and a green salad with homemade dressing.

Café Soleil has truly gone “green”. They use fluorescent light bulbs, compostable coffee cups and encourage patrons to recycle everything but the silverware.

Our next stop is the

Olbrich Botanical Gardens,

which has 16-acres of gardens and has been certified by Travel Green Wisconsin. Olbrich’s Blooming Butterflies are on display in the indoor Bolz Conservatory, but a line of visitor’s trailing from the ticket counter convinces us to simply stroll through the outdoor gardens.

Our hotel for the night is the Doubletree in downtown Madison.

The Doubletree chain is working to bring environmental awareness and education to its properties through programs including Teaching Kids to CARE, Green Certified Hotels, Nature Partnerships and Exploring Trees Inside and Out.

The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Company is our next destination. The beer menu boasts a variety of ales, pilsners and lagers. We split an appetizer of beer-battered cheese curds and I try a cup of creamy baked potato and bacon soup (potato soup is

impossible for me to pass up). After sampling some of the brews, we head back to the hotel to settle in for the night.

Day 3

We awake the next morning excited to visit the popular Dane County Farmer’s Market, the largest farmer’s market in the Midwest. The entire Capitol Square is full of food and craft vendors selling local produce, meats, paintings, clothes and of course, cheese. We spend a couple of hours visiting with the locals and sampling the wonder-

ful foods. After picking up some beef jerky, more cheese and some veggies, we pile in the car in route to our next destination —

Wisconsin Dells.

Wisconsin Dells may not seem like a green destination with all the waterparks, amusement parks and kitschy tourist attractions, but the city and businesses are making strides to be more environmentally friendly.

The Kalahari Resort, the nation’s largest indoor waterpark, has installed a smart “Energized System” which automatically conserves heat and turns off lights when guests leave the room. The Governor’s

Award for Energy Efficiency was awarded to Wilderness Resort on Lake Delton. Local restaurants House of Embers and Cheese Factory Restaurant each have their own gardens and buy locally whenever possible. The Sundara Inn & Spa has new villas built with sustainable building practices along with organic cuisine and organic spa services.

We head downtown to pick up some souvenirs and walk along the Dells River Walk. This newly restored path above the Wisconsin River allows visitors to view scenes that have been inaccessible for 75 years. The walk-

way is open to both walk-ers and bicyclists and is lined with picnic tables, benches and special game tables.

Just above the path and overlooking the Wisconsin River, Riverwalk Pub serves breakfast, lunch and dinner to hungry visitors. We stop in for a beer and try the Signature Chicken Pot Pie Soup.

Our lodging for the night is Birchcliff Resort, a country resort that is also certified by Travel Green Wisconsin. The wooded cabin resort’s commitment to the environment is apparent from its numerous steps they

Day 2

LODGING

Doubletree Hotel Madison_525 W. Johnson St._Madison, WI_608-251-5511_ www.doubletree.com

FOOD

Café Soleil_#25 North Pinckney Street_Madison, WI_608-251-0500_ www.letoile-restaurant.com Great Dane Brewing Co._123 East Doty St._Madison, WI_608-284-0000_ www.greatdanepub.com

ACTIVITIES

Olbrich Botanical Garden_3330 Atwood Ave._Madison, WI_608-246-4550_ www.olbrich.org

TRAVEL RESOURCES

Travel Green Wisconsin_201 West Washington Avenue_PO Box 8690_ Madison WI_1-800-432-8747_ www.travelgreenwisconsin.com Great Madison Convention & Visitor’s Bureau_615 East Washington Ave._Madison, WI_800-373-6376_www.visitmadison.com

The Madison Capitol Square is full of food and craft vendors selling local produce, meats, paintings, clothes and of course, cheese.