16-04-2025
Three Wisconsin spots named as USA TODAY 10BEST public spaces by readers in spring 2025
Three Wisconsin spots ― a playground, a multiuse trail and a public square ― finished among the top 10 best public spaces in the country in a poll of USA TODAY readers.
Kendall Weisgerber Memorial Playground in Baileys Harbor and the Capital City State Trail and Capitol Square, both in Madison, were named as award winners on the USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards lists of best public spaces.
10BEST released its lists of the best boardwalks, city parks, main streets, public playgrounds, public squares, recreational trails and riverwalks in the U.S. on Wednesday.
To determine the lists, USA TODAY 10BEST invited industry experts to nominate their favorite points of interest in the categories. 10BEST editors then vetted the nominations and selected the final nominees, which were presented to readers to vote on. The four-week voting period ran from March 10 to April 7.
Here are Wisconsin's 10BEST public spaces and where they finished on the list:
Kendall Weisgerber Memorial Playground in the Door County town of Baileys Harbor finished third among USA TODAY's 10BEST public playgrounds. The playground, located near the Baileys Harbor Town Hall, was remodeled less than two years ago.
The playground offers options for toddlers, older children and children with disabilities. The remodel added a separate area with equipment designed for younger children, ADA-compliant equipment and a flat turf instead of wood chips. Kids can also enjoy a large play structure with multiple slides and a climbing area.
The park was originally built in 1992 to honor Kendall Weisgerber, a Baileys Harbor 6-year-old who died in a drowning accident in 1991. In 2021, Kendall's family and other organizations began raising money to replace the 30-year-old playground equipment and make the playground more accessible. They raised $500,000 and celebrated the park's grand reopening in June 2024.
These are the USA TODAY 10BEST public playgrounds:
The Nest at Downtown Cary Park (Cary, North Carolina)
Chapman Foundations Adventure Playground at Gathering Place (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Kendall Weisgerber Memorial Playground (Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin)
Variety Wonderland Playground at Forest Park (St. Louis, Missouri)
Discovery Playground at Lewis & Clark Landing (Omaha, Nebraska)
Battery Playscape (New York City, New York)
Yanaguana Garden Playground at Hemisfair (San Antonio, Texas)
Shane's Inspiration at Griffith Park (Los Angeles, California)
Barrier Free Park (Boynton Beach, Florida)
Kamalani Playground at Lydgate Beach Park (Lihue, Hawaii)
The Capitol Square in Madison was named the sixth-best public square on 10BEST's list. The square, surrounding the Wisconsin State Capitol building, is home to many of Madison's most popular annual events, especially in the spring and summer months.
Highlights include the large, outdoor Dane County Farmers' Market; summertime Concerts on the Square orchestra performances, where visitors crowd the Capitol lawn on picnic blankets to enjoy music from the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra; and the annual Art Fair on the Square, which features over 500 artists exhibiting and selling their work.
The Capitol lawn is home to trees, flowers and grass, where visitors can sit and enjoy the weather. Multiple major endurance races also finish near the square each year, including the Madison Marathon and Ironman Wisconsin.
These are the USA TODAY 10BEST public squares:
Campus Martius Park (Detroit, Michigan)
Jackson Square (New Orleans, Louisiana)
Winterset Town Square (Winterset, Iowa)
The Square (Oxford, Mississippi)
Franklin Square (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Capitol Square (Madison, Wisconsin)
Fountain Square (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Healdsburg Plaza (Healdsburg, California)
Centerway Square (Corning, New York)
Mission Plaza (San Luis Obispo, California)
The Capital City State Trail in the Madison area was named the sixth-best recreational trail on 10BEST's list. The 17-mile asphalt trail allows cyclists, runners, walkers and other users to easily access landmarks in Madison and the nearby suburb of Fitchburg.
The trail is open year-round and links the Military Ridge and Badger State Trails for easy travel around Dane County. Nine miles of the trail go through the scenic Capital Springs State Recreation Area.
These are the USA TODAY 10BEST recreational trails:
Hugh S. Branyon Backcountry Trail (Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama)
Withlacoochee State Trail (Inverness, Florida)
Spokane River Centennial State Park Trail (Spokane Valley, Washington)
Katy Trail (Missouri)
Chessie Trail (Lexington, Virginia)
Capital City State Trail (Madison, Wisconsin)
South Platte River Trail (Julesburg, Colorado)
Ke Ala Hele Makalae (Kauai, Hawaii)
Silver Comet Trail (Georgia)
Great Allegheny Passage (Maryland and Pennsylvania)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Three Wisconsin spots among the USA TODAY 10BEST public spaces
