Wonderful park for the little ones. There are two separate play areas. The park is fully fenced so…read moreyou don't have to worry about the kiddos running into the street. The equipment is unique and great for the little ones who love to climb.

If you have kids who are just walking, up to about 3 or 4, this is the best small park in Madison…read morefor them to play that I know of. It is extremely well designed for the toddler crowd. It is totally gated, so no one can make a run for the street. The equipment is interesting and exciting to kids without posing almost any danger, and from 18 months on, they can do almost everything themselves. There are no swings you have to push them on, no ladders you have to hover over while they climb. Just sit on one of the many benches and relax! If you live within a mile or two, and are in charge of some people in diapers, do yourself a favor and find this little patch of fun tucked just outside the elementary school grounds.

Edward Klief park is truly a staple of the neighborhood. It has everything you could want! slides,…read moreswings, and a complex jungle gym. But be careful of the turf, you could slip and twist an ankle! The park has been a cultural icon for both elementary school kids and college students, who throw keggers on the grass and then ride those kegs down the slides. picture attached. Also, the original name of the park is Milton Street Playground!

This is a great park for enjoying a warm summer day or tailgating prior to a Badger Football game…read more There is a backstop and small baseball/softball area, plenty of green space, a playground for the little ones, a basketball court, and a sand volleyball court with an above average quality net. On warm days, one can always hear people playing baskbetball and volleyball. There are brick ledges with brick floors on two corners of the park which are perfect for adding extra seating or places to put food and other items while tailgating. The whole park is filled with tailgaters prior to Badger Football games. This is one of only a couple Madison parks that allow alcoholic beverages. You just can't have glass containers!

Located on Monroe Street, Wingra Park is a small, but mighty local park that offers open fields for…read moreplay or lounging, benches, small docks for fishing and even offers a boat livery where you can rent kayaks and more. There are walking paths that take you alongside the water front and back around to the condos and up to Monroe, but it is not for much beyond a short leisurely stroll. j The grounds were well kept and clean, as were the docks, pathways and other areas. There is dedicated parking at the entrance, but also plenty of nearby street parking. While Wingra Park is not the largest or best equipped park in Madison, the lake provides a cute backdrop and the field provides the perfect place to relax and hang out. We made two passes around before heading back to Monroe and popping into the local tavern that is essentially connected to the park. Overall, Wingra Park is a quaint spot in Madison and I can dig it!

Reserved 2 kayaks for a Sunday! Went really well. Very friendly staff :) They maintained social…read moredistancing.

Such a fun and casual park, right near the Monona bay!…read more Very dog friendly, I take my dog here often on our way around the Bay! The playground is modern and handicapped accessible. A very nice spot on a sunny day! Be sure to venture out and stop by!

I attended an event in the pavilion at Brittingham Park last week, and prior to that, I've attended…read morea handful of other events that took place in the lawn. I like this park. It's easy to access, has plenty of parking, and sits tucked back on Monona Bay, which means there is waterfront to enjoy, but far less motor boat traffic going on. There typically are quite a bit of canoes, kayaks, and paddle boats around as Brittingham Boats sits at the east end of the park. The pavilion provides a great spot for gatherings. I was there on the 4th of July. We had plenty of tables and space to spread out. There were power outlets we could use, and bathroom facilities within the pavilion as well. Just outside of the pavilion there is a large play structure for the kiddos, as well as a sand volleyball court. There is also a nice path that goes all along the edge of the bay. Watch out as there are often bikers zooming by.

Sometimes I forget how massive this park is! Vilas Park abuts the Henry Vilas Zoo and offers tons…read moreof green field space, two playgrounds (including the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe slide that's been there forever), a beach, and a fair amount of parking if you can figure out how to get to it. I've attended a few birthday parties here, spent a few afternoons on the beach looking at Lake Wingra, and hiked through to get to the zoo when parking in the surrounding neighborhood. If there's a park activity you want to partake in, Vilas probably has it. I have yet to make it to the park in the winter, but there is a speed skating track on the lagoon and a some other skating/hockey spots. With the zoo being free, it's easy to make a day at Vilas.

Vilas is a great park with ample green space and an excellent lake for swimming in the summer and…read moreice skating in the winter. While pets may not be allowed in the park, you can certainly walk along the road/path with your pet. Vilas beach offers a great swimming spot and a sand beach. Lake Wingra is a wake-free lake so it's less busy, quieter and presumably cleaner than other lakes around. There is a lifeguard stationed at the beach and a maintained swimming area. Note - be sure to check the City website to make sure the beach is open before heading out, Madison beaches can close unexpectedly due to bacteria (translation -don't feed the geese! They poop & then beaches end up closed!) Vilas also offers a great playground for kids and ice skating in the winter. The only thing on my "wish list" for Vilas is that they would actually pave a sidewalk along the road through the park. You have to walk either on the grass or along the road, which can feel dangerous. It's also a one-way drive through the park but with some regularity drivers get confused and/or impatient and drive the wrong way through there so keep your eyes open for that!

One of my favorite places in Madison. I just moved to the neighborhood and I enjoyed walking the…read moredog around the circle.

We have eaten here a couple of times and the food and drink are pretty standard burgers and beers…read morebut it is a good place to watch Badger sports with your fellow fans. The room is quite large with plenty of tables and the TV screen is huge. The prices are typical for what is average food. A good alternative to a packed sports bar.

Oh my word. This place is awesome. Why wasn't my college union this beautiful and spectacular?…read more The Sett is located in the UW's Union South on Dayton St. It is a restaurant + concert venue and it is over the top of a college union! The stage is impressive and can host full scale shows with hundreds in attendance. Attendees can choose to stand on the ground level, or go up to the balcony for a view of the entire venue. The coolest part about this place is that they bring in national acts - for free. Props to the Wisconsin Union Directorate for making these events happen. The Sett also features a bowling alley, rock climbing wall, billiards, and plenty of seating, and the rest of the Union has a lot to offer too. I'm beyond impressed and I left feeling a little mopey that my Union wasn't as cool back when I was in school. Wonderful facility, highly recommend.

We love Quann Park!!…read more It definitely helps that it's minutes from our house and very centrally located in Madison. With 11 acres of fenced in space to rub and enjoy, Quann parks is one of the biggest and best dog parks I've ever been to. There's plenty of space for all the dogs to spread out and enjoy or to play together based on their activity level! I've been here at least a dozen times, with my dog and dogs we've dog sat! I'm excited for spring and the weather to warm up! It's important to note, it's best to access the park near E Olin Ave or John Nolen Dr. And to turn onto Expo way. If you don't, there's very poor parking or you'll walk at least a quarter mile before you get to the fenced in area

This park is pretty nice. The main entrances are double gated and have poop bags. And the field is…read morehuge! You can spend a decent amount of time going around the walking paths. In the summer, we don't usually go to the fields, though. My dog gets allergies pretty badly, and the grasses here really seem to irritate her especially badly. But she will swim and play fetch in the river for as long as we will let her. The opposite side of the river is not fenced, so if your dog is prone to escaping or getting distracted by things on the other side, this may not work for you, but our pup loves it and always comes back. The other dogs here have all been really friendly. We also almost always find a ball to play with if we forget our own. There are a couple of benches and picnic tables, although they're often covered in muddy dog footprints. My only real complaint is that this place requires a daily or annual fee. I think all city dogs should be able to run around (and pet owners already have to pay to register their pets), so it would be nice if they dropped the fee or made it sliding scale.

Hoyt park is one of many sneaky natural treasures tucked away within the city of Madison. Easy to…read moremiss, but absolutely worth searching out. I hadn't been to the park in ages, in fact, when looking at the map earlier in the day I'd forgotten that I'd been there before. This is probably because we'd stopped and spent some time at the main shelter, but didn't really check out the rest of the park. Shame on me! We missed out back then; not only does the trail make for a lovely and mostly shady walk, but the history here is fantastic. The park was once a quarry, and it shows because this local stone was used throughout. You can access the park from three areas. First is a footpath next to Hoyt School on Regent Street (street parking only here). The primary entrance is a bit farther up Regent Street, and here is where you'll find the parking lot and the main facilities for the park. Lastly, you can hike down from the the scenic outlook at Owen Parkway. There is limited parking up there and on the street by Hoyt School, so I'd suggest the main lot. Hoyt offers a bit of something for everyone. As you pull into the parking lot you'll notice the stone shelter and restroom facility. There are enough picnic tables in the shelter for a good sized get together (reservable) and a large fireplace on each end. While we were there I saw two different groups cook up something on a teeny fire in there. There's a children's playground near the parking lot, more picnic tables scattered about, and a large open grassy area for soccer, lawn games or frisbee. A basketball court and softball field round out the sporting options. Also, as of June 2015, this is one of 10 Madison parks that will be participating in a pilot program for slacklining sites in the city. Neat! The trail (about a mile total) is a mix of paved and unpaved surfaces. It weaves through the trees and rock formations in a way that really maximizes the 31 acres the park sits on. There are picnic areas with stone fireplaces and tables tucked here and there, and a second shelter full of picnic tables down the path into the woods. A smaller clearing past this shelter opens to a restored prairie area, which was loaded with flowers and butterflies when my friend and I walked through. I noted a few benches here and there where one could sit and watch the pollinators at work. There were raspberries everywhere! At one point we walked past old mossy quarry walls, and up/down stone stairways. There were wildflowers all along the trail, which always makes me happy. We shared the trail with a number of people running through the park or walking their dogs. But beware! Technically dogs are only allowed along Owen Parkway and must be leashed while there (via City of Madison website). I don't know how strict they are at the park if you're caught. Regardless, I was pleased to see so many people using the park in a couple hours time. Unfortunately there are some signs of vandalism once you get into the woods. There are not-so-pretty patches in the fencing where people have tried to get through to the blocked off lower quarry area, and some of the beautiful stone tables have been spray painted. Hopefully the Friends of Hoyt Park are on top of these things; from what I read they're pretty active.

We stumbled upon this while staying nearby. It's a nice place to go to forget you are in a city and…read morehas many hidden gems if you have time to look around. There is a pyramid hidden there if you are fortunate enough to find it.