Henry Vilas Park
Park · Madison
Featured in our Madison guides:Winter in Madison, WI,Madison's lakes,Things to do in Madison, WI with kids,Madison, WI neighborhoods
About this park
One of Madison's oldest parks, Vilas sits on the north shore of Lake Wingra next to Henry Vilas Zoo and the UW Arboretum. There's a roped swimming beach (no lifeguards), three playgrounds, a launch for boats and paddlers, and a lagoon that's used for skating in winter. Parking has a three-hour limit.
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MadisonWI.com guide
Parks in Madison: good to know
The City of Madison manages more than 280 parks covering nearly 6,000 acres, and Dane County runs another 19,000-plus acres of parks, wildlife areas and campgrounds. City parks are open from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. (conservation parks close an hour after sunset), and county parks close at 10 p.m.
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A few rules worth knowing in Madison's city parks: glass isn't allowed in any park; most parks allow alcohol in non-breakable containers, but about 20, including Brittingham, James Madison, Tenney and Law parks, are alcohol-free; and personal grills are fine in most general parks unless there's a burning ban. Conservation parks don't allow alcohol, fires or grills.
Picnic shelters are reserved online, by phone at 608-266-4711, or in person, and you pay in full when you book. Reservations for the next year open in early November, and summer weekends go fast. Dane County campgrounds (Brigham, Lake Farm, Mendota and Token Creek) also open reservations in early November through ReserveDane.