Madison Things

Every area of the country has features of which only the locals are aware.

Madison is no different, and for a community its size may actually have more than many similarly sized cities.

Just one (so far) has entered into family lore.

It involves two familiar parts of MadTown.  The University of Wisconsin Arboretum and the four lane highway known as the "Beltline."

Land that became the arboretum was first purchased in 1932. 246 acres that was added to over the years.  Now there are 1,260 acres stretching south from Lake Wingra.  It offers a calming place to visit and an outdoor education center for young and old alike.

Yet the feature about the arboretum that has taken on a life of its own for us isn't a natural feature at all.   It's a concrete tunnel.

For some reason, the first time our youngest son came to visit we were driving west across the Beltline where the trees hop over the highway.

"Hey, Mark!" we would say, "did you know there is a tunnel that goes under the road here to connect the north and south portions of the arboretum?"  "Oh, that's interesting," was his reply.

That simple exchange has become part of the rhythm and routine of his visits to Madison.  At some point, I'll ask if he knows about the tunnel that runs under the Beltline, and he'll groan while rolling his eyes.

So, on his most recent visit we were driving along the south side of Madison near Seminole Highway (that's the name of a street).

I turned to ask if he wanted to experience the tunnel this time.

While it's been much discussed, I hadn't been to or through the tunnel yet, so it was something I could check off my personal Madison bucket list.  And I knew just how thrilled he would be.

We parked in the small parking lot, then walked down a shaded trail maybe a half-mile when we came up on a simple concrete underpass linking the south to the north.

Let me tell you - it was very exciting.

OK, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I think it's safe to say Mark is hoping that the tunnel will no longer be part of his Madison conversations.  (Other than when he brags about seeing it.)

The tunnel is pretty basic, but the short trail trek whetted my appetite for more walks around this pretty and wild spot.

And you can be sure when I go, I'll be sure to travel through the tunnel.

The Beltline is part of U.S. Highway 12's route through Madison, and while there isn't any evidence I found online for this, I believe it's nickname comes from the fact that the way it crosses Madison's southern half looks like the belt of the city.

So far it's just a belt and there's no pants it seems to be holding up.

When you visit Madison, be sure to check out the Arboretum.  And if you do that, you know you'll want to tell your friends you traveled the tunnel!