MADISON, Wis. — Are friends and family visiting for Thanksgiving? The Downtown Madison Holiday Open House offers plenty of fun activities and business special offers for kids and grownups on Fri.-Sat., Nov. 23-24, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, on State Street and the Capitol Square. http://www.visitdowntownmadison.com/HolidayOpenHouse or (608) 512-1342.
Bring the kids and ride the free Holiday Trolley, visit the award-winning Madison Children’s Museum, attend a reading and book signing by famed children’s author Kevin Henkes at Capitol Kids (Sat. Nov. 24), stop in at Overture Center for a festive family portrait with IsthmusParents.com before or after a Kids in the Rotunda folk & bluegrass program (Sat. Nov. 24), enjoy a kid’s craft table at Wisconsin Veterans Museum, or visit Santa at DreamBank–American Family Insurance. Santa and Mrs. Claus will also be at Fontana’s Holiday Workshop on Sat. Nov. 24. Families can enjoy kids menu’s for lunch at participating restaurants and “just for kids” treats and specials at participating businesses.
See a shortlist of kid-friendly activities, programs and special offers at http://www.visitdowntownmadison.com/HolidayOpenHouse (click on “Kid Friendly”).
[Direct link: http://www.visitdowntownmadison.com/events/index.php?category_id=4578&subcategory_id=8442]
The Downtown Holiday Open House offers plenty for grownups as well, including sales, complimentary refreshments, and special offers at nearly 40 shops and restaurants, many locally owned, plus arts, culture and museums. Look for the “Downtown Holiday Open House – Stop In Here” signs at participating businesses and organizations. A full slate of participating businesses, activities, sales and specials, including a downloadable list and map, is at http://www.visitdowntownmadison.com/HolidayOpenHouse. You can also pick up a copy of the list and map the week of the event and on Nov. 23-24 at the Downtown Visitor Center (452 State St.); the Overture Center for the Arts (201 State St.), and the Madison Children’s Museum (100 N. Hamilton St.).
Stores offering holiday treats and special offers that will make your gift shopping easy and fun range from Fontana Sports Specialties to Driftless Studio: Nature Gallery and Gifts, A Room of One’s Own Bookstore, Madison Sole, Lands’ End Canvas, Fromagination, The Soap Opera, SEE (a new eyewear store), Endless Knot, University Book Store, State & Lake Clothing, Little Luxuries, Karen & Co., Jack’s Shoes, Anthology, Camera Company, Square Wine Company, Tabby & Jack’s Pet Supplies and Grooming, The Fanny Garver Gallery, the museum stores at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and Wisconsin Historical Museum, and more.
Downtown restaurants such as Tutto Pasta State Street, Graze, Hawk’s Bar & Grill, DLUX, The Coopers Tavern, AJ Bombers, Capital Tap Haus, The Buck and Badger Northwoods Lodge (opening soon), and Parthenon Gyros Restaurant offer a break from shopping with great food and special offers.
Shoppers can also explore downtown arts, culture and museums, including Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” at Overture Center for the Arts, Nov. 7-25 (and visit the Overture Box Office for a Black Friday Ticket Sale Nov. 23-25); light sculptures and architectural, site-specific works by Leo Villareal and “The Singing Bird Room of Robert Lostutter” at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art; the new exhibit “Bottoms Up: A Toast to Wisconsin’s Historic Bars & Breweries” at the Wisconsin Historical Museum; and “The Golden Age of British Watercolors, 1790-1910,” and “Offering of the Angels: Paintings and Tapestries from the Uffizi Gallery” at the Chazen Museum of Art.
The Downtown Holiday Open House is presented by Madison’s Central Business Improvement District (BID) with sponsorship from the Greater State Street Business Association (GSSBA), IsthmusParents.com, and 94.9 WOLX
