Visiting the UW–Madison campus: what to see, where to park and where to eat

Start at Bascom Hill and Library Mall

• Bascom Hill: the heart of campus, rising from the end of State Street to Bascom Hall, built in 1859 and named for UW president John Bascom. The hill is part of a glacial drumlin left about 12,000 years ago.
• The Lincoln statue: halfway up, in front of Bascom Hall, a replica of Adolph Weinman's Lincoln unveiled in 1909. By tradition, graduates sit in his lap and whisper their aspirations in his ear.
• Library Mall and Memorial Library, 728 State St.: the main research library welcomes visitors, who can get a day pass at the Welcome Desk (you may be asked for photo ID).
• Chazen Museum of Art, 750 University Ave.: the university art museum, always free.

Memorial Union and the Terrace

Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St., opened in 1928 on the shore of Lake Mendota. Inside are Der Rathskeller, a German-style beer hall with pub food and live music; the Wisconsin Union Theater; art galleries; and a campus welcome desk.

The Terrace behind it, with its 2,000 sunburst chairs in green, orange and yellow, is the classic Madison summer spot. Seats are first come, first served. The Wisconsin Union is a membership organization: visitors are welcome with a $1 one-day membership, sold at the Union's cafes. The chairs come out each spring (April 15 in 2026) and were put away for the season on October 27.

Union South, 1308 W. Dayton St. by Camp Randall, has bowling, billiards and a two-story climbing wall at The Sett, a movie theater, and Badger Bash before home football games.

Along the lake

• The Lakeshore Path: starts at the end of North Park Street by Memorial Union and follows Lake Mendota west. Bikes are allowed on the Howard Temin section to Oxford Road, but not on the path out to Picnic Point. Leashed dogs are welcome.
• Observatory Hill: two effigy mounds, a bird and a two-tailed water spirit built nearly 1,000 years ago, plus a view across Lake Mendota to Picnic Point. Washburn Observatory, UW's first scientific research building, opens for free public stargazing on the first and third Wednesday of each month.
• Picnic Point: walk nearly a mile out into the lake from the gate on University Bay Drive. The Lakeshore Nature Preserve is open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Allen Centennial Garden, 620 Babcock Dr.: 2.5 acres showing 27 styles of gardening, free, dawn to dusk.

Museums, ice cream and game days

• UW Geology Museum, Weeks Hall, 1215 W. Dayton St.: fossils and minerals, free, open weekdays and Saturday mornings.
• The Discovery Building, 330 N. Orchard St.: its first-floor Town Center is open to the public and has a campus welcome desk.
• Babcock Dairy Store, 1605 Linden Dr.: about 20 flavors of ice cream and student-made cheese from UW's own dairy plant. It's cashless; parking nearby is free after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends.
• Camp Randall Stadium stands on the site of a Civil War training camp, and the Kohl Center hosts basketball and hockey. See our game day guide.

Tours, buses and parking

• Campus tours: admissions tours, open houses and info sessions for prospective students require registration through the university's VisitBucky site. Anyone can take the official narrated self-guided tour on a phone, a 60-minute accessible route, or pick up a printed visitor guide and map at the Memorial Union or Union South desks.
• Campus buses: Metro Routes 80, 81, 82 and 84 are free for everyone, including visitors.
• Parking: the university suggests Lot 6 (Helen C. White garage) for Memorial Union and Lots 17, 20 or 80 (under Union South) for Union South and the Discovery Building; the city's State Street Campus Garage is also close. Campus garages charge visitors $1 per 30 minutes for the first 3 hours (up to $15 a day), and $1 an hour (up to $5) on evenings and weekends. Allow 45 to 60 minutes to park and walk, and check live availability at map.wisc.edu.

More in our getting around guide and free things to do.