Wisconsin's youngest hospital patients have a shiny new place for treatment -- a 250-thousand square foot UW hospital.

The current children's hospital occupies one floor of UW Hospital.

The president says the new facility is a boost for the whole community. It is known as American Family Children's Hospital. The insurer donated about $15 million toward the project.

The hospital has the latest in medical technology, but it also has "creature comforts" from the north woods to dairy farms and the state's small towns.

You can walk back in time by strolling through UW Hospital and Clinics newest facility.

"Today we can say proudly we have a full-service children's hospital right here in Madison," UW Hospital and Clinics President Donna Sollenberger says.

American Family Children's Hospital is state of the art in care but old Wisconsin in style. Visitors step into a town square with a movie theater, replica Fond du Lac Lighthouse as well as a train station which doubles as an information desk.

"I was trying to think of a word to describe my reaction. I think it's magical," Sollenberger says.

... Magical and more comfortable for families like the Natzkes ...

Kathie Natzke says her family spent quite a bit of time at the current UW Children's Hospital after her 5-year-old son, Paul, was born with spina bifida.

"Although we got exceptional medical care there, which is of course the priority, the rooms were small. And everything was kind of dingy and drab," she says.

Here, each of the six floors has a theme. For example, outpatients on the second floor will see farm-related fixtures.

But the biggest plus, patients say, bigger patient rooms and more of them. The hospital eventually will have more than 80 rooms.

"The patient rooms are double the size they were in the old hospital, and I just think that that's the big thing to have room for people to come and visit us," Natzke says.

Among the support areas for families, Tyler's Place, where siblings can go to play in a supervised area.

"The older one was just for the patients, for them, for their luxury...

Now they've got fun for the siblings and the parents," 10-year-old Paige Natzke says.

"Just to be able to come some place that's funner, and you know, to say you can play in the playroom if we go and have our visit with our doctor, then you know, it'll just make it easier," Kathie Natzke says.

Fundraising for the hospital continues, including for phase two. In the meantime, it will open to patients at the end of next month. An open house for the public is scheduled for Sunday from 1:00-5:00pm.