Great atmosphere. So many people come here and enjoy their time. Trail walk alongside the lake is awesome. Evenings here are superb, especially summertime and the beautiful warm vibes. Lively, clean and safe place. Many people play on the lawn, make music, play guitars, read books, sunbathers are relaxing, picnic tables are available and families come to enjoy weekends too. Its an awesome park, really !!!

Theres mostly space to relax away from others. Social distancing circles are painted on some spots on the grass for picnics. College kids are usually playing spikeball, volleyball, or basketball. 2-3 trees are good for hammocks, wish there were more. Beach is a little gross.

I absolutely love this park. I love sitting and watching the water as well as taking a walk around the park. It seems to be well kept for the most part. When I moved to this area, I was looking for a place to go and sit by the water. It just so happens on my route to work I spotted this park with a perfect view! They do need to do security check because there are people who occassionally make transactions out there and smoke illegal drugs out there. Overall I think its a great place if peace and comfort.

Great location on the lake, easily accessible and lots of access to the water! I walked on the trail for about 30 minutes to kill some time while snapping some photos. Nice basketball court, plenty of space to lay out and hang out with your dog or friends. There were a lot of people there but it did not feel one bit crowded because of how large it is!

Awesome view. There is a beach, a big park with a playground with lots of room for running, playing, kiting, etc

Great space right in the heart of Madison. Playground for the kids, basketball and sand volleyball courts for the big kids, and plenty of well kept grass to lounge, all with bathrooms at the edge of the park.

Very nice park. Lots of college students. Enjoyed the view of the lake.

Great place to watch the sun set over Picnic Point. Not that it isn’t amazing right on the lake with great basketball courts, etc., but it’s a park, so it’s a park. Do you need a review? See the sunset.

For the basketball enthusiasts that enjoy to play they have a pretty nice court. And plenty of ppl who play there. And the water is beautiful. Lots of grassy area as well as kids playground area.. Get out the house and enjoy the parks here in Madison they are all worth the visit..

It had a beautiful lake and people were friendly

Go see the sunset there its very beautiful site make sure you get there a little early cause it fills up fast.

Lovely little park looking over the lake with a small parking area at the SW end of the park.

Great views of the sunset and lake. Lots of couples and friend groups/ other groups of people come here to sit with blankets. Theres also a playground for the kids and a boathouse.

Very fun! Clear water and plenty of fish, if youre kayaking.

An excellent park on the lake in the heart of Madison. Small parking lot, but you can often find a spot on the street.

One of the best parks on the isthmus. It has plenty of space for anything you want to do, a small beach for launching kayaks, and its always full of life during the warmer months.

Large park, good to hold large events.

Well kept park on the lake front. Small beach with a changing house. Open spaces for picnics. Playground equipment for kids. Small parking lot and street parking options.

Wonderful park beside the bay!

If you live in Madison, or are just visiting, this is worth stopping. Parking is sometimes tricky but usually there are some open spots on the park side of the street. Views are insane, volleyball, swing sets, large green space for frisbee or just lounging in the sun. Walking/running path along the water as well as nicely placed benches all through the park area. Stop by and check it out. Dog friendly, people friendly, family friendly.. Heck Im on my way again right now! Thank you city of Madison!

Weather is great, lots of places to sit and picnic, the wind feels great on your skin. Easy to social distance

A great place to hang out and enjoy the water

Very nice park with a boardwalk and plenty of trees for shade. Theres lots of algae in the water though so Im not sure if I would swim at the beach here.

Very good, they teach you how to canoe and there is a tiny beach that looks good, I am not sure if you. An swim in it tho,

This park is right off the lake & has a gorgeous view. Plus its where I had my first date with my soulmate....- Thank you

This is a great summer time park, huge grass lawn with playground and volley ball court and basketball courts.Last few summers the beach has been closed from blue green algae but thats nut the parks fault! Highly recommend of you want to go to a big wide open park.

Very nice, parking was easy today.

Enjoyed the shade under a solitary tree, the breeze, and watching the whitecaps on Lake Mendota

Lovely park set against a large lake with boating docks, a swimming area, rowers club, playground, trail, volleyball court, and historical Gates of Heaven building.

Beautiful walking area.

Nice place to go on Saturday evenings in the spring.

Great for dogs, frisbees, and friends.

It was a peaceful spot to spend time with my mom and my daughter....

Beautiful park. Lots of people using the park and respecting distance.

The park is close to downtown and very pretty. The beach is small and water quality not always acceptable for swimming.

Super tiny and not yet upkept. I thought the ducks were cute.

Great place in summer weekend/holiday for friends/families hangouts and can have some nice barbecue and site seeing as well

The most beautiful and relaxing spot Downtown Madison through the summer. Not very crowded during the weekend. It has a cute kids area and small beach. The place is suitable for kayaking, brunch, barbecue,volleyball game.

I think the best park in Madison

My favorite place that I visit during my travel to visit my daughter in Madison. It is a nice serene place, calm and cool as well as neat and clean. Well kept park by the authorities.

One of the best parks Ive been in!

Best spot in town for a thinking spot

Wha a beautiful day best place in Madison to watch the sunset

Lot of space for activities when its not packed. Way less busy when the students are gone. Decent playground for kids. The beach is practically non existent, generally theres too much algae to even consider swimming. Beautiful sunset views!

Excellent place, need go with food and drinks

Great views of Lake Mendota.

A beautiful and iconic park on Lake Mendota, just northeast of downtown Madison. Great spot for chilling really hard, tossin a frisbee, eating a burrito while watching the sunset, playing basketball, sand volleyball, and more. Youd be remiss not to visit James Madison.

Great park! Love to soak up some sun, play basketball, volleyball, or just go for a walk here.

Great park for everyone coming here to play basketball or any other game. Excellent place for a Family picnic, really loved the vibe !!!

Beautiful place and beautiful view when the weather is nice!

Beautiful park with a winding path next to the lake. Bring your walking shoes, suntan lotion, and sunglasses for a theraputic experience for your heart, mind, and soul.

Make sure to sneak the booze! (technically illegal under city ordinance)

Wonderful sunset spot.

James Madison Park is a wonderful place to enjoy a picnic, people watch, watch the beautiful sunsets, or just relax and let the day go by. Located in the heart of the isthmus, there are plenty of things to do and places to eat within walking distance. Plus, there are a number of music shows there, especially in the summer.

Its ok as far as parks go, local hangout with access to Lake Mendota. Basketball court, play area for kids, limited street parking. Summer its busy.

Great place to just float on tubes

Small park with pretty lake view. Grassy area and playground

Best park in all of Madison

Just wish they didnt ticket you for having alcohol in the park

Cute park, great sunset views, awesome downtown location. Didnt get 5 stars because its small!

Wonderful, lake-front park in downtown Madison WI. Lots of open space

Loved the place!! Beautiful scenery and a great place for a walk or a run!

I enjoyed my visit :) beautiful view of everything.. Very tight area of parking thats the only issue cause we have a truck.Other than that its great.

Nice park, especially in the warmer months. Given its proximity to downtown it tends to get pretty crowded on the good days in summer.

It was beautiful

Very nice park. Great place to relax or meet up with friends

James Madison Park is one of my favorite local places to watch the sunset. The view over Lake Mendota - for an easy-to-access park- cannot be matched!In the afternoon and evening you can often catch some pretty fantastic athletes playing basketball. I love watching pick-up games as they are fun and exciting. The children’s area, with the play structure, was always a favorite of my kids when they were little.During the school year the park gets a little crowded with all the students laying out tanning… But if I was that age, I’d be doing the same thing.It is a true Madison gem. The only thing I would say that needs improvement is perhaps a little bit more cleaning, picking up garbage and making sure discarded fish are cleaned up.Other than that the view, the lake, the historical synagogue and the accessibility of the park are A++.

A wonderful park for sunsets in Madison. Also awesome on a windy day when the Whitecaps wash over the wall

Nice and beautiful lake

Great lakeside location. Great views and beautiful sunsets

Such a great park for lots of uses, from relaxing by the lake, picnicking, or getting active.

The perfect place to eat lunch

Its a beautiful park when its not overrun with homeless people

Love the peace I get from just watching the water... My kids love this park as well

Lovely park with walking paths by the water.

Relaxing atmosphere. We can take beautiful pictures here.

Pretty fun but could benefit from some more amenities. Though you can easily find that within the vicinity of the park in walking distance.

Beautiful. Beach volleyball pickup games Sat and Sun. Next to a awesome wedding temple, and basketball courts. I personally wish they would get rid of the rocks and import sand from another location

Beautiful place to watch a sunrise/sunset.

Beautiful views. Great place.

Great park! Love the walk there.

Nice park on the lake.

Bit sunny for my taste

Breathtaking views! Great free space! Playground is near restroom, Basketball court and Sunbathers on other end of park.

Its a really nice place to and relax, have a drink with a beautiful lake view. Also, there is a small beach open to the public. People play , , athey have a play area for kids, BBQ allowed.

The boat house cat is pretty awesome

Summer algae bloom was very heavy and smelled bad. So it took away from the experience. Im sure its a rather nice place to hang out and with the lake view its worth a visit.

It is a beautiful lakefront park

Some of the most beautiful sunsets in Madison live here.

A beautiful park in the near downtown Madison area! Its a great place to walk along the lakeside. There are trails to explore. And even a dock to launch boats. Additionally theres a huge playground for kids to play on. And a big field to play sports in. There are picnic tables as well. Its a great place for relaxing and summer time activities. One of the best parks downtown!

Ive been lucky enough to live right near James Madison Park for several years now and I love it so much. Unbelievable sunsets!

Its a nice park by the water. It seemed clean, but there was nothing too special about it. Medium sized green area and a playground nearby.

Popular park with awesome view on the lake

Amazing sunsets in a beautiful park. The weirdest people hang out in this park. Keep Madison weird!

Beautiful park for sunsets and picnics, but the ambiance is not always good. Ive often seen lots of alcohol and people getting on the verge of a fight, always around the basketball courts.

Really awesome place right by the lake. Looks very cool.

Not good Milwaukee better.

An awesome place where all the awesome beach bums go for a good time and on Sundays at 1 p.m. in summer a free meal.

A park adjacent to the lake

And yet ANOTHER great Madison park! Centrally located on the ihstmus shore of Lake Mendota. From beautiful picturesque sunsets, to intense tumultuous storms.