The closest airport is the Dane County Regional Airport (The airport 'code' is MSN... . or Madison..... just like BOS is for Boston... . TPE for Taipei..... etc. ) Don't let the name fool you... . it's big enough to land a 727 or maybe bigger stuff too. It actually reminds me a lot of Worcester Airport.....
It's like a 30 minute drive from here if I take the non-downtown route. It always takes longer in a rental car - I'm always too busy jacking on the e-brake..... to lock up the rear tires around corners, scare old people, etc. :-laf
I've done the Boston > Chicago (O'Hare) > Madison route... . and the Boston > Milwaukee > Madison route. The latter involved a 15 seater turboprop pond jumper (1/2 hour flight... . no biggie).
The equipment you end up with on the last leg of the trip will depend largely on where you're stopping over... .
Come on out anytime. I specifically bought a sleeper sofa for folks to pass out on if they ever want to visit.
MTY