Things to Do in Madison

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.

All of Badgerland Bowling Centers' six locations have a lot in common. At each location, groups hurtle colorful balls down slick, glossy lanes, refueling at an onsite restaurant between matches. All of the alleys host birthday, work, and fundraising parties and tournaments such as the Badgerland Bowling 300 Club—which has doled out more than $35,000 in cash prizes since 2002—and the Badgerland Open, which welcomed 113 competitors in 2011, one of whom snagged a grand prize of $500 and 1,000 bragging rights.

But like sextuplets working undercover for the CIA, each center also maintains a unique identity. At Badger Bowl in Madison, live music floods the lanes on weekends, and dancers jump and jive on West Coast Swing nights on Wednesday. Nearby at Dream Lanes, laser and disco lights slice through fog amid thundering music during Ultra Bowling every Friday and Saturday evening.

WebFire's team of Internet-marketing mentors helps business owners enhance the effectiveness of their websites with tools and tips for drawing more web traffic. Rather than fanning smoke signals with old mousepads, website operators can summon interest by equipping themselves with WebFire's arsenal of timesaving software or by attending one of the company's information-packed conferences. During conferences, insightful speakers, such as WebFire's own marketing guru Shawn Casey, dole out tricks of the trade for getting exposure and traffic from popular search engines. WebFire's conferences also feature live, hot-seat analyses of websites, as well as power-networking sessions, which enable attendees to exchange ideas or wallet photos of beloved space bars with like-minded conference-goers.

The tough-as-nails ladies in the Mad Rollin' Dolls roller-derby league wow audiences with equal parts strength, speed, and glitter. Since their first season in 2005, skaters and MRD volunteers alike have donated their blood, sweat, and tears to the sport that promotes female athleticism and team spirit in a fun, competitive atmosphere. During the 30-minute bouts, fans cheer and sneer as the jammers attempt to lap the opposing team for points, and the blockers clear the way for their mates while putting the hurt on those who try to stop them. The season's schedule culminates in a championship match, in which the two mightiest teams battle for the title and a lifetime supply of solid-gold mouth guards.

Since the team is committed to supporting their community, a portion of the proceeds from each Mad Rollin' Dolls bout goes to various charities, which in the past have included Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center, Alliance for Animals, and Badger Childhood Cancer Network.