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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• Goodman Park - Basketball Court

  Surface: Asphalt
  Lighted: No
  Number of Courts: 2 full
  

Ice Skate News

As of Monday, February 20 - all designated ice rinks and lagoons, and skate rental locations are CLOSED for the SEASON. 

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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. 

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

View all Ice Skating

• Goodman Park - Ice Rink

  Location: 37 Van Deusen St.
  
  Closed
  
  More Information: Skating at Goodman 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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• Goodman Park - Open Field Games

Parking Lot News

Several parking lots are getting their stripes repainted in 2023 and will be closed on the scheduled day. The dates below are tentative and may experience weather-related delays. The process typically begins at 8:00am a scheduled day and takes just a few hours from start to finish. 

• Monday, August 21: Gates of Heaven and James Madison Park
• Friday, August 25: Olbrich Biergarten and Rutabaga
• Monday, August 28: Wingra Park, followed by Brittingham Park (Madison Boats) and shelter
• Wednesday, August 30: Tenney Park
• Wednesday, Sept. 6: Vilas Park at Henry Vilas Zoo

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Parking lots in parks are available for park programs or events during regular park hours: 4:00 am to 10:00 pm. Please observe the following. 

Parking Rules

• Driving or parking motorized vehicles is not allowed on the grass or near a shelter and is subject to a citation.
• Three-hour limit in all parks, as posted.
• No parking after hours: 10pm to 4am. Overnight parking is not allowed. 
• Conservation park hours are 4am until one hour after sunset
• Follow all onsite parking regulation signs.
• Violators are subject to a fine.

Law Park: metered parking stalls
The parking lot located on the eastern side of Law Park, commonly known as the Blair Lot, is a metered parking lot, enforced by City of Madison Parking Division between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. 
  View all Parking Lots

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.

View all Picnic Shelters

• Goodman Park Picnic Shelter

  Restrooms: No
  Lighted: No
  

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, Elver and Warner parks.  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. 

View all Playgrounds

• Goodman Park - Playground

Goodman Pool

OPEN RESTROOMS
Listed on this page are restrooms open daily, approximately 10am to 8pm. All other restrooms are CLOSED. 

SPRING THROUGH FALL

• April - October
  • Restrooms throughout the park system are open seasonally from mid/late April through early to late October. The systemwide process of opening/closing restrooms takes several weeks and depends on the weather and staffing. 
• Daily 10am to 8pm
  • Open restrooms are listed on the page and open daily approx. 10am to 8pm.  
  • Beach restrooms are also open daily, approx. 10am to 8pm from May 27 through September 4, 2023. *This date may be extended based on seasonal staff availability to maintain daily cleaning. See BEACHES for any season updates.*

WINTER
Once winter recreation begins, in addition to the year-round locations, Vilas and portable restrooms are provided in select winter recreation locations, once the amenity is open for the winter season. Please check Winter Fun for the status of winter recreation at a specific park. 

YEAR-ROUND

• Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park - North
• Elver Park enclosed shelter
• Owen Conservation Park
• Tenney Park at the John Wall Family Pavilion
• Warner Park boat launch

View all Restrooms

• Goodman Park Portable Restroom

  Location: near tennis courts
  
  OPEN

Many of the softball diamonds are programmed with youth and adult league play.  If you are looking to join a league contact Madison School & Community Recreation (MSCR).  If you would like to reserve a field or facility, please call the Athletic Scheduler at (608) 266-4711.  Find out more about Athletic Field Reservations.

Fields, open or closed?
If a field reservation is canceled, a notification is emailed to the user who made the field reservation. Notifications are sent by 2:00 pm Monday through Friday and by 9:00 am on weekends and holidays. 

View all Softball Fields

• Goodman Park Softball #1

  Bleachers: Yes
  Lighted: Yes
  Setup: Adult
  Type: Game
  

• Goodman Park Softball #2

  Bleachers: Yes
  Lighted: Yes
  Setup: Adult
  Type: Game