Weathering the Weather: Experiences for a Lifetime Rain or Shine
You planned a weekend of relaxation and exploration around the outdoor activities offered at the Wisconsin Union’s Memorial Union Terrace but learned of inclement weather making its way into town. You hoped to be able to lounge outside in the brightly colored sunburst Terrace chairs that glisten in the sun but now know their shine during your visit will come from the glossing of raindrops rather than beaming rays of sun.
You saunter towards nearby by building Memorial Union to avoid the seemingly perpetual rainstorm, passing all the chairs and tables soaking under the gloomy sky. Once stepping foot indoors, you gaze around and begin to notice all of the features Memorial Union has to offer.
Inside, you are transported to a German beer hall-inspired restaurant, der Rathskeller, where you notice a band assembling on a stage in der Rath. As staff announce the music group, it hits you, the band on the stage is the one in which you wanted to listen outside on the UW Credit Union Terrace Stage.
More often than not, staff can shift events planned for the Memorial Union Terrace to happen inside during rainy weather. Your day starts to become “sunny,” as you realize you will be able to experience many of the activities and features you had hoped for, as well as other unexpected ones.
As you twirl to the music in der Rath, you notice behind you tables set up in the Paul Bunyan Room. Dancing your way over to inspect the activities, you notice art supplies on the table. When planning your outdoor day of relaxation, you remembered seeing a notice about free art projects, called the Terrace Art Zone, taking place outside on the Terrace.
With the unfortunate downpour, the Wisconsin Union’s Wheelhouse Studios team modified the art activity to happen indoors. You see the different projects available from painting terra cotta pots to decorating gift bags.
After spending some time enjoying the band, munching on some cheese curds, and painting a terra cotta pot for your new succulent, you meander down a flight of stairs and come upon Wheelhouse Studios, the Union’s on-site open arts studio. Feeling artistic from your project in the Paul Bunyan Room, you decide to try your hand at pottery during the drop-in art studio hours. After verifying your age of 18 years or older, you throw a slab of clay on the pottery wheel of Studio Y and begin the project of creating a flower vase to go with your terra cotta pot.
As your piece goes into the oven that hardens the clay, called a kiln, you realize you’ve worked up an appetite through your dancing and artistic creation. You scurry back up the stairs from the studio and wander around the multitude of food and beverage options on the first floor of Memorial Union. Pasta, pizza, salads, sandwiches and more, all at your fingertips! After landing on the Mona Lisa panini from Carte, you begin your search for a seat.
You stroll through the various floors of the building, taking in all of the different sights and views available. As you look through the various intimate nooks of the building, you settle in the Main Lounge.
As you sit, relax, chat and devour your sandwich, you peer out the window overlooking the Terrace chairs and watch as the rain creates puddles on the tables and ground while you listen to the band play from one floor below.
You decide to explore the rest of the second floor. You come across not one, but two art exhibitions. You make your way into the Main Gallery, where one exhibition is on display.
With the lights shining down on the art, emphasizing the great detail in each piece, you feel as though you could examine the works forever. After inspecting each piece, you jaunt over to the other exhibit on the second floor in the Class of 1925 Gallery. You gaze at all of the art set under the spotlights.
Once making your rounds through the exhibit, you glance out the window and notice the rain has cleared, and the sun has emerged. You make your way down a flight of stairs to wipe off a Terrace Chair and enjoy the weekend the way you had planned, and, as you sit down, you realize all you could still do inside Memorial Union while you awaited the sun’s return.
During your rainy visit, you found parking with more ease than on a sunny day, the lines to the different restaurants were shorter than usual, your choices of seating and views were practically limitless, you experienced all the events you had planned to enjoy and even some new ones, and you were able to do it all with the pleasant pitter patter of the rain on Memorial Union’s many windows. You now have a list of recommendations for activities at Memorial Union to share with friends, regardless of the weather!
More often than not, staff can shift events planned for the Memorial Union Terrace to take place inside Memorial Union during rainy and other poor weather conditions. To summarize, here is some of what you can do indoors on a rainy day (and most days) inside Memorial Union most of the year:
- Dining
- Drop-in art studio
