Madison is proud of its system of parks and of its other recreational opportunities. Get information about the city's parks. | ||||||
| Olbrich Gardens is unique among the city's parks. These beautiful gardens include an indoor tropical conservatory and outdoor seasonal plantings. The park is on the east side of Madison. Weddings, band concerts, style shows, and church services are performed here each year. | |||||
| Hoyt Park is an interesting area on Madison's near west side. In addition to its playgrounds and shelters, the park's features include a popular overlook with a good view toward the west of the city, a prairie, and woodland area with walking paths. It was once the site of a ski jump and toboggan slides! | |||||
| Madison's Henry Vilas Zoo is located on the northeast shore of Lake Wingra, next to Vilas Park. It is a great favorite with adults and children. The zoo has a variety of animals, from South African penguins to snakes to black bears. There is a special Children's Zoo and free camel rides for children during the summer season. The Zoo is open every day of the year, and admission is free. | |||||
| Yahara River flows through Madison to connect Lake Mentota to Lake Monona--and further to the south to lakes Waubesa and Kegonsa. A series of locks at Tenney Park on the city's near east side allows boats to travel from one lake to another. The City of Madison operates Tenney Park Locks during the summer season. In 1848 a sawmill, gristmill and brewery were located where the Tenney Locks are today. They used an earthen dam for power. The city replaced the dam with the first locks built on the site in 1896. In 1904, a waterway was completed by digging the Yahara River deeper between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. This was done to get rid of swampy land between the two lakes. The locks have been rebuilt many times since then. | |||||
| In addition to the public parks, there are two indoor ice-skating rinks in Madison, Hartmeyer Ice Arena on the east side and Madison Ice Arena on the west side. Both offer hockey and figure skating lessons for skaters at all skill levels, as well as skate rentals. The ice rinks can be rented for private parties and outings. | |||||
| The University of Wisconsin Arboretum is famous throughout the world. It has hundreds of acres of prairie, woodlands, marshes, ponds, and lakes. Walking through the arboretum you find many plant communities, including 200 varieties of lilacs and crab apples. Many small mammals live there, and during migration time birds find a place to rest. If you enjoy biking, hiking, jogging, cross-country skiing, or nature, it's a fine place to visit. | |||||
| Picnic Point is a favorite picnic and nature area that juts out into Lake Mendota and University Bay. It is part of the University of Wisconsin campus. If you take a walk on the paths at Picnic Point, look for the Indian mounds that have been preserved there. | |||||
| If you want to know more about Madison's history, visit Forest Hill Cemetery and Resurrection Cemetery on the city's near west side. Many important people from the city's past are buried there, and cemeteries are great places to go to find out who those people were. | |||||
