Historic Architecture Walking Tours
May 30 - September 28, 2023
Tickets open May 1
*Walking Tour Updates*
Tickets must be purchased online. Reservations are required for all guests as we have limited space on each tour.
Members: you will need to enter your Member ID when reserving tickets. If you do not know your Member ID, please contact us at info@madisonpreservation.org.
Weather: We will be there rain or shine! See Cancellations for exceptions.
General Tour Information
Times: Tours run May through September.
Thursday evening tours are at 6:00 p.m.
Saturday morning tours are at 10:00 a.m
*Reservations are required for all guests.
Cost: $15.00 for adults, $5.00 for students, and free for Madison Trust members and children under 5. Learn about membership.
*Purchasing tickets online is required.
RESERVATIONS/TICKETS ONLINE: Under each tour description, you will see a ticket button. Click and you will be taken to the tour page where you can purchase tickets. You can use a credit card or debit card to purchase tickets with an additional transaction fee.
MTHP Members: You will also need to click the ticket button. You will choose the Member Ticket option.
Please note, you will need to enter your Member ID. If you do not know your Member ID, please contact us at info@madisonpreservation.org.
Historic Milwaukee, Inc. members: Choose an Adult or Student ticket, enter the promo code and at the tour show your HMI membership card to the coordinator and tours are 50% off.
TICKET SALES END 24 hours prior to the tour start time.
Large Groups: If you have a group of 8 or more, please contact us for special arrangements prior to the tour.
Cancellations: To cancel your tour, please contact us at least 24 hours prior to your tour. You must cancel 3 days prior to your tour to receive a refund.
Cancellations by The Madison Trust:A tour may be cancelled for extreme weather or lightening. We will alert guests at least four hours in advance by email. Purchased tickets will be refunded.
Weather: We will be there rain or shine! See Cancellations for exceptions.
What to wear: Dress for the weather in comfortable shoes, as tours require standing and walking for up to 2 hours.
Bathrooms: There are no bathroom facilities on the tour.
We do private tours! See our Private Tours page for more information.
*Certified service dogs are always welcome. Other pets are not permitted on the tours.
Download Tour Calendar
Treats from our tour partners
Treats from our tour partners are back for select tours! We appreciate their participation in our tour program and hope you enjoy your stop after the tour.
Head over to Trip Advisor to give us review!
Greenbush Neighborhood
Spaghetti Joints, Synagogues and Urban Renewal
Mainstream Madison thought of the historic Greenbush neighborhood as spaghetti restaurants, Prohibition speakeasies and organized crime in a blighted neighborhood. Residents of the neighborhood, on the other hand, remember it as a warm home where neighbors looked out for neighbors, be they German, Italian, or Russian Jewish immigrants, or African Americans who came in the Great American Migration. Urban renewal efforts in the 1960s tore the heart out of the neighborhood, but many traces remain, and the descendants of the original residents keep memories alive.
*We will be using our new headset system on this tour. Each guest will have their own listening device that fits over the ear.
Tour Times & Tickets
Thursday, June 6, at 6 p.m.
Thursday, June 27, at 6 p.m.
Saturday, July 27, at 10 a.m.
Saturday, August 24, at 10 a.m.
Meeting Location
At the corner of West Washington Avenue and South Park Street, across West Washington from the historical marker
Length
Approximately 2 hours
After The Tour
Unwind at Leopold’s Books Bar Caffè on Thursdays with a complimentary glass of Prosecco, or a coffee or pastry on Saturdays, 1301 Regent St.
King Street
Where Madison Happened First
Over the years, Madison’s very first street has been home to its first fast-food lunchroom, first high-volume grocery, and Madison’s first teacher. Throw in the Majestic (Madison’s oldest continually operating theater), an Art Deco high-rise, and a Turkish bath; and you’ll realize there’s a lot about this well-visited street you may not know.
*We will be using our new headset system on this tour. Each guest will have their own listening device that fits over the ear.
Tour Times & tickets
Thursday, May 30, at 6 p.m.
Thursday, July 4, at 6 p.m.
Saturday, August 3, at 10 a.m.
Saturday, September 28, at 10 a.m.
Meeting Location
By the large granite arch at the intersection of King, Webster, and Doty Streets.
Length
Approximately 1 hour
After The Tour
Stop by the Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. for one complimentary beer or soft drink, 123 E. Doty St.
Mansion Hill East
Lifestyles of the Rich and (Once) Famous
Big Bug Hill, Aristocracy Hill, Mansion Hill. Travel through time with us to see the stately sandstone mansions built by Madison’s early elite, including the Old Governor’s Mansion, home to 17 Wisconsin governors. Times change, residents change, but these elegant buildings continue to inspire.
Tour Times & tickets
Saturday, June 8, at 10 a.m.
Thursday, July 11, at 6 p.m.
Thursday, August 15, at 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 21, at 10 a.m.
Meeting Location
In front of The Edgewater’s Statehouse Café, 1001 Wisconsin Place.St.
Length
Approximately 1 1/4 hours
After The Tour
Head back to The Edgewater for one complimentary house coffee, draft beer, house wine, or soft drink, 1001 Wisconsin Place
Maple Bluff-Cambridge Road
Lakeside Architectural Gems
Explore Cambridge Road’s rich variety of architecture including Prairie, Shingle, Mediterranean Revival, and French Norman Revival styles. Learn about the lives of civic and business leaders who resided here and about the prominent architects who designed these homes. The Village of Maple Bluff never became part of Madison—discover why!
Tour Times
Saturday, June 22, at 10 a.m.
Saturday, July 20, at 10 a.m.
Saturday, August 10, at 10 a.m.
Saturday, September 7, at 10 a.m.
Meeting Location
Cambridge Road and Lakewood Boulevard (across from Wisconsin Executive Residence)
Length
Approximately 1 1/4 hours
After the Tour
Relax with a complimentary small coffee or donut from Ancora Café and Bakery, 611 N. Sherman Ave.
Orton Park
Distinctive Architecture and Stately Oaks
Now a place of relaxation, recreation, and celebration; Orton Park once served as a final resting place for the dearly departed. Tour one of Madison’s oldest neighborhoods and see homes designed by local architects in distinctive styles as diverse as Italianate, Queen Anne, Greek and Tudor revival, Craftsman, and Prairie.
Tour Times
Saturday, June 1, at 10 a.m.
Saturday, July 6, at 10 a.m.
Thursday, August 1, at 6 p.m.
Thursday, August 29, at 6 p.m.
Meeting Location
In front of Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1021 Spaight St.
Length
Approximately 1 1/4 hours
After The Tour
Head over to local favorite Willy Street Coop to receive $5 off a $25 purchase, 1221 Williamson St.
UW-Madison Agricultural Campus
Birthplace of the Wisconsin Idea
Moo-ve through the historic agriculture campus and learn about the scientific discoveries made within these 19th-century buildings of varied architectural styles. The tour is about so much more than cows, although you may see some of those too. And there’s ice cream!
Tour Times
Saturday, June 15, at 10 a.m.
Saturday, July 13, at 10 a.m.
Thursday, August 8, at 6 p.m.
Thursday, August 22, at 6 p.m.
Meeting Location
At the entrance to Allen Centennial Garden, 620 Babcock Dr.
Length
Approximately 1 1/2 hours
After The Tour
Pick up a complimentary single ice cream dish after the tour at the Babcock Hall Dairy Store, 1605 Linden Dr.
Vilas
Lake Wingra: Homes, History & Mounds
Experienced how the historically unique Vilas Neighborhood has it all, from Indian Mounds and the popular Vilas Park to architecture ranging from Prairie and Queen Anne to Tudor and Georgian Revival. Rising up a hill from wetlands and Lake Wingra, the Vilas Neighborhood (originally called Wingra Park) developed as one of Madison’s first residential suburbs as the city expanded. Learn what was destroyed and what was preserved as new homes went up. Over 130 years later, the neighborhood retains its unique aspects and continues to bustle with liveliness.
Tour Times
Thursday, June 13, at 6 p.m.
Saturday, June 29, at 10 a.m.
Thursday, July 25, at 6 p.m.
Saturday, August 17, at 10 a.m.
Meeting Location
At the intersection of Garfield, Grant and Drake Streets (across from Vilas Park)
Length
Approximately 1 1/2 hours
After the tour
Stop in at Bloom Bake Shop, 1851 Monroe St., after the tour for one complimentary treat or pastry
Westmorland
From Farmland to Frank Lloyd Wright
No repetitious development of cookie-cutter houses in this pioneering west-side suburb. Find the remaining 1860’s sandstone barn that shares the same block as a 1920’s Tudor Revival home. Identify houses ordered from a Sears-Roebuck catalog, houses made entirely of steel, and the house Wright designed as a prototype.
Tour Times
Thursday, June 20, at 6 p.m.
Thursday, July 18, at 6 p.m.
Saturday, August 31, at 10 a.m.
Saturday, September 14, at 10 a.m.
Meeting Location
Next to Sunset Yarn, 3742 Speedway Rd.
Length
Approximately 1 1/2 hours.
After The Tour
Tour Treat Partners are paused for this tour. We thank our past partners for their support!
Printing Sponsor
