Movies and TV Show Filming Locations in Georgia and the Carolinas

If you love movie-based travel destinations and have wanted to visit the Southeast, this post is for you. Georgia and the Carolinas have been providing perks and tax breaks to production companies choosing to do business in their states to bring in more revenue and job opportunities during the tourist off-season. As a result, the area has increasingly become a hotbed of activity when it comes to movies and television shows. If you love all things pop culture and want to incorporate it into your next road trip, here are some movies and TV show filming locations you may want to check out.

Movie and TV Shows Filming Locations in Georgia

Georgia, well known for producing the three “p’s in agriculture; peaches, peanuts, and pecans, is also home to many large corporations like Coca-Cola and Chick-fil-A. The mountains, beaches, and historical sites appeal to travelers the world over. It is also where several popular television series are filmed, here are just a few:

Find The Walking Dead Scenes Outside of Atlanta

Fans of The Walking Dead already know that the town of Senoia, just outside of Atlanta was where most of the scenes for this long-running series were shot. If you’re a fan of Rick, Michonne, and The Whisperers, be sure to check out The Georgia Tour Company in Senoia to get your TWD fix.

Stranger Things TV Show Filming Locations

Set in the fictional, Hawkins Indiana, Stranger Things brings with it some nostalgia for Millenials and GenX when it comes to all things eighties. If you’re a fan of this supernatural hit, the Atlanta area is one place to add to your travel itinerary.

Downtown Jackson is where you want to go if you’re interested in seeing the stores where both Joyce and Bob worked and if you’d like to have a fun little date night, consider heading to Dominick’s Italian in Norcross. On the show, it’s the site of Enzo’s where Joyce was supposed to meet Jim for a date.

Run, Forrest, Run… to These Georgia Filming Locations

Most of the filming for this classic film takes place in the Savannah, Georgia area. The most famous spot being the bench where Forrest recounts his life story. This bench was placed in Chippewa Square during filming but can now be found in the Savannah History Museum. Additional filming locations include both the Wormsloe Historic Site and the Mercer-Williams House.

The Hunger Games Movies Filming Locations

The Hunger Games is another popular series filmed in Georgia. President Snow’s mansion is actually The Swan House; visitors can dine here and walk the grounds. And if you head just outside Atlanta, Sweetwater Creek State Park, you’ll see sites where several outdoor scenes from the series were filmed. It’s been a popular spot for production crews in recent years, as Cobra Kai, MacGyver (2016 – 2021), and Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War were all filmed at the park.

Black Panther

Speaking of Marvel, scenes from Black Panther were also filmed in the Atlanta area, including the exterior and interior of Atlanta’s High Museum of Art; which served as the Great Britain Museum in the film.

Note: Fans of Chadwick Boseman, who wish to pay their respects to the late actor who portrayed T’Challa, may wish to head 2.5 hours north to Anderson, South Carolina. The town where Boseman was born, is located a few hours from Charlotte, NC, and is home to a newly constructed memorial and exhibit in his honor. The memorial is located at Carolina Wren Park and features works from a variety of South Carolinian artists celebrating Boseman’s life.

Popular Productions Filmed in South Carolina

If you like tennis, you already know that South Carolina is home to the Credit One Charleston Open. South Carolina is also home to beaches, mountains, and everything in between and makes an ideal place for a family vacation, no matter what you’re into. It’s also another of those states that offer significant tax breaks for production crews; here are a few movies filmed in The Palmetto State.

The lowcountry is full of marshlands making it a realistic backdrop for the war scenes in Forrest Gump; these were filmed in the Beaufort (near Hilton Head) area. Most of the rest of the scenes, however, were, as noted previously, filmed in Savannah.

The Notebook

Cypress Gardens is a historic botanical garden located in Moncks Corner, South Carolina has served as a popular movie and TV show filming location for several movies. Some of the most iconic scenes from Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook, were shot here. The magical-looking cypress trees draped with Spanish moss create a beautifully haunting setting; movie or otherwise. It’s a wonderful place to visit with the family with ample walking trails, boat rides through the blackwater swamp, and a butterfly house.

Swamp Thing (1982)

Wes Craven’s Swamp Thing, while set in Louisiana, was also filmed at Cypress Gardens. In the film, a scientist transforms into a monster after a lab accident. Swamp Thing combines horror, action, and romance; love it or hate it, it’s undeniably a cult classic.

Television Shows Filmed in South Carolina

A variety of television shows have been (and are currently) filming in the Charleston area and surrounding suburbs. If you’re a Danny McBride fan, you’ll know that he is a big fan of Charleston, South Carolina. McBride and his family visit the area often. If you find yourself in the downtown Charleston area, you’ll recognize some of the sites from his television shows; Vice Principals, The Righteous Gemstones, and Eastbound and Down.

Fun Fact: The next time you’re in Charleston, and you’re talking to a local, they’ve either probably seen filming taking place and can let you know where to go or have been in, or know someone who has been a background actor in one of the many movies or shows filmed in the area.

North Carolina Movies and TV Show Filming Locations

Dirty Dancing at Lake Lure North Carolina

Lake Lure is a man-made lake just an hour and a half outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. It sits at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains and was the setting for Dirty Dancy. Each year, the Lake Lure Dancing Festival attracts dance and movie fans from all over. The area is also popular for fans of camping and watersports.

The Last of the Mohicans Filming Locations

One of the most popular movies and TV show filming locations in North Carolina is the Blue Ridge Mountain range. The Last of the Mohicans, based on the novel by James Fenimore Cooper, was filmed here. Filming took place in Chimney Rock State Park, where visitors can hike the trails and take in some of the stunning vistas seen in the movie.

Nights in Rodanthe

One of North Carolina’s most famous movies, Nights in Rodanthe is set and filmed in the Outer Banks. The novel, written by Nicholas Sparks highlights a romance that develops during a major storm. Visitors can book a stay at the inn; though it has been moved to a relatively safer location due to past hurricane damage.

The Fugitive

While you may not find “every gas station, residence, warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, and doghouse in that area,” you will recognize the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. It is the setting of a significant scene in The Fugitive. Check out our comprehensive guide to visiting Biltmore Estate to learn more. Head a bit west to Sylva to see the train crash set along the Great Smoky Railroad.

The Hunger Games

Much of The Hunger Games was filmed in Georgia but the first was filmed entirely in North Carolina. Head to the mountains for multiple filming locations including Asheville, Barnardsville, Black Mountain, Cedar Mountain, Charlotte, Concord, Hildebran, and Shelby. Abandoned coal mining towns set the stage for District 12 and DuPont State Forest was the natural setting for the forest scenes.