Parks and Recreation in Madison NJ
Madison offers many convenient fitness and recreation options for residents of all ages, including Madison parks and fields, sidewalks, bikeways, connections to two major Morris County Park/path systems, access to the Giralda Farms perimeter walking/jogging path, access to Drew University campus and access to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. In addition, the Madison Recreation Center (MRC), a complex that includes multi-use turf fields as well as community gardens and hiking trails, is tremendous community asset.
Madison’s facilities also include playgrounds and outdoor tennis and basketball courts, outdoor swimming at the Madison Community Pool and indoor swimming at the YMCA. There is one golf course in Madison, the private, nine-hole Madison Golf Club, and five other courses (both private and public) in the immediate area.
The Borough of Madison Recreation provides youth recreation programs; For more information on available programs, visit www.rosenet.org/784/Program-Info-Registration.
Seasonal offerings are as follows: Fall: Football, Soccer, Field Hockey, Cross Country; Winter: Basketball, Ice Hockey, Wrestling, Ski Club; Spring: Boys Lacrosse, Girls Lacrosse, Baseball, Softball, Track; Summer: Nature Nuts, Drama and Musical Theater
In addition, there are camps offered through some of the recognized programs and through US Sports Institute throughout the year.
Madison is a walking, biking and running community. Accessible sheltered, scenic walking and biking trails through Loantaka Park, connect Madison to Green Village and Madison to Morristown.
Madison has two State and National Register Historic Districts – the Bottle Hill Historic District that runs from Park Avenue north to 105 Ridgedale Ave. and has homes pre-dating the American Revolutionary War, and the Civic & Commercial Historic District that encompasses 52 buildings in the downtown. A walking tour and architectural guide to the downtown district is available free at Borough Hall and the Madison Public Library. A map and audio version is downloadable on www.rosenet.org.
A variety of bicycle routes connect schools, parks and activity centers, including the Madison Train Station, which is not only wheelchair-accessible, but its mini high-level platforms also make train access bicycle friendly. For those not taking their bike on the train to their next destination, bike racks are available at street level at both ends of the station.
Nature discovery and adventure are only a pedal away with convenient access to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge near Madison. Two bicycle loop tours are available, as well as a three-mile side trip to Jockey Hollow to see the encampment of log huts used in the winter of 1779-80 by the Continental Army.