Madison's high-culture cul-de-sacs: A tour of weird little museums

Madison is full of cultural attractions, even if the only ones you've managed to experience so far involve kegs and tossing beanbags. Impress your parents and other out-of-town visitors with this A.V. Club guide to Madison cultural attractions. Did we mention that most of them are free?

UW Geology Museum (1215 W. Dayton St., 262-1412)
Although it opened in its current location in 1981 (the museum actually began in the 19th century), the UW Geology Museum feels like a throwback to a much earlier time—and it isn't just because its collections are millions of years old. The displays have a dusty, old-timey museum feel to them, in part because there's nothing computerized here and because geology is kind of a dusty field. Highlights include the luminous display of minerals (the museum takes pains to make sure you know those are minerals, NOT rocks), including vivid chunks of bright green malachite and a powder blue rock, er, mineral, called hemimorphite that resembles bath bubbles, and the Boaz mastodon, found in a creek bed near Richland Center by four boys in 1897. If the earth's treasures don't do it for you, there's also a collection of asteroids and fake moon rocks. (Admission: free. Open Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m.-1 p.m.)

L.R. Ingersoll Physics Museum (Chamberlain Hall room 2130, 1150 University Ave., 262-3898)
As improbable as it may sound, science is actually pretty fun at the L.R. Ingersoll Physics Museum. The museum occupies a long, chamber-like space and is filled with hands-on exhibits that sound straight from a circus sideshow: the Gravity Pit, the Torsion Pendulum, and the Elastic Collision. For the pinball lovers, there's "Particle Physics Pinball," where you shoot steel balls at a target using an air gun, while supposedly learning how scientists determine the structure of sub-atomic particles. Sure. Be sure to check out the Earthquake Simulator and hallway display of old scientific instruments, as well as the who's-who of Nobel Prize winners in physics photos lining the hallway. (Admission: free. Open Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-4:15 p.m.)

Babcock Dairy Store (1605 Linden Dr., 262-3045)
Stop in for ice cream and watch it being made. Fortunately, ice cream is one of the few foods that remain appetizing even after you see the manufacturing process. The nation's first dairy school opened in Wisconsin in the 1890s, and the school has been churning out dairy products ever since. The current dairy plant is required to generate all of its operating costs from the sale of its dairy products, so after touring the plant, help keep it going by grabbing a cone and stocking up on baby swiss, Finnish juustoleipa, Holland-style gouda, or romano cheese. (Admission: free. Open Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and Saturday 11a.m.-4 p.m.)

Wisconsin Historical Museum (30 N. Carroll St., 264-6555)
Despite a prime location on the Capitol Square at the head of State Street, the Wisconsin Historical Museum remains a bit of enigma to many Madison residents. Inside are four floors of changing exhibits on Wisconsin's unique history. Before you fall asleep, consider the current exhibit "Odd Wisconsin." Among the exhibit features are an auction poster for the estate of infamous murderer (and Wisconsin native) Ed Gein, an American flag banner made entirely of bras, and a performance jacket worn by Milwaukee's own Liberace. Makes you proud to be a Wisconsinite, eh? (Admission: $4. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.)