Scene in the series
In Stranger Things (from Season 1 onwards, beginning in 2016), Hawkins National Laboratory is the central axis around which the entire story revolves. It is the site of the government experiments conducted on Eleven and other children, the origin of the gate to the Upside Down, and the institutional force attempting to control, conceal, and exploit supernatural phenomena. Numerous scenes take place within its sterile corridors, observation rooms, and underground chambers, establishing the lab as a space of secrecy, fear, and moral ambiguity.
Narratively, Hawkins Lab functions as the antithesis of home and childhood safety. While houses, schools, and arcades represent community and familiarity, the lab embodies isolation and control. Its presence looms over the series even when it is off-screen, shaping character motivations and driving the central mystery across multiple seasons.
The real location
Hawkins National Laboratory was filmed at Emory University’s Briarcliff Campus, specifically Briarcliff Building A, in Atlanta, Georgia. The building was originally constructed as part of a psychiatric hospital complex and later stood vacant for many years. Its institutional architecture, long corridors, and utilitarian design made it particularly suitable for portraying a secretive Cold War–era research facility.
The surrounding wooded grounds and isolated setting further enhanced the illusion of a government installation hidden in plain sight. Extensive interior and exterior modifications were carried out by the production team, transforming the abandoned structure into one of the most recognisable fictional locations in modern television.
Why this location was chosen
The creators of Stranger Things needed a location that felt authentic, unsettling, and grounded in real-world history. A former psychiatric hospital provided a believable foundation for a clandestine research lab, tapping into existing cultural associations with secrecy, experimentation, and institutional power.
From a production perspective, the long-vacant building allowed for significant set construction without disrupting active facilities. Georgia’s film incentives, combined with Emory University’s willingness to accommodate large-scale productions, made Briarcliff an ideal choice. Visually, the building’s repetitive geometry and controlled lighting helped establish the lab’s oppressive atmosphere, reinforcing the show’s themes of surveillance and loss of autonomy.
Visiting the location
The Briarcliff Campus is part of Emory University and is not open to the public as a Stranger Things attraction. The building used as Hawkins Lab is not accessible for interior visits, and the campus has undergone redevelopment since filming. Visitors may view parts of the exterior from public areas, but access restrictions apply.
Fans interested in visiting should treat the site as an exterior-only location and respect university property and signage. As with many Stranger Things filming locations, the real-world setting now blends back into everyday use, with little visible trace of its on-screen identity.
