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Dane County’s Story

Dane County, Wisconsin, lies on an isthmus between lakes Monona and Mendota. Popularized for its beautiful scenery, Dane County boasts a total of five area lakes and over 200 parks that provide an abundance of year-round outdoor activities including hiking, biking, swimming and sailing along with cross-country skiing, snow sailing, and ice fishing. As the home of The University of Wisconsin, a major institution for academics and medical research, Dane County also offers residents and visitors daily activities and amenities common to major urban college settings.

Dane County's first settlers date to between 1000 B.C. and 1000 A.D., when groups of Native American tribes known simply as "mound builders" occupied the area. Of the many effigy mounds (burial grounds built in the shape of revered animals) once surrounding the many local lakes, only a few remain to remind us of this unique culture. By the time the Yankee settlements began in the 1800s, the Winnebago Nation had considered the area their tribal home.

Natural wonders abound throughout the entire state of Wisconsin - and Dane County is no exception. The most significant cave in the upper Midwest, Cave of the Mounds, lies just off U.S. Highways 18/151 in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, just east of Madison. The United States Department of the Interior and the National Park Service have designated Cave of the Mounds a National Natural Landmark because the site possesses "exceptional value as an illustration of the nation’s natural heritage and contributes to a better understanding of man’s environment." Commonly referred to as the "jewel box" of America’s major caves, for the variety and delicacy of its formations, Cave of the Mounds is recognized by the Chicago Academy of Sciences as "the [most] significant cave of the upper Midwest."

Visitors and residents find the best of all worlds in Madison, Wisconsin's vibrant capital city, and the many picturesque surrounding towns located within Dane County. Its natural beauty and plethora of outdoor recreation stimulate cultural offerings, distinctive restaurants and shops, and an irreverent spirit of fun. Urban culture, natural intrigue small town charm - the Dane County, Wisconsin, and Greater Madison, Wisconsin, offers it all!

For more information on activities in and around Dane County, visit:
Visit Madison
Wisconsin: Life's So Good!