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. 

View all Basketball Courts

• Heritage Heights Park - Basketball Court

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

19 designated rinks and lagoons at 13 locations throughout the park system.  

• FREE-TO-USE All designated rinks and lagoons are free to use. No reservation is required! 
• CHECK THE STATUS Is the rink open? See the status below.
  • 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.
  • 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 AVAILABLE Elver, Tenney and Vilas, Wednesday - Sunday (when the rink is listed as open)
  • No rentals on Mondays and Tuesdays. No warming shelters or concessions. 
• 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
  • Skate Cinema
• LEARN MORE about winter recreation in Madison Parks.
  • Read Your Guide to Ice Skating in Madison Parks 
  • Subscribe to Winter Recreation News

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

View all Ice Skating

• Heritage Heights Park - Ice Rink

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

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!

View all Open Fields

• Heritage Heights Park - Open Field Games

Garner Park offers Madison's only dedicated pickleball courts, in addition, a number of tennis courts are also lined for pickleball. Learn more about the game and rules adopted by the USA Pickleball Association. 

Pickleball courts may be reserved ONLINE.

View all Pickleball Courts

• Heritage Heights Park - Pickleball Court

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

2022 SHELTER RESERVATIONS - Begin November 9, 8:00am

2022 FEES
Weekday Full Day	$25.00
Weekday Half Day	$15.00
Fri-Sun Full Day	$45.00
Fri-Sun Half Day	$35.00

All prices include tax.
Holidays are weekend rate. 

Smaller picnic shelters may be reserved for exclusive or on a first-come, first-served basis, if not previously reserved.  

RESERVE: ONLINE (search "small picnic shelter") or by calling (608) 266-4711
 
OPTIONAL PERMITS

• Amplified Sound Permit: $60/reservation (6 hours maximum). Please ask when reserving
• Temporary Structure Permits:  $110/day, including tax
• Alcohol Permit (select parks only):  $55/reservation. It is required in select parks. Please ask when reserving.

NOTES

• 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. A handful of parks are alcohol-free and require a permit to bring alcohol. You must have a reservation and an alcohol permit, which can be obtained when placing a reservation.
• All picnic shelters are open year-round, however, if the picnic shelter has restrooms, these are open seasonally (closed winter/cold months).
• 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.
• **IMPORTANT**Public 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.

CHANGES & CANCELLATIONS OF PICNIC SHELTER RESERVATIONS:

• Cancellation requests must be submitted to the Parks Administration Office in writing to:
  210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, #104, Madison, WI  53703 or by email. 
• There is no charge to change the date and/or location, if the request is received 28 days or more prior to event date.
• Full refunds are given, at no charge for cancellation requests received at least 28 days prior to the event date.
• Cancellations and changes received 27 to 11 days prior to the event date (counting notice date and event date) will incur a $10 administrative fee. 
• No cancellations or changes will be accepted 10 days or fewer before the event date (counting notice date and event date).

 

View all Picnic Shelters

• 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. 

---

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. 

View all Playgrounds

• Heritage Heights Park - Playground

Madison Parks has nearly 100 tennis courts.  Most of the tennis courts are available on a first-come, first-serve 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

Shared Pickleball Courts
Brittingham, Door Creek, Elver, Heritage Heights, Kennedy, Nakoma, Norman Clayton, Northland Manor, Richmond Hill, Tenney, Walnut Grove, Waunona, and Westhaven Trails.
 

View all Tennis Courts

• Heritage Heights Park - Tennis Court

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