Madison Parks ranks #1 in the nation for the number of basketball hoops per resident, come check out the hoops in your neighborhood! Most of the basketball courts are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are planning a new league or tournament see Athletic Field Reservations. 

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• Heritage Heights Park - Basketball Court

  Surface: Asphalt
  Lighted: No
  Number of Courts: 1 full
  

Ice Skating in Madison Parks

19 ice rinks or lagoons are maintained by Parks staff and/or volunteers during the cold winter season. All are free to use and no reservation is needed. See Special Winter Fun Edition: Ice Skating for more information. 

IMPORTANT

• BEFORE YOU STEP OUT, CHECK THE ONLINE STATUS 
• Do NOT skate, walk, or otherwise go on a rink or lagoon until it is declared open. Doing so is not safe and slows the opening process by damaging the ice.
• Do NOT attempt to remove snow from an ice rink or lagoon. Doing so is not safe and slows the opening process by damaging the ice.
• While ice is never 100% safe, staff monitors the ice depth to be at least 5" to safely support humans and grooming equipment.

SKATE RENTALS & CONCESSIONS
Elver, Tenney and Vilas parks offer a warming shelter staffed Wednesday - Sunday when an amenity is listed as open. 

• Wednesday- Friday: 4-8pm
• Saturday: 12-8pm
• Sunday: 12-6pm

Please see the location, to view open or closed status. If an amenity is listed as closed, rentals are not available. No rentals, even if listed as open, on Mondays and Tuesdays. 

SKATE HELPERS for children and adults to assist in ice skating. Thanks to the Madison Parks Foundation, we have free-to-use Skate Helpers available at Elver, Tenney and Vilas.

GIFT CERTIFICATES for ice skate rentals are available. Call (608) 266-4711 to purchase. 

FREE LOANER SKATES Borrow a pair of ice skates to use while at the rink! Limited quantities are available at Olbrich, Rennebohm, Warner and Westmorland.

ATTEND a FREE ice skating event. 

• Groove & Glide - 5 parks, Fridays in Jan. and Feb. 
• Skate Cinema - Tenney Park, Feb. 11, 2023
• LEARN MORE Subscribe to Winter Recreation News

A big thank you to our many volunteers and the ADOPT ICE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM! 

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• Heritage Heights Park - Ice Rink

  Location: 701 Meadowlark Dr.
  
  Closed
  
  More Information: Skating at Heritage Heights Park - Ice Rink
  

Madison Parks are a unique blend of active recreation and passive recreation spaces.  Open Fields are just that - open, not pre-designed as a softball diamond, or football field.  These open fields are available in these parks to spark your imagination, play a game of tag, or follow the leader - or anything you can think of!  Enjoy your parks!

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• Heritage Heights Park - Open Field Games

In addition to the dual stripped (tennis & pickleball) locations, Garner Park offers Madison's only dedicated pickleball courts. Learn more about the game and rules adopted by the USA Pickleball Association. 

Pickleball courts may be reserved ONLINE.

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• Heritage Heights Park - Pickleball Court

  Surface: Asphalt
  Lighted: No
  Number of Courts: 2
  
  Notes: Tennis/Pickleball Courts

Picnic shelters are smaller, open-air structures that provide a little shade and typically some seating. They do not provide protection from severe weather, such as lightning. A picnic shelter may be reserved or used on a first-come, first-served basis if not previously reserved. 

RULES & TIPS

• Madison Parks does not guarantee absolute privacy to any group.  Your reservation will reserve only the facility you are using, not the entire park or other facilities within the park. If you are interested in reserving the entire park, please visit Special Events.
• Alcohol is permitted in most Madison Parks, as long as there is no glass. A handful of parks are alcohol-free and require a permit to bring alcohol. You must have a reservation to obtain an alcohol permit.
• All picnic shelters are open year-round, however, if the picnic shelter has restrooms, these are open seasonally and closed for the winter typically October - April.
• In the event of severe weather, picnic shelters are not lightening protection areas. Please seek an alternative location. 
• Firearms or weapons are not permitted at any of the shelters. Violators may be considered trespassers and may be subject to forfeiture or arrest.
• Park improvements and/or construction may be underway during the time of your reservation.  The City of Madison Parks Division makes every attempt to schedule around events and shelter reservations whenever possible, however, this is not a guarantee.  Please keep in mind improvements to parks and infrastructure continues throughout the year.  Please see Park Projects for park improvement that may impact a nearby shelter.

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• Heritage Heights Park Picnic Shelter

  Restrooms: No
  Lighted: Yes
  

With more than 175 playgrounds throughout Madison, you are never too far from a playground. According to the Trust for Public Land, Madison ranks #1 in the nation for the number of playgrounds available. The traditional swings and slides are always an option, as are new play elements and fully accessible playgrounds. 

PLAYGROUNDS FOR EVERYONE
Through the Madison Parks Foundation initiative, Madison Parks offers all-inclusive playgrounds in Brittingham Park and Elver Park, opening in 2019.  The Foundation has a goal of 5 fully accessible playgrounds. 

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PLAYGROUND REPLACEMENTS: HOW AND WHEN
Madison Parks is responsible for maintaining more than 175 playgrounds and began a system-wide replacement initiative in 2013. With current staff and funding resources, replacements are scheduled to continue through 2033. Playgrounds are routinely inspected to assess the equipment's conditions and repair any safety concerns. Based on the age of the equipment and current conditions, each is given an audit score. The number of playgrounds replaced each year is based on budget allocations, staffing resources, and using the current playground audit score for prioritization. 

REPLACEMENT PROCESS: NEIGHBORHOOD INPUT
At the start of the replacement process, notices are sent to the District Alder, neighborhood association representatives, and surrounding residential addresses. Information is also posted to the project website. Generally, two public meetings are held to review surfacing and equipment options and make final selections.

If you have questions about a specific playground or see something broken, please let us know. 

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• Heritage Heights Park - Playground

Open public restrooms are listed below. All portable restrooms are accessible. 

Year-Round Open Restrooms
Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park - North, Warner Park Boat Launch, and Owen Conservation Park are open daily, from approximately 10am to 8pm. 

Spring - Fall  
Most restrooms are open daily from approximately 10am to 8pm, opening the first Saturday on or after April 20 and closing for the season October - November. Locations and dates vary. 

Winter
Once winter recreation begins, in addition to the year-round locations, Elver, Tenney, and Vilas have open restrooms when the winter recreation amenity of that park is open. Please check Winter Fun for the status of winter recreation at a specific park. Other portable restrooms are also added in a number of popular winter recreation locations. 

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• Heritage Heights Portable

  OPEN

Madison Parks has nearly 100 tennis courts.  Most of the tennis courts are available on a first-come, first-served basis. When courts are reserved, at least one must be left available for pick-up play. Please note that all tennis leagues and all tennis instructors must pay for a reservation, no matter the location. Go to: Athletic Field Reservations

Practice Wall Locations
Bordner, Brittingham, Elver, Olbrich, Tenney, Waunona and Westmorland
 

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• Heritage Heights Park - Tennis Court

  Surface: Asphalt
  Lighted: No
  Number of Courts: 2
  
  Notes: Tennis/Pickleball Courts