Join us for Experience Wisconsin Open House

Check-in will occur from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at Gordon Dining and Event Center. Please check in prior to the 9:00 a.m. session.

• Campus Check-In – Gordon Dining and Event Center, Front Lawn (770 W Dayton St, Madison, WI 53715) Google Maps / campus map

If you arrive after 8:30 a.m., you can still check in on Gordon Lawn, but you may be late for your first session.

If you arrive AFTER 9:00 a.m., please use one of the three satellite information tables to check in (see below).

Information Tables

Information tables will be available throughout the day should you need assistance, directions, or have any questions.

• East Campus Information Table – Office of Admissions and Recruitment, First Floor (702 W Johnson St, Suite 1101, Madison, WI 53715) Google Maps / campus map
• North Campus Information Table – Memorial Union, First Floor (800 W Langdon St, Madison, WI 53706) Google Maps / campus map
• West Campus Information Table – Union South, First Floor Box Office (1308 W Dayton St, Madison, WI 53715) Google Maps / campus map

On Friday, October 17, the information tables will be available from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For October 17 ONLY, event parking will be available at the Alliant Energy Center (1919 Alliant Energy Center Way, Madison, WI 53713) and is highly recommended, as parking on campus is very limited. Please enter the Alliant Energy Center at the Rimrock Gate on Rimrock Road, drive straight back until you are behind the Exhibition Hall, and park in the first parking lot to your left (Southcentral Parking Lot).

There is no cost to park at the Alliant Energy Center on October 17. For more information about traveling to the Alliant Energy Center, please see their website.

Shuttle buses will bring students and their families from the Alliant Energy Center to campus (and back) throughout the event at no charge. The shuttles will run from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The shuttle stop on campus will be in front of the Kohl Center (601 W Dayton St, Madison, WI 53715), just one block from Gordon Dining and Event Center check-in.

• Please arrive early to the Alliant Energy Center. There may be periods of waiting to board the bus, and it is at least a 15-minute ride to the Kohl Center, depending on morning traffic.
• If you arrive to the Alliant Energy Center after 8:30 a.m., we cannot guarantee you will arrive on time to your first Experience Wisconsin Open House session.

Parking on campus is permitted but will be extremely limited due to the high volume of visitors. We strongly suggest the parking option at Alliant Energy Center for secured parking and transportation to and from campus.

If you decide to park on campus, we strongly suggest you allow at least 45 to 60 minutes to find parking arrangements. Do not park in two-hour parking or at meters during your visit.

Full-day parking is about $15.00. Be aware of special events on campus, as they may impact parking availability and travel times. Please feel free to park in campus lots, public lots, or private lots, if available.

Please check Visitor Parking Availability to see real-time parking availability before arriving on campus. You can find a campus parking map on the UW–Madison transportation website.

As an alternative to driving and parking on campus, we recommend taking a taxi, hotel shuttle, or ride-sharing service, if possible.

Recommended parking lots

Near Gordon Dining and Event Center check-in

• Lot 7 (Grainger Hall Garage)
• Lot 46 (Lake & Johnson Ramp)
• Lot 83 (Fluno Center Garage)
• Frances Street Campus Garage*
• Lot 29 (North Park Street Ramp)
• U Parking Garage* (privately owned garage)

Downtown Madison (near the Capitol Square – 20 to 30-minute walk to campus)

• Overture Center Garage* (public City of Madison garage)
• State Street Capitol Parking Garage* (public City of Madison Garage)

Near Union South

• Lot 17 (construction may impact access) (Engineering Ramp)
• Lot 20 (University Avenue Ramp)
• Lot 80 (Union South Garage)

* These parking garages are NOT listed on UW–Madison’s “Visitor Parking Availability” or “Campus Parking Map” webpages.

If you are interested in applying for and purchasing a UW–Madison parking pass in advance of the event, you can learn more on the Transportation Services website.

You can access your full schedule for your Experience Wisconsin Open House agenda by logging in to your Visit Bucky account.

Once you have logged in, find the “Menu” drop-down at the top of the page and select “My reservations” from the navigation bar.

Paper agendas will not be provided. If you wish to have a paper copy, please be sure to access your Visit Bucky account prior to your visit and print a copy.

Once you are on campus and checked in to the event, you are welcome to walk to your sessions. For step-by-step walking instructions, you can use our Navigating Campus webpage.

You can also use UW–Madison’s free bus circulator service (operated by Madison Metro). The bus circulator can be especially useful when traveling to the far west end of campus.

If you choose to use the free bus circulator, routes 80 and 84 provide free daytime service and run every 7 to 15 minutes. View routes and real-time bus location information on the official UW Campus Map. Routes 80, 81, and 82 also provide free nighttime service. Service calendar for Routes 81 and 82. Click on the route number for schedules and maps. Please note that all other route numbers charge a fee to ride.

Madison is ranked as a top city for foodies, and there are endless opportunities for tasty meals around the UW–Madison campus and in the city of Madison. Below are dining options both on campus and in the downtown Madison area.

University Housing

University Housing offers six-convenient dining locations with an all-you-care-to-eat format (buffet style). This means diners will pay for their meal upon entry to the market. Nutrition information is provided for all offerings. There are many options to accommodate dietary and allergy needs, including vegan & vegetarian diets and food allergies. Please note all our Dining Markets are cashless. Accepted forms of payment include Wiscard, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover. You can find a list of locations and day-of menus on the University Housing website.

Wisconsin Union Dining Options

From pizza and pasta to coffee and pastries, the Wisconsin Union’s 30+ campus dining locations offer a convenient place to grab lunch.

Explore your dining options across campus. To find the options that best fit you and your day, you can use the drop-down menus at the top of the page to select your desired food category, Union location, or non-Union campus location.

Discovery Building

330 N Orchard Street

Aldo’s Cafe

Aldo’s Cafe offers fresh made sandwiches, salads, and bakery items featuring local, seasonal ingredients from area farms.

Steenbock’s on Orchard

Steenbock’s on Orchard offers a full-service menu of innovative entrees. Located in the southeast corner of the Town Center, this establishment includes a preservation kitchen with windows into the food preparation area. The menu emphasizes nutritious, sustainable and locally sourced foods.

Babcock Dairy Store

1605 Linden Drive

A trip to UW–Madison wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Babcock Dairy Store, the oldest university dairy plant in the United States. Best known for ice cream, Babcock also makes cheeses and locally produced milk. Visitors may view dairy plant observations via the second floor observation deck.

Library Mall Food Carts

731 State Street, near Lake Street and East Campus Mall

Our food carts are #1 according to MSN. Located near State Street and the bottom of Bascom Hill, these food carts are a popular lunch stop and feature cuisine from around the world.
*Many carts are cash only*

State Street and Off Campus

This pedestrian street connects our campus to the state capital and is lined by restaurants where students go to grab a bite after class or on the weekends. You can find a comprehensive list of dining options in the downtown area at Madison’s Central Business Improvement District website.

Staying in Madison

As Wisconsin’s capital city, Madison tops many “best” lists, including best place to live and work, best college sports town, one of America’s safest cities, and a top green city. Visit the Destination Madison website for more information on what to do, where to stay, and what to eat while you’re in town.

You can find a map of our all-gender and gender-inclusive restrooms on our website.

During your visit to campus, you are welcome to connect to the UWNet network on your computer or mobile device.

When you first attempt to load a webpage, you will be automatically redirected to the UWNet registration page. The page will offer two options for registration. Choose the second option: Don’t have a NetID? Create a guest account, which is for guests of the university.

To register, enter your full name and email address. Once you have read and agreed to the Terms of Use, click Create Guest Account to submit your information.

After submitting your email address, you will be taken to a resulting page that will assign you an Account Username and Guest Password. You will need to make note of these credentials, as they allow you to access UWNet with other devices you may have, such as a smartphone. You are allowed to have up to five concurrent sessions (i.e. five different devices connected at the same time). When you are brought to the UWNet registration screen on another device, you should enter those credentials in the NetID login fields used by affiliates.

Note: Once you have completed guest registration, you will not be able to do so again, as the system will report that your email address is already in use. If you lose or forget your temporary UWNet credentials, please contact the DoIT Help Desk.

Sticking around after Experience Wisconsin Open House? Check out the event calendar in Isthmus, Madison’s alt-weekly newspaper.

Please Note: If you are attending the October 17 Experience Wisconsin Open House, the shuttle back to Alliant Energy Center stops at 5:30 p.m.