Parks, beaches and places to go around Madison
This list covers 86 public places in 19 towns around Madison: parks, beaches, boat ramps, trails, dog parks, libraries, pools, museums, farmers markets, rainy-day spots and courts. Every row links to the place's official site and shows the day it was last checked.
Hours and fees change during the year, so they are left off this page. The official site has the current ones.
- Parks
- Beaches
- Boat ramps
- Trails
- Dog parks
- Libraries
- Pools
- Museums
- Farmers markets
- Rainy-day spots
- Courts
All 86 places
Showing 86 of 86
Parks
Park · Monona
Ahuska Park
The Monona park on East Broadway hosts the village farmers market on Sunday mornings from May through October.
Outdoors
- Parking
400 E Broadway, Monona, WI 53716
Official site · Checked
Park · Verona
Badger Prairie County Park
The 317-acre park is just east of Verona where County Highway PB meets US 18 and 151, with play fields and bike trails.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Picnic shelter
6720 US Highway 151, Verona, WI 53593
Official site · Checked
Park · Blue Mounds
Blue Mound State Park
Two observation towers stand at the summit of West Blue Mound, 1,719 feet and the high point of southern Wisconsin.
Outdoors
4350 Mounds Park Rd, Blue Mounds, WI 53517
Official site · Checked
Park · Blue Mounds
Brigham County Park
The 232-acre park on the shoulder of Blue Mound holds 25 campsites and long views east toward Madison.
Outdoors
3160 County Highway F, Blue Mounds, WI 53517
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Brittingham Park
The park spreads along Monona Bay with an accessible playground beside its reservable shelter and open fields.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Picnic shelter
- Accessible
829 W Washington Ave, Madison, WI 53715
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Capital Springs State Recreation Area
The DNR and Dane County Parks run this 3,000-acre recreation area together on the south edge of Madison.
Outdoors
- Fishing
- Boat launch
3398 Lake Farm Rd, Madison, WI 53711
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Elver Park
At 250 acres this is the largest park in the Madison system, with a lit sledding hill and a staffed winter shelter.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Lights
- Picnic shelter
1250 McKenna Blvd, Madison, WI 53719
Official site · Checked
Park · Cross Plains
Festge County Park
Festge is on a wooded ridge above Cross Plains in the hills west of Madison.
Outdoors
4894 Scherbel Rd, Cross Plains, WI 53528
Official site · Checked
Park · Dodgeville
Governor Dodge State Park
The park runs 5,350 acres of bluffs and valleys around two lakes, Cox Hollow and Twin Valley, plus a waterfall.
Outdoors
- Fishing
- Boat launch
4175 State Highway 23 N, Dodgeville, WI 53533
Official site · Checked
Park · Waunakee
Governor Nelson State Park
This day use park covers 422 acres on the north shore of Lake Mendota, with a sand beach, boat launch and playground.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Picnic area
- Boat launch
5140 County Highway M, Waunakee, WI 53597
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Henry Vilas Zoo
The county zoo charges nothing for admission or parking and is inside Vilas Park on the north shore of Lake Wingra.
Outdoors · Free
- Parking
702 S Randall Ave, Madison, WI 53715
Official site · Checked
Park · Cross Plains
Indian Lake County Park
A chapel built in 1857 stands at the top of the climb, above the lake and the valley, on one of Dane County's largest parks.
Outdoors
8183 State Highway 19, Cross Plains, WI 53528
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
James Madison Park
The park holds the Gates of Heaven synagogue, an 1863 building counted among the oldest surviving synagogues in the country.
Outdoors
614 E Gorham St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Park · Stoughton
Lake Kegonsa State Park
The park is on the northeast shore of Lake Kegonsa and keeps a campground, a beach and about five miles of hiking trails.
Outdoors
- Fishing
- Boat launch
2405 Door Creek Rd, Stoughton, WI 53589
Official site · Checked
Park · Stoughton
Mandt Park
Mandt Park covers about 38 acres along the Yahara River on the south side of Stoughton.
Outdoors
- Parking
909 S 4th St, Stoughton, WI 53589
Official site · Checked
Park · New Glarus
New Glarus Woods State Park
The 431-acre park of rolling forest and prairie is just south of the village of New Glarus.
Outdoors
W5508 County Highway NN, New Glarus, WI 53574
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Olbrich Park
Olbrich Park runs along the Lake Monona shore on the east side, beside the botanical gardens that share its name.
Outdoors
3527 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53714
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Olbrich Thai Pavilion and Garden
The Thai sala was a gift from Thailand, opened in 2002, and is the only one outside Thailand set in a garden.
Outdoors
3330 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53704
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Quann Park
Quann is between the Beltline and Olin Park on the south side, with ball fields and a large off-leash area.
Outdoors
- Parking
1802 Quann-Olin Pkwy, Madison, WI 53713
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Tenney Park
The 38-acre park runs along the Yahara River where it meets Lake Mendota, and the lagoons freeze for skating.
Outdoors
- Fishing
1414 E Johnson St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Park · DeForest
Token Creek County Park
Token Creek carries a campground, a disc golf course, hiking trails and two fenced dog areas north of Madison.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Picnic shelter
6200 Williamsburg Way, DeForest, WI 53532
Official site · Checked
Park · Spring Green
Tower Hill State Park
The rebuilt shot tower and smelter house show how lead shot was made here from 1832 until 1860.
Outdoors
5808 County Highway C, Spring Green, WI 53588
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
University of Wisconsin Arboretum
Curtis Prairie here was planted in the 1930s and is described as one of the first attempts to restore a native grassland.
Outdoors · Free
- Parking
- Accessible
1207 Seminole Hwy, Madison, WI 53711
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Vilas Park
The park curves along Lake Wingra with two playgrounds, accessible fishing piers and a lagoon that freezes for skating.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Fishing
- Accessible
702 S Randall Ave, Madison, WI 53715
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
Warner Park
The north side park holds the Duck Pond ballfield, a lagoon on Lake Mendota and a large fenced dog area.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Picnic shelter
2920 N Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704
Official site · Checked
Park · Madison
William G. Lunney Lake Farm County Park
The 328-acre park holds a campground, three shelters, an observation tower and trails beside Lake Waubesa.
Outdoors
- Playground
- Picnic shelter
- Fishing
4330 Libby Rd, Madison, WI 53711
Official site · Checked
Beaches
Beach · Madison
B.B. Clarke Beach
This Lake Monona beach is just off Williamson Street on the near east side of the isthmus.
Outdoors
835 Spaight St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Beach · Dodgeville
Governor Dodge State Park beaches
Both park lakes, Cox Hollow and Twin Valley, carry their own designated swimming beaches.
Outdoors
4175 State Highway 23 N, Dodgeville, WI 53533
Official site · Checked
Beach · Waunakee
Governor Nelson State Park beach
The sand beach looks south across Lake Mendota toward the Madison isthmus and the Capitol dome.
Outdoors
5140 County Highway M, Waunakee, WI 53597
Official site · Checked
Beach · Madison
James Madison Beach
This is the downtown beach, a few blocks off the Capitol Square on the Lake Mendota shore.
Outdoors
614 E Gorham St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Beach · Stoughton
Lake Kegonsa State Park beach
The swimming beach faces the northeast shore of Lake Kegonsa, the last lake in the Yahara chain below Madison.
Outdoors
2405 Door Creek Rd, Stoughton, WI 53589
Official site · Checked
Beach · Madison
Olbrich Beach
The east side beach on Lake Monona carries a USGS water monitoring site and county health sampling in season.
Outdoors
3527 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53714
Official site · Checked
Beach · Madison
Spring Harbor Beach
Spring Harbor is the west side beach on Lake Mendota, in the neighborhood between Shorewood Hills and Middleton.
Outdoors
1918 Norman Way, Madison, WI 53705
Official site · Checked
Beach · Madison
Tenney Beach
Tenney is one of eight Madison beaches that Public Health Madison and Dane County samples through the summer.
Outdoors
1414 E Johnson St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Beach · Madison
Vilas Beach
Vilas Beach is the Lake Wingra beach inside Vilas Park, and the USGS keeps a water monitoring site on it.
Outdoors
1602 Vilas Park Dr, Madison, WI 53715
Official site · Checked
Beach · Madison
Warner Beach
Warner is the north side beach on Lake Mendota and is one of the eight beaches the county samples in season.
Outdoors
2920 N Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704
Official site · Checked
Boat ramps
Boat ramp · McFarland
Babcock County Park boat launch
The launch is on the east side of Lake Waubesa where the Yahara River leaves the lake at McFarland.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- Fishing
2909 US Highway 51, McFarland, WI 53558
Official site · Checked
Boat ramp · Waunakee
Governor Nelson State Park boat launch
The launch reaches Lake Mendota from the north shore and the park lists a fish cleaning facility beside it.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- Fishing
5140 County Highway M, Waunakee, WI 53597
Official site · Checked
Boat ramp · Madison
Lake Farm County Park boat launch
Dane County closed this barrier-free launch in July 2026 to rebuild the ramp and parking lot, with reopening planned for the fall.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- Fishing
4330 Libby Rd, Madison, WI 53711
Official site · Checked
Boat ramp · Stoughton
Lake Kegonsa State Park boat landing
The landing opens onto Lake Kegonsa, where the state park lists swimming, fishing, water skiing and sailing.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- Fishing
2405 Door Creek Rd, Stoughton, WI 53589
Official site · Checked
Boat ramp · Madison
Marshall Park boat launch
Marshall Park holds three piers on the west end of Lake Mendota, one of them kept in the water year round.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- Fishing
2101 Allen Blvd, Madison, WI 53705
Official site · Checked
Boat ramp · Middleton
Mendota County Park boat launch
The launch opens onto Lake Mendota off County Highway M, a few miles southwest of Governor Nelson State Park.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- Parking
5133 County Highway M, Middleton, WI 53562
Official site · Checked
Boat ramp · Madison
Olin Park boat launch
Four piers serve this Lake Monona launch below Olin Park, and a city lake access permit is required.
Outdoors
- Boat launch
- Parking
1156 Olin-Turville Ct, Madison, WI 53713
Official site · Checked
Boat ramp · Madison
Tenney Park Lock and Dam
Dane County runs the largest of the three Yahara River boat locks here, between Filene Park and Tenney Beach.
Outdoors
1414 E Johnson St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Trails
Trail · Madison
Capital City State Trail
Seventeen paved miles loop through Madison and link the Badger, Military Ridge and Glacial Drumlin trails.
Outdoors
- Paved path
Cottage Grove Rd at the Capital City Trail, Madison, WI 53716
Official site · Checked
Trail · Dodgeville
Military Ridge State Trail
The 40-mile trail follows an 1855 military route between Dodgeville and Verona through Iowa and Dane counties.
Outdoors
- Parking
State Highway 23 north of King St, Dodgeville, WI 53533
Official site · Checked
Trail · Verona
Military Ridge State Trail, Verona trailhead
The eastern trailhead is off County Highway PB, one mile north of the US 18 and 151 interchange at Verona.
Outdoors
- Parking
2565 Old County Road PB, Verona, WI 53593
Official site · Checked
Trail · Middleton
Pheasant Branch Conservancy
Dane County Parks, the DNR and the City of Middleton hold this 682-acre conservancy together, and a gravel trail leads to its springs.
Outdoors
- Parking
4864 Pheasant Branch Rd, Middleton, WI 53562
Official site · Checked
Trail · New Glarus
Sugar River State Trail
A restored 1887 railroad depot in New Glarus serves as headquarters for this 24-mile trail south toward Brodhead.
Outdoors
- Parking
- Restrooms
418 Railroad St, New Glarus, WI 53574
Official site · Checked
Dog parks
Dog park · Verona
Badger Prairie County Park dog park
Dane County lists dog areas inside Badger Prairie, and a county dog permit is required to use them.
Outdoors
- Off-leash area
- Dogs allowed
6720 US Highway 151, Verona, WI 53593
Official site · Checked
Dog park · Madison
Brittingham Park off-leash dog park
The city lists this off-leash area at South Broom Street, and a Madison dog permit is required to use it.
Outdoors
- Off-leash area
- Dogs allowed
326 S Broom St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Dog park · Verona
Prairie Moraine County Park
The south end of this 160-acre park is an 83-acre off-leash area, and the Ice Age Trail crosses the Johnstown Moraine to the north.
Outdoors
- Off-leash area
- Dogs allowed
6679 Wesner Ln, Verona, WI 53593
Official site · Checked
Dog park · Madison
Quann Park off-leash dog park
A daily or annual Madison dog permit is required to use this off-leash area, as at every city dog park.
Outdoors
- Off-leash area
- Dogs allowed
1802 Quann-Olin Pkwy, Madison, WI 53713
Official site · Checked
Dog park · Madison
Sycamore Park off-leash dog park
The east side park pairs a large off-leash area with soccer fields, playground equipment and a bicycle adventure trail.
Outdoors
- Off-leash area
- Dogs allowed
- Playground
4517 Sycamore Ave, Madison, WI 53704
Official site · Checked
Dog park · DeForest
Token Creek County Park dog park
Token Creek runs two off-leash areas, including one set aside for small dogs, and a county dog permit is required.
Outdoors
- Off-leash area
- Dogs allowed
6200 Williamsburg Way, DeForest, WI 53532
Official site · Checked
Dog park · Madison
Warner Park off-leash dog park
About 8.5 acres are fenced for off-leash use here, with a separate fenced area for small dogs.
Outdoors
- Off-leash area
- Dogs allowed
2920 N Sherman Ave, Madison, WI 53704
Official site · Checked
Dog park · Waunakee
Yahara Heights County Park
This 138-acre park keeps a 21-acre off-leash area and a paddle launch beside Cherokee Marsh, the largest wetland in Dane County.
Outdoors
- Off-leash area
- Dogs allowed
- Kayak launch
Catfish Ct, Waunakee, WI 53597
Official site · Checked
Libraries
Library · Columbus
Columbus Public Library
The Columbus library is a Carnegie building put up in 1912 on West James Street.
Indoors
- Wi-Fi
223 W James St, Columbus, WI 53925
Official site · Checked
Library · Fitchburg
Fitchburg Public Library
The Fitchburg library stands on Lacy Road beside the city hall campus south of Madison.
Indoors
- Wi-Fi
- Parking
5530 Lacy Rd, Fitchburg, WI 53711
Official site · Checked
Library · Madison
Madison Public Library, Central Library
Central is the largest of the nine Madison Public Library locations and stands two blocks off the Capitol Square.
Indoors
- Wi-Fi
- Accessible
201 W Mifflin St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Library · Madison
Madison Public Library, Pinney Library
Pinney is on Cottage Grove Road in the Royster Corners development on the far east side.
Indoors
- Wi-Fi
- Accessible
516 Cottage Grove Rd, Madison, WI 53716
Official site · Checked
Library · Madison
Madison Public Library, Sequoya Library
Sequoya serves Madison's west side from Tokay Boulevard near Midvale Boulevard.
Indoors
- Wi-Fi
- Parking
4340 Tokay Blvd, Madison, WI 53711
Official site · Checked
Library · Verona
Verona Public Library
The Verona library moved to Silent Street, and older listings still carry its former North Franklin Street address.
Indoors
- Wi-Fi
500 Silent St, Verona, WI 53593
Official site · Checked
Pools
Pool · Blue Mounds
Blue Mound State Park pool
This heated 1,950 square foot pool with a splash pad is the only swimming pool inside a Wisconsin state park.
Outdoors
- Splash pad
4350 Mounds Park Rd, Blue Mounds, WI 53517
Official site · Checked
Pool · Sun Prairie
Sun Prairie Family Aquatic Center
The city aquatic center is on Linnerud Drive beside the Sun Prairie Public Library and the municipal campus.
Outdoors
- Parking
920 Linnerud Dr, Sun Prairie, WI 53590
Official site · Checked
Pool · Stoughton
Troll Beach
Stoughton's rebuilt aquatic park uses city water over a sandy zero depth entry with inflatable play structures.
Outdoors
Mandt Pkwy, Stoughton, WI 53589
Official site · Checked
Museums
Museum · Blue Mounds
Cave of the Mounds
The Interior Department and the National Park Service named this limestone cave a National Natural Landmark in 1987.
Indoors
2975 Cave of the Mounds Rd, Blue Mounds, WI 53517
Official site · Checked
Museum · Madison
Chazen Museum of Art
The university art museum on University Avenue is open to the public and charges nothing for admission.
Indoors · Free
- Accessible
750 University Ave, Madison, WI 53706
Official site · Checked
Museum · Mount Horeb
Driftless Historium
The Mount Horeb Area Historical Society runs this museum a block off the Trollway in the village center.
Indoors
100 S 2nd St, Mount Horeb, WI 53572
Official site · Checked
Museum · Portage
Fort Winnebago Surgeons Quarters
The surgeon's quarters are what survives of Fort Winnebago, built at the Portage in 1828 between the Fox and Wisconsin rivers.
Indoors
1824 E State Road 33, Portage, WI
Official site · Checked
Museum · Portage
Historic Indian Agency House
The house was built in 1832 for the federal Indian agent at Fort Winnebago and still stands beside the Fox River.
Indoors
1490 Agency House Rd, Portage, WI 53901
Official site · Checked
Museum · Madison
Madison Children's Museum
The rooftop holds a garden, a chicken coop, a climbing acorn and a lookout tower above the Capitol Square.
Indoors
100 N Hamilton St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Museum · Middleton
National Mustard Museum
The Middleton museum keeps more than 6,000 mustards from over 80 countries, plus a tasting bar.
Indoors · Free
7477 Hubbard Ave, Middleton, WI 53562
Official site · Checked
Museum · Mineral Point
Pendarvis
The state historic site preserves stone cottages from the Cornish lead mining era on Shake Rag Street.
Indoors
114 Shake Rag St, Mineral Point, WI 53565
Official site · Checked
Museum · Spring Green
Taliesin
Frank Lloyd Wright's Wisconsin estate was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2019.
Indoors
5607 County Road C, Spring Green, WI 53588
Official site · Checked
Museum · Madison
University of Wisconsin Geology Museum
Weeks Hall holds about 1,000 items across 66 exhibits, among them a mastodon, dinosaurs, meteorites and a model cave.
Indoors · Free
1215 W Dayton St, Madison, WI 53706
Official site · Checked
Museum · Madison
Wisconsin Veterans Museum
The state veterans museum is on the Capitol Square and charges nothing for admission.
Indoors · Free
- Accessible
30 W Mifflin St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Farmers markets
Farmers market · Madison
Dane County Farmers' Market on the Square
Vendors ring the Capitol on Saturday mornings from April to November at what is called the largest producers-only market in the country.
Outdoors
2 E Main St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Farmers market · Monona
Monona Farmers Market
The market runs in Ahuska Park on Sunday mornings from May through October.
Outdoors
- Parking
400 E Broadway, Monona, WI 53716
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spots
Rainy-day spot · Madison
Goodman Community Center
The center occupies the former Steinle Turret Machine Company works on the east side, a building on the National Register.
Indoors
- Accessible
149 Waubesa St, Madison, WI 53704
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spot · Madison
Olbrich Botanical Gardens and Bolz Conservatory
The Bolz Conservatory is a 50-foot glass pyramid of tropical plants, orchids, free-flying birds and a waterfall.
Indoors
- Accessible
3330 Atwood Ave, Madison, WI 53704
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spot · Stoughton
Stoughton Opera House
The restored 1901 opera house is inside Stoughton's city hall on East Main Street.
Indoors
381 E Main St, Stoughton, WI 53589
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spot · Madison
Warner Park Community Recreation Center
The expanded center holds two gymnasiums, a fitness room, pickleball courts, studio space and craft rooms.
Indoors
- Accessible
1625 Northport Dr, Madison, WI 53704
Official site · Checked
Rainy-day spot · Madison
Wisconsin State Capitol
Guided tours of the Capitol are free, and a sixth floor museum and outdoor observation deck open in summer.
Indoors · Free
- Accessible
2 E Main St, Madison, WI 53703
Official site · Checked
Courts
Courts · Madison
Elver Park courts
The tennis courts are in Madison's largest community park, alongside the ball fields and the disc golf course.
Outdoors
- Parking
1250 McKenna Blvd, Madison, WI 53719
Official site · Checked
Courts · Madison
Garner Park courts
Garner Park keeps tennis and pickleball courts on the west side near the Hill Farms neighborhood.
Outdoors
- Parking
333 S Rosa Rd, Madison, WI 53705
Official site · Checked
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This directory was last checked as a whole on September 23, 2026.
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