Need Help Madison Wisconsin will have 4 days

[tcce4]

Have to go to my cousin's wedding from Miami I can fly to either Madison (MSN), Milwaukee (MKE) and Chicago (O'Hare - ORD or Midway - MDW & grab a rental car. I do know what to do we can fly in Thursday thru Monday & Saturday night is the wedding. HELP I am not sure how to plan the trip since I do not know what there is to see in any of the areas.
I am really open & flexible to any ideas. I just do want to fly to the wedding & do nothing. It is going to cost a pretty penny for the 4 of us. (2 adults & 2 kids)

[Lifemagician]

...... It is going to cost a pretty penny for the 4 of us. (2 adults & 2 kids)

The first thing I would be looking at is to which airport can you get the best fares... and then at which airport is the most economical car you can rent. Believe it or not, there can be quite a bit of difference.

Then explore what there is to see in the area.

Lifey who is not fond of driving in Chicago

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

There's certainly a lot to do around the Madison area, but you've got to give us a little something to work with here. When you say that you want to fly in and do nothing, it sounds like the job is pretty easy - it doesn't take any time or effort at all if you don't want to do anything.

However, I'm guessing that since you are posting something here, that you do in fact want to do something? And if so, what sorts of things would you be interested in doing? Knowing when this trip is, and how much time you'll actually have to yourself - not doing wedding things - would be helpful too.

As far as airports go, obviously Madison would be the easiest although you'd almost certainly have to make a connection somewhere. Both Milwaukee and OHare are relatively easy to get to from Madison. I've flown out of all 3, but I never consider Midway as a serious option just because you really have to drive into Chicago to get there (as opposed to OHare, which is on the NW side of the city, and you're already on your way out of town.). Unless you get a great deal there, its just not worth the hassle. There are also shuttle busses that run from both Milwaukee and Ohare (and possibly Midway) to Madison that could be worth considering, depending upon what you're looking for and the costs.

[tcce4]

I apologize I posted half asleep what I meant was I do not want to spend my time doing nothing. Quite frankly it is going to cost a pretty penny to go to this wedding so I want to take advantage & see as much as possible.
I am thinking of using my miles I have been saving for the airfare so any of the 3 airports will be ok. I do think the rental car is cheapier in Chicago than Madison. I am thinking of flying into O'hare there is an early am flight & spend the night there givng myself 1.5 days. I have to be in Madison Friday by 5pm for the family gathering.
What are Chicago must do's
What are Milwakee must do's
" Madison?
Thanks!!!

[Midwest Michael]

Ok, well, you've established that you want to do things, but you still haven't anything about what you'd be interested in doing, or what time of year you'll be making this trip. There are a whole ton of possiblities, but as you should know by now from being around this website for a while, we really don't believe in generic "must sees." The "must" see things for your trip depend completely on what you are interested in doing. Urban? Nature? Museums? Pop Culture? Shopping? Any and all of those kinds of things are a possibility, but you've got to give us a direction.