mccarder

Has anybody camped at any of the Dane County Parks. We want to camp just one night (next Friday - Aug 19) near Madison. It is a first camping experience for my 5 year old. The next day we'll go to Farmer's Market, Zoo, Union for icecream and then go home to nw suburbs of Chicago. Was looking at either Lake Farm Park or Mendota. Does anyone know what the camping is like at either of these. Are the campsites wooded, grassy, near roads (noisy/quiet), good for small kids? Any info appreciated. Thank you!

eileenleft

I live near Lake Farm, and go for walks there, but haven't camped there.
There are big grassy sites. There is playground equipment near the sites and some nice, short trails near the water close by. There are trees close to the sites but not on the sites. The location is great, close to town, but removed from city noise. Not much traffic near the park.
I don't know who camps there, but that's unpredictable anyway.
It looks like a fine place, especially for one night. My kids, now grown, would have liked it.
I'll be taking the train to Chicago on Saturday, for the Air Show!

eileenleft

Oh, and if it's beastly hot, there's a really nice pool with a slide in Monona, about 10 minutes away. There's also a big beautiful playground in Monona that the whole community built about 8 years ago. They're on Nichols Road, easy to get to from Lake Farm.

mccarder

Thanks so much for the quick reply! And you told me just what I wanted to hear too! I'm sold! Have a great time at the air show! We were considering that too, but the timing didn't work out as we are also meeting some friends for Farmer's Market. Thanks again!

eileenleft

Enjoy your visit! If the weather is crummy there is a Children's Museum on State Street, right near the Farmer's Market.