has to offer. Here's a small selection:

Go to a show at Overture Center for the Arts
The Overture Center for the Arts in Madison is visited by more than 500,000 people every year to be engaged in nearly 700,000 educational and artistic experiences. It has seven cutting-edge performance spaces and five state-of-the-art galleries where they display marvelous art.

Furthermore, it provides a variety of venues for corporate meetings, conventions, trade shows, weddings, banquets, and receptions. The Overture Center supports and elevates the community's creative culture through the arts and indeed provides extraordinary experiences for all. Visiting is simply a remarkable experience.

See Talented People Perform At The Fall Art Tour
Every year, various talented artists from Baraboo, Dodgeville, Mineral Point, and Spring Green open their studios for a Fall Art Tour on the third weekend of October. Artists who paint, sculpt and make pottery, jewelry, and furniture display their art at the event. The grounds are architecturally compelling; some of the studios are in interesting buildings, like restored breweries, one-room schoolhouses, and old storefronts. If you love the arts, you will not be disappointed.

Take A Stroll Through Rotary Botanical Gardens
The 20-acre Rotary Botanical Gardens feature several striking walking paths and are a scenic beauty. It is home to many dramatic and themed gardens, including English, Japanese, and Scottish gardens. It also has less formal displays, such as the children's garden, Hosta Hollow, fern and moss gardens, and other seasonal collections.

See A Show At Spring Green's American Players Theatre
A 1,089-seat outdoor amphitheater is the main feature of the American Players Theater. From June to November each year, the place is filled with people who come to see the eight or sometimes nine plays shown here. Shakespeare, Moliere, Chekhov, and George Bernard Shaw are just some of the well-known playwrights whose work has been shown at Spring Green.
Attend Musical Performances At The Fireside Dinner Theater
The Fireside Dinner Theater has been presenting musicals alongside fine dining since 1964. It is a popular destination for couples, families, and groups of all sizes, and it features newly renovated dining rooms that you'll love.