Baraboo, WI Outdoor Activities

The Madison Mallards take to the diamond each summer for three months of collegiate baseball, gathering players from across the country as they hone their skills for a shot at the pros. The Mallards took home a Northwoods League championship in 2004, cheered on by some of the most devout and rowdy fans in the league. In 2012 the team set a collegiate attendance record, drawing more than 217,000 fans.

Spread out across 16 acres, the award-winning outdoor displays at Olbrich Botanical Gardens showcase both Midwest-hardy plants and floras native to the world's tropical forests. Water lilies and dragonflies occupy the Perennial Garden's 200-foot stream, whereas a boardwalk snakes through the Rain Garden's flood-tolerant plants. Elsewhere, guests can marvel at the pavilion in the Thai Garden, which nine Thai artisans reassembled after it traveled to Olbrich by sea and rail for seven weeks.

Inside the Bolz Conservatory's 50-foot-high glass pyramid, temperatures kept at between 65 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit maintain a steamy atmosphere for more than 640 tropical plants, a waterfall, and free-flying birds. Along with its plentitude of plants, Olbrich Botanical Gardens hosts a range of classes and events, which include concerts, botanical-themed art exhibits, and the annual Blooming Butterflies exhibit.

The echoes of hooves clopping against loose dirt carry across the green pastures of Madison Horse Connection, where equine aficionados bestow their vast knowledge of safe riding techniques upon pupils of all experience levels. Riders hone basic horsemanship and steed-steering skills with the ranch’s varied collection of horses and ponies, whose gentle personalities and built-in air bags make learning safe for first-timers and advanced riders. Veteran instructors can guide students through the ins and outs of various riding disciplines, such as western, hunt, jump, saddle-seat and showmanship. These instructors also lead day- and week-long horse camps all year round. When they aren’t carrying students through lessons, the facility’s horses stop in to make appearances at summer horse camps or pony parties for younger children.

Stationed on the shores of Lake Mendota, SkipperBud’s staff pairs clients with their choice of vessel before launching them into the lake’s placid waters. Up to 12 passengers can lounge on the Sylvan pontoon’s wraparound couches as the vessel cruises past the university campus and circles Governor’s Island. The more compact Sea Ray, meanwhile, kicks up waves as it races to the dock, water-skiers or hitchhiking mermen in tow.

Pepper Hill Farm owner Erica Savary passes on more than two decades of riding experience during lessons, assisted by experienced equine instructors. The farm specializes in Saddleseat, a non-jumping form of English riding, and Erica tailors lessons to each rider’s goals, whether they would like to ride for enjoyment, compete in shows, or save gas money by traveling via the original horsepower. Lessons take place inside a heated indoor arena with a second-story viewing lounge, where friends and relatives can watch.

Though Ted Davis sits in the back of a green New Standard Model D-25 biplane, he won't be taking a nap. Originally built in 1929 to perform stunts and give rides—or barnstorming, as it was known—the D-25 can host up to five people on every flight—four passengers in the front and Davis, a certified commercial pilot, at the rear controls. Today, its hunter-green fuselage has been fully restored and carefully maintained to comply with modern FAA standards. In this steed, Davis, who has logged more than 5,500 flying hours since his first ascent at age 16, continues the barnstorming tradition, escorting passengers on bird's-eye views of the Wisconsin landscape as Icarus struggles to keep pace with his homemade penguin wings.