Our Visit to Wilmington for One Tree Hill Filming/Locations
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Ok, this is going to be a very long post. I know most of you have seen pictures of all the filming locations and probably have been to a lot of them and even have been extras. So I apologize some of this is old hat to you guys, but for us, this was our first time, we’re excited and as always, we want to share it with other fans! So click below to read the whole thing! It’s very picture-heavy so give it some time to load.
Unfortunately Heather and I could only go for one day. Heather has to work tomorrow morning so we left last night (Thursday 4-10-2008) and came back this evening (Friday). We didn’t get to the hotel until 11pm after we got lost a bit on the way to the hotel (Hampton Inn). We finally got settled in and found it to be a very nice hotel. Not quite as expensive as the Hilton and not downtown but we had a nice big room, free breakfast and free WIFI. Since this was a last minute trip we also had to share a King bed instead of our own since they had no more two bed rooms. Hey..we’re sisters, it’s ok. (”heading east” – left)
We were up before 7 and tried to get on the road as fast as we could. The filming was supposed to be 8-12 but it was already 8 by the time we left. And guess what? My car wouldn’t start! My battery was dead! We were shocked and had no idea what to do. Thankfully we found out they had a maintenance guy on staff with jumper cables. Whew! Anyway, we got to the cemetery (Bellview Cemetery) and they already had everything set up. We were anxious to see who was going to be in the scene since it listed 2 cast members and we know that Lucas and Peyton spend a lot of time visiting Keith and Peyton’s mom. We also figured there was a chance it was Dan. And lo and behold, after a few minutes we spotted Paul with a brown shirt and jeans on. (Hampton Inn Deluxe Room – right)
(see him there in the middle-left of the picture)
(you can see all the behind the scenes stuff. the table in the middle of the picture was the table with breakfast on it from what we could tell. i know, exciting stuff there)
So I don’t completely understand all “the rules” for what we can and can not post but just for the record, none of these were taken when they were actually filming. This next one is quite interesting though because you can see in the trees in the middle of the picture a crane holding a tombstone with the name Dan Scott on it. As we said earlier in our report, the scene was very simple and involved Dan standing at the end of a plot and watching his own tombstone being lowered. They did this several times. From what we could tell, he did not talk at all and didn’t really move either. Exciting stuff, huh??
Well, it wasn’t the most exciting scene ever but it was cool to see what all went into just a few second worth of the show. It is really a lot of work and a lot of people that go into to making this show we love. I definitely came out with a lot more respect for the crew. By 10:00 they were all heading out though so it was short-lived. We didn’t get to speak to anyone as we were across the street trying to stay out of the way. I hate I forgot my Dad’s bigger lens or I could have gotten closer. But there wasn’t a whole lot going on and what you’re seeing in these pictures is basically all we saw. I’m still a little confused why it says 2 cast members because I personally didn’t see anyone else. We thought maybe we saw James but we didn’t see him filming anything if that was in fact him. There were 6 other fans watching the filming and if you guys are reading this, let us know if you have more info! (cool trees next to the cemetery – left and right.)
So we headed downtown to catch some of the festival action and then did our filming locations tour. So here we go with that….
Clothes Over Bros was the first place besides the cemetery we went. And, honestly, we were shocked. We really didn’t realize that it stayed set up this way. All the clothes and everything was still in place. They had some blankets thrown over the couches but besides that, it looked like a real store that was just closed.
(on opposite corner with black awning)
(front view – the front door has Karen’s Cafe painted on the front on a piece of wood)
Next we headed to see the gym and where they film a lot of the outside school scenes where they’re walking down that corridor. You’ll recognize it in a second. This is actually called the Schwartz Center and is sitting beside something that has a maintenance garage in it. The parking lot is all for faculty and staff. It pretty much looks nothing like it does on TV except the columns are very recognizable. I was surprised to see it seemed so much smaller than it does on TV.
Next up was TRIC. This one was exciting for some reason. I wanted to go up and see if the whole club was up there and I assume it is. I’m sure if you’ve been an extra before you know where they film the club scenes…so fill me in! This one was a little surprising as well as TRIC is just part of a bigger building that is used for other business(es).
Next up was the river court. Heather was pretty excited to see that. We had seen it from Water Street on the other side of the river but we took the time to go over to see it in person. Something sort of cool though is that when we pulled up, several of what we’re pretty sure was the crew members were there at the court. When I saw them, some of them had stacks of papers with them and they were headed back to their vans. You can see them driving off here. I thought it was a little strange that they would go there since I’m guessing they know what the place looks like but I guess some things are easier to plan in person. Who knows.
(view from the parking lot.)
(walking up to it. The lights are in the middle of the picture. The basketball goals were not up)
(looking across the river into Downtown Wilmington)
(this is the view we normally don’t see. this is actually just some concrete in the field next to the NC Battleship. much, much less glamorous than you think.)
(view from standing on the court looking to the left down the river)’
(this is taken from Downtown)
(also taken from Downtown. You can see the big tree at the court in the middle of the picture and you can see the Battleship to the right there.)
OK, wow, this is getting long!! Next was Brooke’s house and the famous red door. People really live here and in fact, the pizza delivery guy came as soon as we took the picture.
OK, next is Nathan/Deb/Dan’s house. This house who has “real” owners was actually part of the Garden Tour for the NC Azalea Festival. You can see the girls dressed in their hoop skirts in the pictures. Someone please tell me their names (belles?) and the history on that if you know. We saw them all day all around the festival. Anyway, you could pay $20 a ticket to go tour the backyard gardens but this is really the only house we were interested in so we didn’t want to spend the money. Anyway, we got the front of it.
Peyton’s house was next. Honestly, this house was a lot smaller than I imagined. And the grass patch in the front is smaller too. Did the bushes change or something? I’m pretty sure Brooke and Peyton fought in that front lawn and it just didn’t seem big enough to do it right there.
Front of Peyton’s
Side of Peyton’s
(back of Peyton’s)
At this point we went to see Keith’s Body Shop but the camera flaked on me and I couldn’t get a picture. It looked like an absolutely normal body shop. Bigger building but smaller parking lot than I imagined.
Next was Karen and Lucas’s house. This house was WAY smaller and more rundown than I thought (don’t mean any disrespect to the family that lives there!!). Just saying it’s different than I thought. You can see Lucas’s bedroom door to the right side of the house.
(side of the house. that window would be Lucas’s room)
Next is the bridge from the opening. The bridge is actually downtown but a little hidden a few streets down. I imagined it out in the country somewhere but it’s right downtown with everything else.
(just a cool picture i took on the bridge)
And lastly we took some time to shop downtown. Glad we did too because we found CD Alley, Max’s record store, with the help of one of the vendors. It wasn’t listed on OTHFans.com’s map so I was happy to find that. It looked EXACTLY like it does on the show. That was the one filming location that I felt was the most authentic.
And lastly, here’s a general picture of Water and Market right downtown. CD Alley is a couple stores up the street there on the right. The boardwalk and river are right behind us.
I’d like to give a big thanks to OTHFans.com and their filming locations map. We’d have been lost without that!! Like I mentioned, the only thing that I think may have been missing was the record store. Also, we kept driving around looking for the church from Lucas and Lindsey’s wedding but we never did. If anyone has that info, I’d be curious to know where it was to see if we might have seen it and not realized it. Oh, and we were curious about Nathan and Haley’s house from this season but didn’t see any info about that.
I really fell in love with Wilmington even on a such a short visit. Downtown is beautiful and very unique. I would love to be able to spend a few days just enjoying the city. I can see why many of them have houses there!
In closing, I’d just like to say if you EVER get a chance to do this, do it!! My advice is to plan on being there on a Saturday so you can do the studio tour which we did not get to do. I would also try to plan a day when they are filming (some good scenes where people are actually talking and there is more than one person LOL) and see if you can be an extra. I wish we could have seen or met one of the core cast members but it just didn’t happen.
If you have gotten this far, give yourself a pat on the back! Whew! I think blogging this took longer than the actual trip!
52 Responses to “Our Visit to Wilmington for One Tree Hill Filming/Locations”
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April 11th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
omg thank you soooo much, im pretty new to one tree hill as a fan, but Very dedicated, check this site 10 times a day, so all of these pictures and everything are awesome to me!!! I want to go sooo bad and probably never will have a chance to while they are still filming the show… if anything maybe next year sometime during filming!!! I really appreciate all of the effort you put into the blog about your trip!! Loooove the pictures!!! Thank you thank you thank you!
April 12th, 2008 at 2:45 am
Thanks a lot!
Wish I could be in Wilmington!
April 12th, 2008 at 6:41 am
Thank you very much!!!
I’m Italian and I think your blog is wonderful!!!
April 12th, 2008 at 7:18 am
thank u thank u thank u soooo much i reeely want 2 go 2 wilmington and this reely helped me c wer the places are
April 12th, 2008 at 9:20 am
So you said there are people that actually live in the houses they film right? But do they film inside the houses or do they have a set for the rooms? Do they just film the outside of the house? What is the deal with this? Please explain it to me.
April 12th, 2008 at 9:41 am
Yes, people live in the houses. They obviously do lots of shots from the exterior and I believe they would have to do some filming inside the houses as well since it is obvious they walk in from the front door. I’m not really sure how that works since people live in the house…do they put them up in a hotel during the filming?? I’m pretty sure places like Lucas’s room and Peyton’s room are in the studio.
Someone correct me if I’m wrong!!
April 12th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Amy will probably have to answer this because I have NO IDEA. I know we both questioned this as well. I would think that they would have sets made up but I’m sure they do some shots with them walking in or whatever. I would think that the scenes like where Nathan has the party at this house would be filmed at the actual house but I’m not positive. I would assume the homeowners get compensated generously for their disturbance. Everyone there seemed to work around the show quite seamlessly. I still am not sure how I feel about them filming in a real cemetery. I don’t think I could have my loved one buried somewhere where they do filming. It’s just weird.
April 12th, 2008 at 10:19 am
heyy!! omg i am a huge fan of One Tree Hill and check this time more than daily lol! You guys are sooo luckyy, I would love to go there!! Thanks so much for putting up all the pics =]]] I am planning on going to Wilmington over the summer. I have one question though…you recommended going on a Saturday because of a studio tour? Is that a studio tour for One Tree Hill Studio? and how do you get to do that? like where do you have to go?
April 12th, 2008 at 10:25 am
Go visit the site http://www.screengemsstudios.com/ and click on Tours. It will give you all the information about the tours.
April 12th, 2008 at 11:02 am
SO I don’t know if these youtube clips will work, but I will try, because they are interviews with Mark Schwaan on set in Peyton and Lucas’s room and he talks a little bit about when they interview at the actual house or in the studio.
Lucas’s Room – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3zKy1wU6AY&feature=related
Peytons Room – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH7-MJIo3jo&feature=related
If they dont come up as links, just copy and paste, hope this helps a little bit at least!
April 12th, 2008 at 11:32 am
That is so cool! I really enjoyed reading the blog, thanks so much for taking the time to put it together for those of us who have never been to Wilmington! It looks like a really cute place. I hope to visit one day as well. How exciting for you guys!!! I especially loved the pictures of the River court and all the houses. Awesome!!!
April 12th, 2008 at 11:53 am
thank you soo much!
April 12th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Thanks for the pictures! It was cool to see. Betty, you should check out http://www.othpodcast.com if you watch through some of the videos they show when you get onto the site, they have a tour of the set. They show Lucas and Peyton’s room and Dan’s office as mayor. It is really cool.
April 12th, 2008 at 10:54 pm
I live in Wilmington, NC and see all these sites on pretty much a daily basis. Sort of cool seeing stuff I go by everyday.
April 13th, 2008 at 8:51 am
WOW! Is all I have to say! Well & Thank you! Hubby & I were intending of going now at the end of the month to visit & go to the Basketball game, but like many- wont go b/c of the quick sell out. But I have always wanted to go to Wilmington, so I will hopefully go soon. Thank you for all the info you give & for this wonderful page you made. PLS keep in touch & keep us posted with filming info!
June 9th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
I was wondering how u know when they r filming? I have vacation in september & that would be a great trip!
June 9th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Until someone just commented on it today, I had NO clue this was even on here! These pictures are awesome…and its so weird that people live in those houses (but thats to be expected I suppose since they film on sight!) Does anyone live in Peytons House or Lucas/Karens house?
I’d love to visit too during the summer, it’d be such a great trip…but it’d be quite a long drive from Wisconsin haha.
June 10th, 2008 at 2:45 am
just realised from these pics…
Luke’s bedroom window (looking at it from the outside) should technically be above his bed…not to the side of his bed like it is in the show!
July 17th, 2008 at 1:02 am
[...] can read all the details here and I’ll spare you since it just happened a few months ago. But I can just say that it was [...]
August 15th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
I took the tour of tree hill studio last aug and it was way cool. they showed us inside nathan and haleys house and karen and lucas’s newly updated kitchen. It was awesome. I saw karens cafe but it didn’t say CB then. Can you tell me the streets on where you went to all those places, bc i couldn’t find most of them. I’d appreciate it. Email is Walktorememberme@aol.com
August 17th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
OMG… havent read everything jet, I was to excited to see the pictures.. :O and Im .. uf… no words..
thanks u so much for giving the map , and the locations of all the places.. I cant wait to go in wilmington .. going to read right now in what hotel u were in …
this is awesome !! makes me happy when I see the real pics, of place..
August 17th, 2008 at 5:59 pm
okey me again .. read the hole page..
but the wish is bigger then fear ..
So there is no karens cafe anymore , now Its c/b
to bad , I wanted to seat and have coffie in here cafe ..
but once again , thanks for the map , and for instractons, explanations , pictures.. cant wait to go to wilmington , even If I am afraid of flying ..
September 29th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
hey! i love your blog! i plan on doing the same thing later this year. I was going to go sometime before March cuz i read online somewhere that they will be filming season 6 until then. I was hoping to catch them filming a scene or two while im in town. I was just wondering how you knew about Paul Johannson’s filming at the cemetery when you were in town? do they post that somewhere? thanks a lot!
September 29th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
No, they don’t post the info. I think we heard from someone that lives down there that was out and about. Usually we don’t hear until the day of or if someone who is going to be an extra gives out the info.
October 10th, 2008 at 3:39 am
So my friend and i are planninga trip to wilmington. we want to go when we know we will have a chance of seeing them filming. does anything know how to find out their filming schedule or whatever? to know when a good time to go is?
November 14th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
The Church from Lucas and Lindsay wedding is
Grace United Methodist Church
401 Grace St
Wilmington, NC 28401
(910) 763-5197
January 19th, 2009 at 1:55 am
My sister lives across from the house used for Lucas’s house… I don’t watch the show but from what I’ve gathered … all of the indoor stuff is done on a set… and they only use the house for exterior shots… Also… from what I’ve noted from visiting my sister a number of times … that house does not have any tenants living in it.
January 22nd, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Thanks!
Too bad I’m from Sweden, it really sucks! I hope I can go to Wilmington sometime in the future though! (Nooo, I just figured out that they probabley havn’t filmed for years then.. Gosh, I’m sad!) :<
March 8th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
I don’t watch the show, but I live in Wilmington and I’ve seen a few scenes that I recognize when my girl points them out.
To answer one of the questions; I believe one of the bars they use in the show is ‘City Limits Saloon’ on Front Street, downtown.
March 9th, 2009 at 10:26 am
I’m making a trip to Wilmington this weekend, and while I know they will be filming, I was wondering how you knew what the exact schedule was (how did you know they were filming that day from 8-12 and that there would be such and such a number of cast there?)?
March 9th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Most likely the crew told some fans. I don’t know if they’ll be filming this weekend or not. I’ll be there too so I hope someone finds out!
April 3rd, 2009 at 8:14 pm
How long did it take to visit all locations? We have a trip planned and I was just trying to set it all up! let me know ASAP pleeeeassssseee!!!!
April 13th, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Could someone send me the map of all the locations too. My husband and I are going to Wilmington this weekend for our anniversary and I am a big one tree hill fan. I would love to visit all of these places. My email is michelle_tollison@yahoo.com
April 20th, 2009 at 11:13 am
heyy, im planning on going to wilmington. Im a huge one tree hill fan, and i was wondering if you could send me some information about going to see one tree hill there.
thanks.
May 18th, 2009 at 5:10 pm
this is amazing, i really want to get down to wilmington to see the locations this summer, i think it’d be a great trip
June 5th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Firstly, great blog – once I’ve watched the final 5 eps of season 6, i will defs be RSS-ing you and checking your other stuff out…i don’t wanna stumble across any spoilers ’til then :]
A couple of years ago I went to Wilmington when Dawson’s Creek was just finishing and OTH was just starting – glad I went to record store too, as I actually met Busy Phillips who played Audrey, which was amazing.
I’m stuck in England, currently got a real itch to head back to Wilmington; it’s a place that REALLY gets under your skin if you’re a fan of either show. This is the closest I’m gonna get to going back for a while, so thank you so much for that!
Stu
June 9th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Hi!!! I love how you guys had a chance to go visit all the sites!!! I’ve been a fan since day one!! and am so excited they are going to be around for another season!!! I’m actually going down to NC to visit my boyfriend who is in the marines and we are DEF. going to go around to the sites!!! How do you find out when the cast is shooting?!! b/c that would be amazing to catch something like that! If you could let me know i’d appreciate it! thanks!
July 9th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Hey I’m actually going up to Wilmington this summer early august and I wouldd loveeeeeeee to see the cast filming… I would love to know how to try and see that =] any tips or links or numbers?
July 17th, 2009 at 1:07 am
The church for lucas and lindsey’s wedding is Grace United Methodist and it’s located at 401 Grace St. The new pastor there used to be the pastor at my church in Wilson, NC. It really is a beautiful church!
July 19th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
Hey I LOVE your pictures!! My twin sister and I are planning on going there August 22nd and make a day out of it!
I really hope they are filming that day!
You mentioned on Saturdays they have a studio tour. What’s that? I would like to know more info on that and if they still do it since we will be there on a Saturday, also about the extras.
Please be sure to answer either on here on by email- treehillgurl@yahoo.com
July 30th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
What are the addresses for these sights, i’d love to take a visit?
July 30th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
nevermind I found my answers of what i needed to know.
Just one more question- For those of you who went to the studio tour, are you allowed to take pictures?
August 6th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Hey everyone, I come on vacation every year near wilmington and recently became a fan. I’m planning on going to visit a lot of these places tomorrow and just wanted to thank everyone for all the info!!
also, i know the person whose home they use as dan’s house, aka the beach house. and they do filming inside as well as outside of the home. the crew brings in the props and things that they need to and re-arrange the part of the home to the specifications that they have and the family is many times there. they filmed dan’s heart attack scene right there in the family’s kitchen. thought some of you might find that interesting
September 25th, 2009 at 12:51 am
I used to live in CB and work in downtown Wilmington. Paul Johansson & Moira Kelly used to come into my store on almost a daily basis. Seems we had one of the best sandwiches around (then why did we close?). Anyway, I was just up there recently and noticed that Lucas’ house over on Wrightsville Ave. is up for sale (if anyone’s interested 2B/2b for $230,000). Also, if you want to maybe possibly run into one of the cast, hang out @ Starbucks and Pita Delite on College Rd. A lot of the cast used to frequent those two businesses. We’ve seen Chad, Lee, James, Hilarie, Paul, & Bethany there more than a few times and Pita Delite has some awesome food.
November 2nd, 2009 at 4:16 pm
WOw. I recently moved to Wilmington, and I would like to say that it feels like I am in a movie set. This place is magical! <3
November 5th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Hey everyone, I just moved to camp lejeune, my Husband is in the Marines and were about 45mins from Wilmington. wondering if anyone could send me a link or some info on how to find out when their shooting and where their shooting? I tried googling and Im jus not finding anything about upcoming stuff, where do y’all get your info? lol I would really appreciate it. Thanks.
p.s. Anyone who lives here or is coming to visit in the next few days. If you google “OTH filming extras 2009″ they are seeing people tomorrow and monday from 10AM-4PM at screen gem studios for extras
November 5th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
oh and my emial is TashaVB19@yahoo.com thanks !!!
November 11th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Hey everybody!
I am looking for travel information in Wilmington to spend one week to visit OTH place and atmosphere… Is it possible for you to help me organizing it… I am really fan of this serie… (and Danwson’s creek too)
I just need advices to choose closest hostels/hotel, if I need a car or other things like this….
I will just ask you to answer me without abreviations as I am French and I may have problems to understand them !!!
Hope to receive news from all of you… I’m planning the trip in May 2010 !!
Merci Beaucoup !
Vincent
November 14th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Vincent-If you have the money, stay at the Hilton in Downtown Wilmington. If not, stay at one of the many hotel/motels along Market St. Get a map of Wilmington and study it’s main roads to keep from getting lost. Make sure you get down to Carolina Beach/Kure Beach & Wrightsville Beach, they are too beautiful to miss.
Tanya-Unless something has changed, they don’t release info about filming locations/times any more than a few days notice about when/where they are going to film and only then to the businesses that “could” be affected by the filming. Believe it or not, they don’t really want or like the crowd of onlookers hanging out while they are filming. Unless you know someone on the cast/crew or someone who works at one of the aforementioned businesses, it’s unlikely that you will get reliable information about locations/times.
To all-Last I remember seeing…Fincannon & Associates handles all casting for the show. Website here
There is a blog connected to this site made for the OTH extras to get updates that you might get some info on when & where they are shooting. Good luck & enjoy!
November 18th, 2009 at 1:23 am
Hi heather and/or amy-
I was just wondering whenever you had time if you could email me the where each place is located (including max’s store) and also what hotel you stayed at (or is closest)? And I know a ton of people have asked this, but how does anyone ever know WHEN one tree hill is shooting scences and WHERE? Thanks so much in advance! apigott@gmail.com
November 18th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Oh! I also wanted to ask what airport is the correct one/closest to hotel etc? Thanks soo soo much!
November 20th, 2009 at 6:06 pm
hello!!!!! i can’t believe it! it’s great! i’m planning to go next year, i’m really exited! as you have more experience i want to ask you if i would be able to visit all during 3 days. because that are the days i ‘m going to stay in wilmington. please answer to me to flavia.ugarte@hotmail.com!!!!! thank you for the information!