Active Badger Day
Each spring, we inspire Active Badgers everywhere to get up, get outside, and get moving. Inspired by National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day, Active Badger Day is a full day of opportunities to play hard, get fit, and live well.
Past activities have included healthy meals at campus dining halls, tennis clinics, group fitness around campus, wellbeing workshops, fun activities in our Teaching Kitchen, and more.
Thursday, March 11, 2027
2026 Schedule
University Housing Dining is keeping you fueled with delicious food all day. Stop by Gordon Avenue or Four Lakes Markets all day for healthy, protein packed items for each meal period.
Menu
- Breakfast: Avocado Toast, Blue Banana Smoothie, Mahnomen Porridge, and Scrambled Egg Whites
- Lunch: Miso Cod, Spicy Sweet Potatoes and Quinoa, Green Beans with blistered peppers & shallots
- Dinner: Curry Stew & Basmati Rice, Wheat Berry Pilaf, Ginger Glazed Salmon, Swiss Chard & Roasted Root Vegetables
Location: Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center and Nicholas Recreation Center
Group fitness is on us for Active Badger Day! Enjoy free walk-in classes all day at both of our facilities. Spots are available on first come, first serve basis. Check out our schedule below.
Location: Spark Studio at the Nicholas Recreation Center
Join the Taekwondo sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the Taekwondo club Instagram for more information!
Location: start at the ALPs office at 333 East Campus Mall, room 3125
Ready for an adventure between classes? Badger Tracks is a campus scavenger hunt that turns a UW-Madison campus map into a scavenger hunt and your curiosity into a compass. Follow clues, unlock locations, and uncover campus spots you’ve walked past a hundred times—but never really noticed. Each stop reveals part of the trail, leading you closer to a prize. It will get you moving and is built for Active Badgers who love a good challenge.
To participate, come to the Adventure Learning Programs (ALPs) office between 9am – 3pm to pick up your map and clue worksheet. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes and to dress with the weather because you will be walking around campus looking for clues.
Return to the ALPs office no later than 4:30pm to receive your prize!
Location: Health Science Learning Center – Atrium
Want to learn more about a Rec Well program? Come visit us at our resource tables! We will have representatives from our program areas excited to talk to you and get you more involved as an Active Badger. We’ll have fun giveaways too!
Location: Shake Smart in Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Have you been dying to try some delicious, protein-packed shakes at Bakke? Now’s your chance! Shake Smart will be sampling their most popular shakes! So stop on over, grab a sample or two!
Locations: Gordon Dining and Dejope Residence Hall
Want to learn more about a Rec Well program? Come visit us at our resource tables! We will have representatives from our program areas excited to talk to you and get you more involved as an Active Badger. We’ll have fun giveaways too!
Location: Grainger Hall – West Atrium
Want to learn more about a Rec Well program? Come visit us at our resource tables! We will have representatives from our program areas excited to talk to you and get you more involved as an Active Badger. We’ll have fun giveaways too!
We will also have Business School Success coaches there to share about their program!
Location: Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Join us for a tour of Bakke with an accessibility and inclusion focus for members of the Disability Cultural Center. Registration is encouraged and can be found through the link below!
Location: Nielsen Tennis Stadium
This tennis skill clinic is designed for players looking for a beginner friendly introduction to the fundamentals to tennis. This clinic is free for students and Rec Well members and $28 for community members.
Registration is required and can be done here.
Location: Outdoors! Begin at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Join our friends from UHS’ Mental Health Services on a facilitator led walk along the Lakeshore Path. 3 MHS facilitators will be leading small groups on a gentle, guided walk along the Lakeshore nature path, with 3 – 4 designated spots to complete mindfulness activities. Snacks and fun giveaways will be available to participants too!
Location: Sub-Zero Ice Rink at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Drop by for some free ice skating! No skate pass required, skate rental will be available.
Location: Office of Student Assistance and Support in Bascom Hall
Want to be a part of our Active Badger takeover at Bascom? Join us for floor curling! We will be taking over the halls for some fun with other faculty and staff, and any students that would like to stop by!
Location: Lobby at the Red Gym
Interested in working at Rec Well? Stop by the Red Gym lobby to find out more about upcoming student employment opportunities and how you can work where you shine here!
Location: Shake Smart in Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Have you been dying to try some delicious, protein-packed shakes at Bakke? Now’s your chance! Shake Smart will be sampling their most popular shakes! So stop on over, grab a sample or two!
Location: Chazen Museum of Art
Join us for meditation with a calming backdrop – a gallery at the Chazen. This a free session and is open to students and Rec Well members!
Location: 4th floor Multipurpose room in the SAC at 333 East Campus Mall
ALPs is hosting a workshop focused on learning your leadership style and actively engaging in team challenges to practice that knowledge. The workshop is free for students! Gather some friends to come learn about yourself (and others) in a fun environment.
Location: Courts 3 & 4 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Join the Field Hockey sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the Field Hockey club Instagram for more information!
Location: Eagle Heights Community Center
Join us for Active Badger Day at Eagle Heights!
Bring the whole family for an afternoon of movement, exploration, and fun. Kids can jump right into a variety of engaging activity stations designed to get them active and smiling, while Rec Well staff will be on-site to share information and answer questions about our Youth Program offerings.
It’s the perfect chance to discover new activities, meet our team, and celebrate what it means to be an Active Badger. Come play, learn, and get moving with us!
Location: Esports Room & Mt. Mendota at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Join us for a night of climbing fun! Play 12 player PEAK, a game about a group of boy scouts climbing a mountain together, and do so while getting the opportunity to climb Mt. Mendota! Food and prizes will be available for participants. Registration is encouraged!
Location: The Well at Union South
Join Rec Well and WUD Wellness for create-your-own diamond art coasters, board games, puzzles, origami, free pizza, mocktails, and more!
Come solo to cultivate new connections or bring a friend at this drop in event. Registration isn’t required but is encouraged.
Location: Wolf Teaching Kitchen at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Celebrate Active Badger Day at Wolf Teaching Kitchen. Drop-in anytime between 5:30 – 7pm for activities and to taste our seasonal food of choice — citrus!
Location: Mt. Mendota at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
New to climbing and want to learn the basics? Mt. Mendota’s First Time Climb Event is an opportunity for people who want to begin their climbing journey to learn and be encouraged.These free, registration only events will feature several climbing instructors who are ready to teach you what you want to know!
Location: Soderholm Family Aquatic Center at the Nicholas Recreation Center
Join the Swim sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the Swim club Instagram for more information!
Location: Courts 3 & 4 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Join the Women’s Rugby sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the Women’s Rugby club Instagram for more information!
Location: Courts 1 & 2 at the Nicholas Recreation Center
Join the Cricket sport club at an open practice and see what their club is all about! This event is open to all students. Check out the cricket club Instagram for more information!
2026 Open Rec Schedule
Locations: Powerhouse & Level 3 at the Nicholas Recreation Center and Level 3 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Interact with your fellow Active Badgers through our whiteboards! Get some fun stickers and engage with our gym community in this low-stakes activity.
Location: Skybox Suites at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Get your game on in the Skybox Suites! If you haven’t tried out the sport simulators, Active Badger Day is the perfect opportunity! Reservations for 1-hour sessions in the simulators can be made up to one week in advance for up to 6 people per bay.
Location: Courts 3 – 6 at the Nicholas Recreation Center
If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec basketball happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.
Location: Rejuvenate Room at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Ever been interested in the nap pods? No better time to try them than on Active Badger Day. Find some time to take a rest!
Location: Court 1 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec volleyball happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.
Location: Court 2 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec pickleball happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.
Location: Courts 3 – 4 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec badminton happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.
Location: Courts 5 – 8 at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
If you are looking for a way to play your favorite sport, open rec is the space for you! Open rec basketball happens all week, and you can check our daily schedule here. Join us on Active Badger Day for some fun Active Badger stickers and community.
Locations: Cove Pool at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center and the Soderholm Family Aquatic Center at the Nicholas Recreation Center
When’s the last time you hopped in the pool for a swim? Join us at open rec! Here are the hours for both our pools on Active Badger Day:
Soderholm Family Aquatic Center (The Nick)
- 11am – 2pm
- 5 – 8:30pm
Cove Pool (Bakke)
- 3:30 – 8:30pm
Location: Mt. Mendota at the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Come check out the bouldering and top rope climbing wall! All you need is activity appropriate clothing, we have everything else! Learn more about the climbing wall below.
Locations: Nicholas Recreation Center and the Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center
Learn all about the equipment in our buildings! Active Badger Day is a great day for a free fitness equipment orientation. Register for one today!
Donation bin locations: Lobby at the Nick, lobby at Bakke, and lobby at Nielsen Tennis Stadium
Join our Rec Well Student Leadership Council in our annual food drive! We will accept all non-perishable and shelf-stable food items.
Thank You to Our Partners
Shout out to our friends on campus and in the community for making Active Badger Day the best way to spend a Thursday.
Accommodation Requests
If you need an accommodation to attend this event, email accommodations@recwell.wisc.edu. All accommodation requests should be made no less than two weeks before the event. We will attempt to fulfill requests made after this date but cannot guarantee they will be met.