Recreation

Madison is a great place for an active person who likes the outdoors. The City prides itself on the many activities that can be found close to downtown. Madison is a very bike-friendly city with paths winding throughout the downtown leading anywhere you need to go. There are also many beautiful bike and walking paths in the surrounding areas that then turn into cross county skiing paths in the winter. If you're looking for a group to go with or lessons on a new outdoor activity, you can find them with the Hoofers Club.

"The Hoofer Sailing Club offers the easiest and most affordable access to the sports of sailing and windsurfing that I have heard of anywhere in the country."—M. Povich

The Hoofers is the University's outdoor recreation club organizing everything from sailing to rock climbing and is always open to new members.

Lakes

Downtown Madison is located on an isthmus between two large lakes, with several other sizeable lakes to the south. We Madisonians take full advantage of our scenic waterfronts. The Memorial Union and many other University buildings overlook Lake Mendota, our biggest lake to the north of the city. This may be the only University where you can go sailing, kayaking, canoeing, or windsurfing from a dock right in front of the Union.

 

There are also many beautiful and intimate spots along the lake, like Picnic Point, where you can sit and relax. On the other side of the Isthmus, you can walk to the top of the Monona Terrace for a great view of Lake Monona. Lake Wingra is surrounded by the Arboretum and Henry Vilas Park and is a great place to run or bike; in fact there are bike paths around many of the lakes. A longer bike trip or short drive takes you beyond the city limits to Lakes Waubesa and Kegonsa.

 

And if you're looking for water that stretches to the horizon, you can drive to Lake Michigan or even Lake Superior without much trouble.

Sports

There are also plenty of intramural sports teams and other related options to take part in. The two big university gyms are the SERF and the Nat offering many basketball and volleyball courts, racquetball courts, swimming pools, running tracks, weights and aerobic machines. If you're interested, there are also various fitness and yoga classes offered through these gyms. And for a real challenge, you can participate in one of the local marathons or even the Iron Man Triathalon. In previous years, astronomy and physics grad students have run in the Crazy Legs 5 mile run and the Mad-City Marathon. In fact, our very own Kelley Hess was the overall womens winner in the 2006 Mad-City Marathon. Some of us also participate in intramural soccer, basketball, softball, hockey, ultimate frisbee, and even roller derby.

 

Parks

Even though Madison is a city, there are many parks where you can enjoy the lakes, hike, or just relax. Parks near downtown like James Madison and Tenney Park are great places to hang out. We are also very lucky to have the Arboretum within a quick bike ride of downtown Madison. There you will find nearly 1,300 acres of wildlife, trees, and prairie, as well as many walking and biking trails. You can also visit the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, a breathtaking 16 acres of indoor and outdoor conservatory. And if you enjoy having you're own garden but don't have the land around your apartment or condo, you can join the Community Gardens.

"The community garden lets me get outside, play in the dirt and meet a fun and diverse group of people outside the department. Plus, it's wonderful to feast on my own organic vegetables that I pulled out of the ground!" —E. Braden

Ice Cream

And after all of that, who wouldn't want to enjoy some delicious ice cream? The University makes its own very popular ice cream year round and sells it at Babcock Hall and the Union. Other favorites are the Chocolate Shop on State St. and of course Michael's Frozen Custard.