Where Was ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Filmed? Details on the Real Mystic Falls

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Sorry, Vampire Diaries fans, Mystic Falls isn’t actually a real place in Virginia. While the stars of the CW show — which aired from 2009 to 2017 — did in fact film on location, there’s no town out there teeming with vampires, werewolves or hybrids (thank goodness for that). Keep reading for more details about where the fan-favorite series was filmed. 

Where Was ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Filmed?

Initially, the show was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. However, following the first episode, production moved to Covington, Georgia — which acted as Mystic Falls for the show’s seven seasons. Other areas around Atlanta also doubled as the fictional town.

“We spent a lot of beautiful, perfect summer Georgia evenings. You know, just sort of, like, sitting there together just running lines,” Ian Somerhalder, who played Damon Salvatore, told Today in April 2021 about his onscreen brother, Paul Wesley (Stefan Salvatore). “I remember we moved in next to each other in season 1. We had apartments next to each other.”

From the sound of it, the show’s filming locations mean just as much to the stars as they do to the fans.

Is Mystic Falls a Real Place?

Mystic Falls may be fictional, however, some of The Vampire Diaries filming locations can be visited by fans. Most importantly, the Mystic Grill is a real restaurant in Covington, Georgia, and a lot of fans stop by to snap pictures where Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Stefan had various dates over the years. While some of the homes aren’t available for the public, other important locations can be visited by longtime viewers.

The Newton County Courthouse, for example, is a focal point of Mystic Falls and it is in fact a real and operational building. Similarly, Oxford College at Emory University stood in for Whitmore College where Elena, Caroline (Candice King) and Bonnie (Kat Graham) attended college.

How to Watch ‘The Vampire Diaries’?

After the show was removed from Netflix in September 2022, fans were worried that the show wouldn’t be available for streaming anymore. However, all seasons are streaming on Peacock and HBO Max. So, get ready to figure out if you’re really Team Stefan or Team Damon.

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