UW-MADISON. This esteemed university museum offers works that date back thousands of years. Collections include furniture, currency, ceramics, sculpture, paintings, drawings, photography, and prints. The museum's scope is global, prominently featuring pieces from Asia, Western Europe, America, Africa, and the Middle East. Yearly exhibits highlight special collections or themes, and a great gift shop offers posters, books, jewelry, and other arts-related items.

UW-MADISON. Visitors are entranced by treasures the earth has given up at this fascinating museum. Focus is given to Wisconsin finds, including rocks, minerals, and mammal fossils such as giant beavers and mastadons. Remains of smaller, ocean-dwelling creatures can also be viewed, and visitors can discover how various classes of rocks are created and formed. Self-guided tours are common, and group tours can be arranged in advance. Gift and souvenir items are available as well.

STATE STREET. Catering to youngsters under the age of nine, this interactive facility seeks to foster learning and adds in a strong dose of fun as well. Originally a series of traveling exhibits, the museum now boasts its own space and features hands-on displays about archaeology, physics, gardening, dinosaurs, art, creativity, and the dairy industry. If you're trying to occupy the kids' time during summer vacation or just want to break them from cartoons and video games, this museum is a terrific alternative.

CAPITOL SQUARE. For an enlightening overview of Wisconsin and regional history, this museum can't be beat. Spread across four floors are a wealth of information on original Native Americans, fur-trading, immigration, the lumber industry, politics, domestic life, and prominent figures. Artifacts, archives, multi-media exhibits, photographs, and life-sized vignettes communicate significant moments in state and local history, and displays are as beneficial to casual visitors as to scholars, researchers, and academics.

Veterans, in particular, are entranced by this thoughtful museum's displays, which chart our nation's military conflicts and the men and women who served in them. Wisconsin residents are highlighted, of course, and battles from the Civil War to the Persian Gulf are addressed. Helicopters, airplanes, vignettes, and other artifacts communicate particular eras and historical situations, and audio tour cassettes are available for rental for $2. A gift shop is located on the premises as well.