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    Kohl Center

    3.8 (42 reviews)

    Kohl Center Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Kohl Center

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    Sophie Y.

    Came here for our first Badgers basketball game! Event parking was $15 at the nearby UW garage. We got there a little early and toured the entire stadium where we learned so much history of various sports. Our seats were very close to the front and we met Bucky for the first time. Seats were not as comfy but couldn't expect too much since it's not NBA. Food and drinks were ridiculously expensive.

    Badger basketball
    PJ C.

    Hard to believe that given all of the visits to Madison over the decades I had never been to any event in the Kohl Center. Now living here I made it my goal to get to an event as soon as possible. We picked up tickets to a Wisconsin basketball game and headed down on a Wednesday night. We had time to check out the facility and enjoyed all of the displays of the different Wisconsin sports and athletes in the concourses. The arena space itself seems well laid out and pretty typical. I was surprised that the rest rooms were so small and poorly marked. Unlike others I was not surprised that they didn't serve booze given it was an on-campus facility. We didn't try any of the food but there looked to be a good selection with some nice Wisconsin touches like the Supper Club stand. Parking is also a challenge but if you are willing to walk 10 mins or so you can find cheap and uncongested parking downtown.

    Badger basketball
    Chy R.

    Always good memories coming here for the UW Badgers Basketball games. I have nothing but fond memories, no matter who the opponents they're playing against. They have metal detectors now at the door, which is a plus since you don't have to unzip your jackets anymore and feel like a flasher. No more flashlight searches in ladies' purses either! . . . . . Hope you're still watching and falling asleep at the games, Marty. Even up there.

    Metallica Nov 2, 2018
    Joseph H.

    No alcohol at a Metallica concert? First of all, parking was a little confusing. After getting in the slow moving traffic that was leading up to the venue, we had to turn around, drive around and figure out where to park. Luckily about 20 mins later, we got a spot in a random parking lot behind the venue. That lot charged us $15. I don't think there's an actual venue lot to park in. There was no alcohol being served. Yeah I get it, rules are rules and this is a campus town. No beer at a Metallica concert just doesn't sound right though. On the bright side, I was able to remember the concert very well and saved a lot of money. The positive, everything was very clean. The bathrooms, concessions and just the whole arena itself. I'm also used to being at bigger arenas, so considering this arena was smaller made the concert a bit more intimate. The fact that there was no alcohol made for less rowdy people everywhere as well if that's your thing. I would definitely go back if there was a worthy concert. Now I know where to park and how much pre-drinking I should do.

    Shayn L.

    Took my son to see a Badgers basketball game on a cold Tuesday night. It was Badgers vs the Indiana Hoosiers. Of course the Badgers beat them thanks to a dominant performance by Ethan Happ. He scored a seasons best 28 points. The stadium is beautiful, clean venue, and best of all screams Badger Pride. We enjoyed our first trip to the Khol Center and we will return for another! Fly the W

    Otis H.

    The Kohl Center is always full of interesting events: Art, Celebrations, Graduations, Games, Concerts and the like. The concession prices are ridiculously high, and the popcorn is so salty you will have to buy a $4.50 water(that costs $1.25 in real life). A great experience, promoting Breast Cancer Awareness month. My first college basketball game ever. I'm so glad we were able to attend.

    Michelle D.

    During women's basketball season, you can find me courtside. It is a great facility! Bathrooms are usually clean and easy to get into. Staff and Volunteer Concessions are friendly. I've been here for many different types of sports and concerts. I will keep coming back. Only thing keeping this from being perfect is the RC cola drinks. Gross. Come on, Badgers! Bite the bullet and get better drink choices. Even the Badger Max Water is not great. It's water, it shouldn't taste weird. The drinks do not stop me from attending games but I don't spend as much on concessions as I used too.

    Kohl Center front in the daytime
    Alex N.

    Of course I love the Badgers, but we're talking about the venue here people. Walking into the Kohl Center is like walking into an NBA arena. Its great in that it's basically brand new (1998) but it most definitely lacks that "college basketball arena" feel. The place seats 17,190 people (just ~1,000 less than the Bucks at the Bradley Center) for Buckys sake! Now let's talk about the placement of the student section, another important feature of college venues. Pretty bad in my opinion. Of course a place built in the late 90's and primarily funded by donations (named after US senator Herb Kohl who donated $25 mil of his own cash) more than likely isn't going to put student placement first. You've got to have your rich alumni sitting lengthwise along the court and also have tons of luxury boxes. Surprisingly to me (as far as the building structure itself), the Kohl Center is considered one of the most raucous home courts in the Big Ten and in all of college basketball and boasted a 38 game home winning streak in 2001 (no doubt thanks to whiskey-filled student section and upper deck). However, of course the place gets loud, has new top notch equipment for the prospective and current athletes, and has a really cool blown glass decoration as you walk in the main gate. If you can get suite tickets, do it. Its all you can drink bottled beer and food (chicken fingers, pizza, variety of dips, chips, and veggies. After visiting games at older stadiums (Illinois, Duke, Northwestern) I can only imagine seeing a Badger hoops game (I've seen other events) at the old Field House.

    Enjoying a Suite at a Badger Basketball game.
    Deb F.

    We're here for a basketball game and had a suite provided by an employee. Food and drink and an enjoyable game to watch. The games at the Kohl Center are always a blast. The service in the suite was excellent.

    Foo Fighters at the Kohl Center on November 7, 2017.
    Lauren H.

    I'm not very sportsy, but I am rocky, so my review of the Kohl Center is based on my experience at the Foo Fighters concert on November 7, 2017. Foo Fighters = A++++++++++ Kohl Center = C or C- Pros: - The building is laid out nicely. There aren't bottlenecks at the doors when people are entering the arena. Getting in/out of the building is easy, and the concourses are roomy. - Getting through security is quick and efficient. The security consisted of a purse check and walking through a metal detector. Coats/jackets could remain on. - The bathrooms are big, clean and have lots of stalls. The bathroom lines (even with a sold-out event) are short. - The arena itself is clean. It seems like a totally new structure even though it was built in 1998. - Ushers are friendly and helpful in directing you to your seat. - Parking is not bad. While there really isn't ample parking very close to the arena, we only had to walk a few blocks after parking in the State Street garage. Cons: - Concessions are very limited and not vegetarian- and/or health-friendly. The choices included hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, popcorn, pretzels, mac & cheese, ice cream and some candy items. A larger variety of food options -- wraps, various sandwiches, salads -- would have been nice. - Concession stands were quite pokey. I stood in line for over five minutes with only two orders in front of me. The people working the concession stands did not appear to work quickly or try to keep the line moving. - Alcohol. I understand the campus is a "dry" campus, but a FF concert isn't a school event. Why is alcohol not served at a rock concert? It's my understanding that the Kohl Center has served alcohol at other concerts before. The answer I received from the concession stand lady was that alcohol is not served at the Kohl Center because any venue associated with the UW doesn't serve alcohol. How does this explain alcohol sales within the suites at the Kohl Center? While I'm happy Foo came to Madison for a concert and I enjoyed the show, I don't plan on returning to the Kohl Center.

    @ the Badger game!!!

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    Ask the Community - Kohl Center

    Is alcohol available at events at the Kohl Center?

    Not at concerts either. And they don't tell you until after you are in the door and there is no reentry once you are inside. So do not go early If you smoke. Go to a bar before hand and sneak little bottles in.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Kohl Center

    Home to the Badger's hockey and basketball team, this place is nice and clean, fairly easy to find, and has some nice displays, too.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

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    Camp Randall Stadium

    Camp Randall Stadium

    (70 reviews)

    I've been to quite a few B1G stadiums at this point in my post-college career and Camp Randall…read moredidn't seem to have a bad seat in the house, but the lack of food selection diversity was a drag. We waited over 30 minutes for a hot dog in a line with no more that 10 people in it, and the cashier was chit chatting while everyone missed almost an entire quarter of game-play (I'm assuming that's just midwestern culture, but I don't need to chat, I just want my food and then I want to get back to my seat to watch some football). We also jokingly deemed Camp Randall "Ramp Randall" because of the ramp system to get into the upper decks.

    Camp Randall Stadium at the University of Wisconsin may be one of my favorite college stadiums I…read morehave ever visited! It's an absolute it way gorgeous stadium with an electric energy that makes Saturday's the best day of the week for the UW faithful or the weekend fans like myself! It's an older stadium, but it's in wonderful condition for what it puts up with between fans and the winters. It's a very easily navigable stadium with clear signage, multiple ways to the same place which limits congestion, well mapped out and copious food options on each level along with a good amount of bathrooms plus porta-potties for overflow. Not a bad seat in the house! We were too level about 25 rows up and I was in love with our seats and views of the game. Seating is aluminum benches, so I would advise a cushion or seat of some sort. My fanny would have thanked me a million times over if I would have thought of that prior to the game. Overall, absolute love Camp Randall Stadium, Badger football Saturday's, and the 80,000 Badger faithful that I spent time with on Saturday! Oh, and you can't forget Jump Around at the end of the third! What a great tradition that electrified the crowd more than a Badger touchdown!

    Keva Sports Center - They serve food!

    Keva Sports Center

    (20 reviews)

    Keva, Keva, Keva, you have so much potential to be THE sports multiplex in the tri area but you…read morekeep doing head-scratching things! For example, they have weekly open play pick-up volleyball with a paid membership. The first irritating thing is that it changes month to month, you have to check their websites for open dates and times. Second, it's only ONE court! *smh* Some days there are so many players that you have to rotate in. Other days there's not enough players unless you bring your own squad. What does it take to just set up two courts?! They have a really cool tiki bar outside with a firepit and patio furniture, but it's not in use. There's even an outdoor stage for live music but I've never seen a band there. There's a kitchen and dining area but the set-up is reminiscent of a elementary school cafeteria. Kids eat free with a purchase of an adult meal. If they just get better tables, some high-tops, and offer quality menu items other than just your typical concession stand food, more families would opt to make this their dinner destination instead of a last-minute emergency/as-needed joint. They have $10 pitchers on Tuesday nights, but a couple weeks ago, all their taps were Oktoberfests! *grrr* Again, offer some better options like some Lagunitas IPA and you'd have a line at the register. Ok, ok, ok, rant over.

    We tried their summer camp for the first time and I would never go back or recommend it to anyone…read moreelse. Completely disorganized, staff sit on phones... my kids were completely bored. Save your money.

    Warner Park Duck Pond - Sunset from Left Field

    Warner Park Duck Pond

    (6 reviews)

    As a person who doesn't like "people" or "going out." This…read moreplace was wonderful! I forgot to make a review when we sent for the game but I need to make one now. We had great seats for the game, but it's easy to see how many seat in this smaller stadium would be wonderful! It was a great night! Parking: The parking is fairly easy, even if you're a bad parker like I am. We got there semi early and still had a spot that wasn't very far from the entrance. I've never been to a baseball game and this stadium made me feel like I was living in a movie. The music. The food. It was great. The staff in every area were wonderful. I was super thankful for all the people who knew how things worked! Bathrooms:The bathrooms were okay, there were a large amount of them. But they weren't very clean. Food: The food was pretty decent when I finally had my burger, beer and nachos. There were a nice amount of places to get food so the lines weren't very long. For someone learning the game, I had a wonderful time learning the game in this small easy going stadium. The crowd was very low key. So I had a good time hearing my fiancé when things were going on. All in all, this was a great game to watch at a great stadium. (Though I still don't understand baseball.

    I've been to the Duck Pond a handful of times for Mallards games and it's a great time! The actual…read moreamount of baseball I've watched has been minimal (prior to the Duck Blind's renovation, the area barely even faced the field), but we generally seem to do well as a team. There's lots of entertainment in both the concourse area and during/after the game. There are tons of contests, challenges for prizes, and random entertainment like 80s cover bands and appearances by C-list celebrities. Your best bets for a fun night out is to go with either a family pack special or a Duck Blind ticket. The family-pack style tickets usually get you a reserved seat, a soda, a food item, and sometimes a promo item like a hat. It usually ends up being about $10-$15/person. The Duck Blind is the true draw, though. True, $40 sounds like a lot for a minor league ball ticket, but you get unlimited food and drinks (including a wide range of beer) through the seventh inning. If it's been a few years since your last Duck Blind experience, they've drastically improved seating and have expanded the food menu and setup. Stations are broken out around the ground floor to break up the lines, and many sides are now self-serve. There are several soda fountains throughout the space (including up in the grandstand), and you have your pick of 25+ beers. It's not just cheap-o lawnmower beers, either; there are IPAs, ciders, Great Dane brews, and more. Food choices now include things like BBQ pork, smoked chicken, and boneless wings in addition to your standard burger/brat/hot dog selection. Lines moved very quickly when we went and we were able to find seating upstairs. The sun gets a little hot, but it was nice to have a place to sit considering the length of most baseball games. Other ballpark fun to note: don't miss Maynard Mallard zip lining in to start the game, and cheer for at least five runs scored by the home team so you can trade in your ticket for a free scoop of Culver's custard.

    Kohl Center - stadiumsarenas - Updated May 2026

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