Explore the real-world places that appear in Real Life by Brandon Taylor. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus, Memorial Library, College of Letters and Science Building, Babcock Hall Dairy Store, Lake Mendota and 9 more.
University Avenue & Park Street — Center of academic life
The novel is set primarily on the UW-Madison campus where Wallace, the Black gay protagonist, is a graduate student in a biochemistry program. He navigates the racist and homophobic dynamics of his lab, mentorship under Professor Lucien, and isolation from his peers. The campus becomes the geographical and psychological center where Wallace experiences both intellectual fulfillment and profound alienation. His apartment, his lab work, and his social encounters all radiate from this academic hub.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison was founded in 1848 as Wisconsin Territory's flagship educational institution. The campus grew to become one of America's leading research universities, particularly in the sciences. By the 21st century, it was a major research institution with significant graduate programs.
UW-Madison remains one of the top public research universities in the United States, with over 45,000 students and extensive graduate research programs across all sciences. The campus is open to visitors and offers guided tours.
Visit: University of Wisconsin-Madison Campus (landmark)
University Avenue — Campus landmark and study space
Memorial Library serves as a refuge for Wallace, where he spends hours researching and attempting to focus on his biochemistry work. The library represents both intellectual sanctuary and a place where he observes the social hierarchies of the university. It's where Wallace sometimes seeks solitude to escape the tensions of his lab and the broader campus environment.
Memorial Library, completed in 1953, was built as a memorial to UW-Madison students and alumni who died in World War I and II. It became one of the largest university libraries in the country and a defining structure on the campus skyline.
Memorial Library remains the central library for UW-Madison, serving over 45,000 students and faculty. It houses millions of volumes and continues as a major academic resource and iconic campus landmark. Visitors can enter during operating hours.
Visit: Memorial Library (library)
University Avenue — Academic administrative hub
The College of Letters and Science building represents the institutional framework within which Wallace's graduate program operates. He navigates departmental bureaucracy, encounters with advisors, and the formal structures of academic life through this building. It's a space of both hope and frustration as Wallace pursues his scientific aspirations.
The College of Letters and Science is one of UW-Madison's largest and oldest colleges, established in the 19th century. The building has served as an administrative center for the college and represents the academic traditions of the university.
The College of Letters and Science remains a central administrative building on campus, housing faculty offices and serving as the hub for the liberal arts and sciences programs. It is publicly accessible during business hours.
Visit: College of Letters and Science (landmark)
1605 Linden Drive — On-campus ice cream establishment
The Babcock Hall Dairy Store becomes a social space where Wallace and other graduate students sometimes gather. It represents casual social interaction and the leisure time that punctuates his intense academic work. The store serves as a backdrop for informal conversations and moments of attempted normalcy in Wallace's complicated social life.
Babcock Hall was built in 1951 as a teaching and research facility for the University of Wisconsin's dairy program. The on-site ice cream shop began selling frozen dairy products made from milk produced on university farms, becoming a beloved campus institution.
Babcock Hall Dairy Store continues to operate as a popular campus destination, selling ice cream and cheese produced as part of the UW's dairy research and teaching programs. It is open to the public and remains a beloved Wisconsin tourist attraction.
Visit: Babcock Hall Dairy Store (restaurant)
North of campus — Madison's largest lake
Lake Mendota represents a space of natural beauty and refuge for Wallace. He visits the lake to process his emotions, reflect on his isolation, and escape the social pressures of campus. The lake provides moments of contemplation and connection to nature that contrast with the intensity of his academic and social struggles.
Lake Mendota is one of two large lakes within Madison's city limits. The lake has been central to Madison's geography and recreation for centuries. Native Americans, fur traders, and settlers all relied on the lake, which eventually became a symbol of the city's natural beauty.
Lake Mendota is a major recreational and ecological resource for Madison. It offers opportunities for kayaking, sailing, fishing, and walking paths. The lake is publicly accessible through multiple parks and shoreline access points.
Visit: Lake Mendota Parks & Shoreline (park)
University Avenue to Capitol Square — Main commercial corridor
State Street runs between the campus and downtown Madison, serving as a social and commercial artery. Wallace navigates this street as part of his daily campus life, encountering shops, restaurants, and other students. It represents the collision between academic life and the broader Madison community, a space where he observes social interactions and sometimes participates in them.
State Street developed in the late 19th century as Madison's main commercial thoroughfare connecting the university to the state Capitol. By the 20th century, it had become a vibrant mixed-use corridor with shops, restaurants, and cultural institutions.
State Street remains Madison's most vibrant commercial and social district, pedestrian-only in the central section. It is lined with independent shops, restaurants, bars, and bookstores. The street is a major cultural hub and tourist destination.
Visit: State Street (landmark)
Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard & Main Street — Center of government and city
Capitol Square represents the civic center of Madison and occasionally appears in Wallace's awareness as he navigates the city. It symbolizes the broader world beyond the university, a space of democratic institutions and public life. For Wallace, it remains somewhat distant from his daily experience, a reminder of systems and structures that exist beyond his immediate concerns.
The Wisconsin State Capitol was built between 1906 and 1917, designed in the Beaux-Arts style. The Capitol Square was developed as a public gathering space and symbolic center of Wisconsin's government. The square has hosted countless protests, celebrations, and civic events.
The Capitol Square remains the vibrant heart of Madison, hosting the farmers market, outdoor concerts, festivals, and year-round activities. The building offers guided tours and is surrounded by restaurants, shops, and museums. It is one of Wisconsin's top tourist destinations.
Visit: Wisconsin State Capitol (historic site)
North Brearly Street — North-side park and shoreline
Tenney Park provides another natural refuge where Wallace might seek solitude and escape from the social pressures of campus and his personal life. The park's proximity to Lake Mendota and its quieter atmosphere make it a place for contemplation and recovery from the intense emotional and social dynamics of his daily existence.
Tenney Park was developed in the early 20th century as part of Madison's parks system. It has long been a quiet neighborhood park offering lake access and green space to north-side residents and visitors seeking nature.
Tenney Park remains a public park with beach access, picnic areas, and walking paths along Lake Mendota. It is open to the public year-round and offers peaceful recreational opportunities.
Visit: Tenney Park (park)
1141 Highland Avenue — Wallace's laboratory workspace
The Biochemistry Building is where Wallace spends much of his time as a graduate student, conducting research and attempting to navigate the complex social dynamics of his lab. Here he works under Professor Lucien, experiences both mentorship and alienation, and confronts the realities of being a Black gay man in a predominantly white academic environment. The lab becomes a site of intellectual engagement and profound emotional struggle.
The Biochemistry Building is part of UW-Madison's extensive science and research complex developed throughout the 20th century. It represents the university's commitment to advanced research and graduate education in the biological sciences.
The Biochemistry Building remains an active research and teaching facility for UW-Madison. It houses laboratory spaces, offices, and classrooms for graduate and undergraduate programs in biochemistry and molecular biology.
North of campus — Graduate student housing neighborhoods
Wallace's apartment is located in this area north of campus where many graduate students live. His small living space becomes a refuge and also a site of isolation. The neighborhood represents the liminal space between campus life and the broader Madison community, where Wallace attempts to create a private life separate from the academic world.
This neighborhood developed in the mid-20th century as Madison expanded and graduate enrollment increased. It became a typical graduate student housing area with affordable apartments and proximity to campus.
The area remains a neighborhood of modest apartments, duplexes, and rental properties populated by graduate students and young professionals. It maintains its character as an affordable, convenient residential area near campus.
23 North Pinckney Street — Classic Wisconsin tavern
The Old Fashioned represents a space where Madison's social world intersects with its historical character. Though not explicitly named in the novel, establishments like this embody the Madison social scene where Wallace and other characters navigate leisure time, social interactions, and the broader cultural context of the city.
The Old Fashioned opened in 1952 as a traditional Wisconsin tavern serving the Capitol Square area. It has remained a beloved Madison institution, famous for serving the state cocktail — the Old Fashioned — and representing classic Wisconsin tavern culture.
The Old Fashioned continues to operate as a popular Madison restaurant and bar, serving traditional Wisconsin cuisine and cocktails. It remains a major tourist destination and gathering place for locals on Capitol Square.
Visit: The Old Fashioned (restaurant)
750 University Avenue — University art museum
The Chazen Museum represents cultural and aesthetic life within the university community. For Wallace, such institutions exemplify the intellectual and cultural dimensions of university life, though they also remain spaces where he observes social hierarchies and dynamics that extend beyond academic work.
The Chazen Museum was established as the University of Wisconsin Art Museum in 1962, initially housed in temporary spaces before moving to a permanent building designed by renowned architect Eero Saarinen in 1970.
The Chazen Museum of Art remains a major university museum with significant collections of contemporary, modern, and historical art. It is free and open to the public, offering exhibitions, education programs, and cultural events.
Visit: Chazen Museum of Art (museum)
South of campus near Vilas Avenue — Large recreational park
Vilas Park, located south of campus, represents another natural refuge where Wallace might escape the intensity of his academic and social life. The large park with its zoo, trails, and lake access provides spaces for solitude and reflection away from the immediate pressures of campus.
Vilas Park was donated to the city of Madison in the late 19th century and developed into one of Madison's largest and most important parks. The park has housed the Madison Zoo and served as a major recreational resource for generations.
Vilas Park remains one of Madison's premier recreational destinations, featuring the Henry Vilas Zoo, beach access on Lake Wingra, picnic areas, and extensive walking trails. It is free and open to the public year-round.
Visit: Vilas Park & Henry Vilas Zoo (park)
770 Langdon Street — Iconic campus social space
The Memorial Union Terrace represents the heart of casual campus social life. Wallace occasionally inhabits this space, observing and sometimes participating in the social dynamics of the university. The terrace embodies both the promise of community and the reality of his alienation from it, a place where he watches others belong while struggling with his own sense of exclusion.
The Memorial Union was built in 1928 as a gathering place for the university community. The terrace, overlooking Lake Mendota, became one of the most iconic spaces in the university, expanding its capacity and cultural significance over the decades.
Memorial Union Terrace remains one of Madison's most beloved social spaces, especially in warm weather when it fills with students, faculty, and community members. It serves food and beverages and is open to the public. It is a major tourist and social destination.
Visit: Memorial Union Terrace (landmark)
More by Brandon Taylor: All Brandon Taylor books
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