Stoughton offers a wide range of activities for the whole family!  Indoors or out, there’s something to do every season of the year.  Located on the Yahara River and just a few miles south of Lake Kegonsa, Stoughton is a destination for water sports and fishing enthusiasts, yet we also have a wide variety of cultural activities sure to entice the most determined city dweller.

The parks and facilities available in Stoughton meet your every need.  From swimming in a sandy bottomed pool, disc golf, canoeing and boating in the summer months to ice skating, cross country skiing and snowmobiling in the winter, there’s plenty for the outdoor enthusiast.  Stoughton has over 14 parks, including a skateboard park, tennis, basketball as well as two hiking trails.  And, we’ll soon have a dirt bike park for the kids to use.  Didn’t bring your canoe?  You can rent one from Quam's Motor Sports  or the Stoughton Parks and Rec Department as well as participate in one or many of the programs the department makes available to residents and visitors alike. Nearby Lake Kegonsa State Park offers camping in the summer, hiking and water sports year round as well as cross country ski trails in the winter.  Viking Village Campground  and Kamp Kegonsa also offer additional camping opportunities, perfect for a weekend getaway or a family reunion.

Golfers have three excellent nearby courses.  Coachman's Golf Resort is a challenging 27-hole course located six miles east of the city. Creekview Par Three is a sporty 9-hole course located along I-90 southeast of Stoughton. Both courses are public on a membership or daily fee basis. The Stoughton Country Club is an inviting 18-hole course for members and their guests and is located just northwest of the City.

Other outdoor activities include racing at the nearby Madison International Speedway with races every Friday night in the summer, walking tours of our beautiful downtown historic districts (booklets are available at the Stoughton Public Library and the Chamber of Commerce), and an outdoor Farmer’s Market every Friday morning, May through October. 

The Mandt Community Center is a 37,500 square foot facility used from October to April for youth, high school and college hockey as well as being home to the semi-professional team, the Stoughton Steel. The center also hosts tournaments, figure skating and public skating on Sunday afternoons. The rest of the year the center houses commercial events, craft fairs and expositions, and of course, the Stoughton Fair at the end of June through the beginning of July.

 More interested in shopping than swimming? Would you rather watch the stars on stage than in the sky?  Stoughton offers plenty of activities and events for you as well.  Don’t miss our crowning jewel, the Stoughton Opera House, offering fall and spring seasons with acts ranging from Doo-Wop to Classical, comedy to drama in this beautifully restored Victorian theatre.  Throughout the year, we also offer events by local groups including the Stoughton Opera Company, which performs classic musical performances in the Stoughton Opera House, the Stoughton High School's acclaimed Madrigal singers, performances by our famous Norwegian Dancers, delightful productions by the Stoughton Village Players, the city band or the community festival choir.  

Explore Stoughton’s past at the two museum sites for the Stoughton Historical Society; the Depot, built circa 1913, and used by the Milwaukee Road Railroad for passenger and freight until the early 1970's, currently also home to the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce, and the Stoughton Historical Museum, located in the First Universalist Church, built in 1858 on land donated by Luke Stoughton.  Or you could explore Stoughton’s City Hall. On Monday, Wednesday or Friday mornings, take a tour of the Opera House or anytime the building is open you can go downstairs and look at the photos of historic Stoughton or check out our Stoughton Hall of Fame Room. Several Historic Neighborhoods representing homes of several styles of architecture which have been lovingly restored to their original grandeur. For pictures and details of Stoughton's historic buildings visit the Stoughton Landmarks Society web site.  

Interested in genealogy?  The Stoughton Public Library also contains a small section with information about Stoughton’s history, including a considerable amount of information about our Norwegian settlers.  The Sons of Norway Mandt Lodge, located on South Page Street provides a connection to our Norwegian heritage and  Riverside Cemetery, founded in 1857, contains the remains of some of Stoughton's founders including Luke Stoughton and his family, in a beautiful hillside location.

Ready to sit down? Try a movie at the Cinema Cafe, with five theatres and homemade pizza served to you while you watch.  Sit down between frames at the Viking Lanes for bowling, or put your feet up in the reading area of the Stoughton Public Library, built by liberal donations from Andrew Carnegie and dedicated in March, 1908.  On Saturday nights, sit and listen to live music at several local sites, including the Broux House.

Stoughton is full of artists and crafts people willing not only to sell you their wares, but teach you how to make your own.  Many of our shops offer classes, in everything from scrapbooking and stamping at Just for Keeps  to quilting and fiber classes at our two quilt shops, Saving Thyme and The Quilt Forge.  Howard Academy for the Arts offers jewelry making and blacksmithing classes for the hobbyist or professional.  Beaded jewelry makers will find that Midnight Moon offers a wide selection of natural and glass beads, as well as classes in jewelry making and precious metal clay. Artists and hobbists can take classes in digital photography, digital painting, knitting and more at Woodland Studios, where there is also a beautiful gallery featuring local artists. Other unique shopping opportunities abound, including Norwegian specialties, intriguing home décor, antiques and more.  Check our Shopping Page for complete store information. 

Throughout the year, we have several events.  In addition to our May Norwegian Syttende Mai celebration, we have the Norse Afternoon of Fun in February, the Stoughton Fair in June/July, one of the last free fairs in the state, the Coffee Break Festival and Car Show in August, the Halloween Harvest Festival, the merchant's Holiday Open House in November, and the Victorian Holiday Celebration and more. 

To find out what’s happening this week, just check our Community Calendar.

Within easy commute from Stoughton area are all the recreational, cultural, educational and commercial attractions of Dane County and the City of Madison. Residents and visitors can enjoy golf, fishing, boating, hiking, camping, theater, art & culture, museums, the zoo, musical events, festivals, fairs, exotic restaurants and upscale shopping.

Cooksville
Drive just seven miles south of Stoughton on Hwy 138 and step back in time to the 1850's. This sleepy village is noted for the quality of its early architecture and history. It has been listed as an historic district in the National Register of Historic Places since 1973.

County Parks

LaFollette - Williams Drive at Lake Kegonsa - offers a beach. Site of the birthplace of Robert M. LaFollette (1855-1925), congressman. Governor and U.S. Senator "Fighting Bob" led in establishing the Progressive Movement in Wisconsin Politics.

Viking - North on County Hwy N and County Hwy B for picnics and fishing.