Things to Do in Sun Prairie

Arthur Murray Dance Studios has been a leading name in social dance since 1912, when the entrepreneur began selling mail-order dance lessons. Expanding his reach, he enlisted teachers to spread his signature dance lessons on first-class steamships and skyrocketed to fame in the '30s after introducing the public to such dances as the Lambeth Walk and the Big Apple. By the 1950s, Arthur and his wife, Kathryn, were hosting their own highly popular TV show on ABC, the Arthur Murray Dance Party, which ran for 12 years. Today, Arthur Murray's team prepares students for rug cutting at special events and weekend nightclub jaunts. Clients who arrive to lessons partnerless will be paired up with certified instructors. Throughout lessons, instructors teach the foundations of two to four dances from a long list of styles that range from Latin to country-western, helping students to learn basic step patterns, timing, and the ability to lead or follow.

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.

Little Amerricka takes young thrill-seekers on a journey into the past with its 1950s wooden roller coaster, The Meteor, as well as several restored rides from amusement parks of a bygone era. More than two-dozen rides and attractions cater to all sizes and shriek tendencies of visitors, from adrenaline-pumping go-kart races (for riders 56 inches and taller) to relaxing rotations on the kiddie ferris wheel. The conductor of the Whiskey River Railway chugs the train along 2-mile treks through the rustic Wisconsin countryside, where runaway bumper boats graze native grasses before being lassoed and brought back to the amusement park.

The sprawling four-day Bhakti Fest West solemnizes emotional attachment and devotion toward a personal god with its 26 yoga demonstrations, workshops where advanced yogis share mystical truths, and healing sanctuaries that feature massage, reiki, and acupuncture. The deep, soulful voice of Krishna Das headlines the festival’s lineup of more than 40 musical acts. Originally from New York, Das has toured the globe with music that interweaves feverish cadences with traditional and modern instrumentation. The former rock ‘n' roller and Grammy nominee explains the atavistic appeal of chanting by saying that it "just hits you and you want to be a part of it . . . you don't have to know what it means."

In 1853, with pieces of buff sandstone hauled from a nearby quarry, Able Dunning and his wife erected a Greek Revival farmhouse on University Avenue in Madison. They called the house Mapleside, and it sat for 117 years like a stoic grandmother, surveying the surrounding landscape as spring’s innumerable rows of crops gave way to winter’s barren fields.

After efforts to save the historic building failed, community members joined forces to create the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation. Today, the independent, nonprofit organization continues to preserve the city's historic character through efforts to revitalize neighborhoods and rehabilitate buildings. Its annual activities focus on educating residents about Madison’s past through the buildings that endure as monuments to bygone eras. The hope is that a new generation of activists might be inspired to take up the mantle of preservation after a historic architecture tour of State Street, Bascom Hill, or Bucky Badger’s slowly eroding burrow.

Dolphins Cove thumbs its nose at the furious summer sun with more than 36,000 square feet of watery attractions. Revelers steel their courage before careening down 800 feet of waterslides, or challenge each other to games of water basketball, rope-climbing races, and sand-volleyball tournaments. More relaxing diversions include the outdoor bar and party deck, as well as the lazy river—which will never live up to the example set by the Colorado River in terms of canyon carving and doesn't really care. Kids can safely splash in their own activity pool or participate in regular events such as slide races or treasure hunts.