1. Candlewood Suites
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (608) 271-3400
Address: 5421 Caddis Bend
Description: This extended-stay hotel offers studio or one-bedroom suites with fully equipped kitchens. Rooms come with one king or two queen beds, TVs with in-room movies, DVD players, irons and ironing boards, two speaker phones with voice mail and free local calls, and hair dryers. Facilities on-site include a swimming pool, hot tub, fitness center, business center, and guest laundry. Pets are allowed for a fee. Wheelchair accessible rooms are available. A complimentary shuttle serves the airport and any other destination within a 5-mile radius. Some underground parking is available otherwise the lighted lot is ample. Located a few minutes south of the Beltline Highway along Fish Hatchery Road, the suites are walking distance to a couple of good restaurants including Liliana’s and the Great Dane Brewpub.
2. Quality Inn & Suites
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Accommodations
Telephone: (608) 274-7200
Address: 2969 Cahill Main
Description: Located south of the Beltline Highway off of Fish Hatchery Road, the hotel has a fine reputation for quality and service. Rooms come with one king or two queen beds, cable TV, telephones with free local calls, clock radios, irons and ironing boards, coffeemakers, and hair dryers. Some rooms also offer sofa beds, microwaves, refrigerators, and whirlpools. Some bathrooms are shower-only. Breakfast is included as is high-speed Internet. Tuscany Mediterranean Grille restaurant and lounge opens for lunch and dinner. Facilities include a game room, business center, heated indoor pool, whirlpool, and an exercise room. A free shuttle runs to and from the airport. Pets are allowed for a fee.
3. Capital City Jazz Fest
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (608) 850-5400
Address: 2969 Cahill Main St.
Description: Usually held the last weekend in Apr, the jazz fest has been bringing quality artists to Madison since 1989. Four sessions occur over a three-day period. Tickets for each event cost around $35 while an all-sessions ticket offers a bit of a discount. The venue is limited to about 200 attendees. Tickets go on sale in Jan.
4. The Dry Bean
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (608) 274-2326
Address: 5264 Verona Rd.
Description: The Bean was often labeled as a country bar, but the range of music here is not so specific. There’s karaoke on a couple nights, a bluegrass jam on another. Throw in a range of bands on the weekends playing Top 40, classic rock, country, and some acoustic tunes and it’s really got a much wider appeal. The outside patio features some music in the summer. An extended happy hour shows good drink and appetizer specials. A brunch goes over well for the football crowd on Sun. The entrance to the parking lot is reached via Anton Drive despite the Verona Road/US 151 address. Go west at the controlled intersection at Williamsburg Way and Anton Drive is the first left (south). Nominal cover charges may apply.
5. Liliana’S Restaurant
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (608) 442-4444
Address: 2951 Triverton Pike
Description: Liliana’s serves a huge selection of wines by the glass in the restaurant bar while live music is a given.
6. Star 18 And Imax Cinemas
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Nightlife
Telephone: (608) 270-1414
Address: 6091 Mckee Rd.
Description: Situated on the south side of Madison, this is the city’s only IMAX theater. Along with the monster screen are 18 other screens with stadium seating in a modern building. This is arguably the nicest of the mainstream cinemas in town.
7. Nine Springs Golf Course
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (608) 271-5877
Address: 2201 Traceway Dr.
Description: This nine-hole par-34 course is nice for beginners. Located south of the Beltline Highway along Fish Hatchery Road.
8. Bliss Flow Yoga
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (608) 273-3569
Address: 2981 Cahill Main
Description: Owner/instructor Angela Gargano has been in national publications. Her professional instructors offer a variety of hour to hour-and-a-half long sessions and classes including yoga introduction, prenatal, and candlelight yoga. Massage is also offered.
9. Coldwell Banker Success
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (608) 276-3161
Address: 2927 South Fish Hatchery Rd.
10. Liliana’S Restaurant
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (608) 442-4444
Address: 2951 Triverton Pike
Description: For a New Orleans–style restaurant there is a lot that is actually quite local about Liliana’s. Chef/owner Dave Heide, who studied at Le Cordon Bleu, insists on patronizing local purveyors and producers which means the menu is seasonal and changes often. The wickedly good jambalaya is a signature dish, but the selections often go beyond Creole and Cajun classics such as étouffée and filé gumbo to some international specials such as the periodically appearing seared sea scallops. Bread and beignets are baked on-site and even the meats and sausages are ground in house. You’ll also find a fresh oyster menu and over 300 wines all available by the glass. A weekly tasting menu offers a three-course meal every Tues. Live music, tending toward jazz, plays in the bar area adding atmosphere most evenings and for Sun brunch. The stylish decor channels some details of Bourbon Street with local wrought-iron work simulating balconies and Dave’s father’s Big Easy photography adorning the walls. Outdoor seating is on three patios, one of them nonsmoking. This is a great place for a business lunch or dinner with friends or sweethearts and the food will bring you back. Open daily.
11. Fitchburg Farmers’ Market
City: Fitchburg, WI
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (608) 277-2606
Address: 5511 East Cheryl Pkwy.
Description: South of Madison in next door Fitchburg, this Thurs afternoon market is yet another south side option. Each month features a special event such as Strawberry Fest in June or Flowerama in May for Mother’s Day. The Web site keeps a list of vendors as well as what’s currently in season.