The Granite Dome, a Mastodon, and a Thai Pavilion
Wisconsin State Capitol offers free tours beneath the country's only granite dome and a seasonal observation deck overlooking both lakes. Wisconsin Veterans Museum uses more than 2,800 oral-history interviews alongside artifacts, letters, and photographs. Madison Museum of Contemporary Art opens free changing exhibitions and a weather-dependent rooftop sculpture garden on State Street.Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center realizes the Frank Lloyd Wright lakefront design Madison argued over for 59 years. UW's free Geology Museum brings together ancient Wisconsin volcanoes and seas, meteorites, fluorescent minerals, dinosaurs, and a mounted mastodon.Olbrich Botanical Gardens adds 16 outdoor acres, a Royal Thai Pavilion built in Thailand, and a glass pyramid holding more than 650 tropical plants. Henry Vilas Zoo remains admission-free under the condition attached to a 1904 family land gift. Tour fees, special exhibitions, conservatory admission, parking, and programs are separate from the PopHops Pass.