Things to Do in Middleton

David Turner founded Yoga Eight with three goals in mind: accessible classes, a comfortable environment, and a student-focused practice. The result is a welcoming studio where experienced instructors with more than 200 hours of training each take their time to help students develop a meaningful practice, regardless of skill level. Yoga Eight's jam-packed schedule mixes challenging Ashtanga and athletic Vinyasa styles for a diverse regimen to challenge seasoned yogis and give beginners the building blocks of a serious yoga practice.

The first time Amanda Uphoff attended a yoga class, her clothing still bore hints of her infant son's spittle. As she down-dogged her way to yoga mastery, she found a peaceful clarity that balanced her hectic life as a parent. Troubled by the growing rates of childhood obesity and youth eating disorders, Amanda decided to open her own family-focused studio. Blackbird Family Yoga offers classes for every age group, from freshly hatched infants to the parents that incubated them. Popular classes include family yoga and postnatal sessions, in which mothers find peace in their child's pose and infants grapple with life's complexity in adults’ poses. The studio supplies childcare to accommodate parents who need a break from child wrangling.

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.

A 7,100-square-foot sculpture garden is only the tip of the iceberg at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. In fact, the garden is also the tip of the museum—it’s on the facility’s roof. Designed by Cesar Pelli, the sprawling building encompasses an eclectic array of modern works, including a 5,000-item permanent collection that incorporates pieces ranging from Frida Kahlo’s works to John Coplans’ black-and-white self portrait, which shows only his feet.

A rotating lineup of temporary exhibits complements the permanent core, and a regular event schedule features films, talks, and performance by masters of their craft. Visitors can browse art books and craft jewelry in the museum store, where all purchases support artists and designers more simply than training to become a muse.

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.