There’s a lot of things people say you “have to do” your freshman year. Sled down Bascom, go to Babcock ice cream, jump around, and so on. But it is important to explore the random parts of campus, like D.C. Smith Green House.
I found the greenhouse during the winter of my freshman year. I was bored out of my mind and had done most of the “have to do’s” on campus. Luckily, my friend and I decided to start exploring around campus and discovered the D.C. Smith Green House. This building has a small pond and garden room, as well as rooms upon rooms of plants. Many of the rooms hold plants for botany classes that are testing different treatments or soils. Other rooms have unique plants and succulents I had never seen before. This greenhouse quickly became one of my favorite hidden gems of Madison and taught me to keep exploring the city. That is the lesson I hope you take away from my story. While there is a lot to explore on campus, there is also a lot of unknown treasures to explore in Madison.
Some suggestions of more hidden gems to try are the restaurants and shops around the capital, the Madison Escape room, the Willy Street Co-op, and the Madison Night Market. While there are certainly more places I have yet to explore, I encourage you to make the most of your freshman year by exploring more than just the “have to do’s” of campus.