Madison: Downtown E-Bike Tour & Memorial Union Terrace

4.98

(155 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I started the downtown Madison e-bike tour not really knowing what to expect — I mean, I’ve biked before, but never on one of these zippy eBikes. The first thing I noticed was how easy it felt to just glide along the lakefront, even when the wind picked up and tried to mess with my hair. Our guide, Jamie, cracked a joke about “Madison hair” being a real thing. She grew up here and seemed to know everyone we passed — there was a lot of waving. It made me feel less like a tourist and more like someone who belonged for an afternoon.

We cruised past the stadium where Madison’s soccer club plays (I could hear some distant music echoing from inside) and then stopped at the Capitol building. Jamie pointed out some details in the architecture I’d never have noticed — apparently there’s a story behind every stone. At one point she mentioned Frank Lloyd Wright’s lakeside building; I’m not really an architecture buff but even I had to admit it looked pretty cool against the water. The air smelled faintly of popcorn from a vendor cart nearby. For some reason that sticks with me.

My favorite part was rolling up to Memorial Union Terrace. Those bright sunburst chairs were scattered everywhere and people were just… hanging out, laughing, drinking coffee or something stronger. We sat for a bit while Jamie told us about the arts scene here (she recommended some theater shows if we were staying longer). I tried saying “Memorial Union Terrace” in Spanish because someone else in our group was practicing languages — probably butchered it but nobody minded. There’s this easygoing vibe in Madison that makes you want to linger.