Lights, Camera, Carolina: A Film-Inspired Guide to North Carolina

The list goes on.

From Belly’s Finch College in Chapel Hill to the waterfront streets of Wilmington and Southport, the state makes set-jetting from film location to film location on a screen-inspired road trip across on the East Coast easy.

Chapel Hill

Left: “The Summer I Turned Pretty” walking tour at Chapell Hill. Right: View from TOPO restaurant. Photos: Atoosa Ryanne Arfa

Season 3 of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” filmed several scenes at UNC Chapel Hill, transforming the campus into the fictional Finch College. I took a walking tour through the UNC Visitors Center to hear behind-the-scenes stories from Izzie, our student guide. For example, the show’s creator Jenny Han lived in Old East, the oldest campus building, so the crew used it as the character Belly’s dorm. Izzie also pointed out where the art department covered the university’s historic seal with a Finch College crest, and revealed the exact spot outside Old West where the emotional Olivia Rodrigo “Lacy” scene occurred.

A film-inspired food stop in Chapel Hill: Top of the Hill Restaurant and Brewery (TOPO) is the state’s fifth-oldest brewpub and where Han took her crew during filming. The food menu of thoughtful pub classics compliments the award-winning beers. For a drink stop, I grabbed an iced hot chocolate at Epilogue Books Chocolate Brews. Run by Miranda and Jaime Sanchez, this independent bookstore serves Mexican-inspired treats and specialty chocolate beverages alongside colorful books.

Where to stay in Chapel Hill: The Carolina Inn, known as “the University’s Living Room,” is a historic AAA Four Diamond hotel on campus and was the set for the conference scenes for Belly’s parents during the first season of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”

New Bern

Left: Pepsi-Cola Soda Fountain. Right: Tryon Palace. Photos: Atoosa Ryanne Arfa

New Bern, the original capital of North Carolina and birthplace of Pepsi, is the setting for three Nicholas Sparks novels: “A Bend in the Road,” “The Wedding,” and “The Notebook.” It also serves as a major historical focal point in “Outlander.”

Tryon Palace, a reconstructed 18th-century site, feels like a time portal to colonial America. While the “Outlander” series was filmed in Scotland, author Diana Gabaldon incorporated North Carolina history into the books the series is based on. I imagined Jamie and Claire Fraser’s interactions with Governor Tryon leading up to the American Revolution as I explored the palace’s grand rooms and formal gardens.

New Bern sits at the confluence of the Neuse and Trent Rivers. To see the town from the water, I booked a boat tour with 2 River Cruises. Navigating the estuaries and swamps through the Croatan National Forest felt like drifting through the setting of “Where the Crawdads Sing.” I even spotted Nicholas Sparks’s massive waterfront home and his ex-wife’s house nearby (which looked much larger than his).

Where to eat in New Bern: Grab lunch at Lawson’s On The Creek, located inside the North Carolina History Center. Dishes like delicious smashed tots that resemble a potato quilt are served up alongside river views. For dinner, chef Ashley Moser highlights local ingredients through creative small plates at Cypress Hall.

Where to stay in New Bern: The Aerie Bed & Breakfast is an adults-only Victorian inn. The property maintains its preserved historic elegance in its cozy suites.

Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach

Papercut Books. Photo: Atoosa Ryanne Arfa

Nicknamed “Wilmywood,” “Filmington,” and “Hollywood East,” Wilmington has been a backdrop for blockbusters since the 1980s. I booked a carriage ride with Springbrook Farms, boarding near the storefront that doubled as Red Bedroom Records in “One Tree Hill.” As a rescued Percheron draft horse pulled me along the streets, my guide shared a blend of movie lore (the iconic steps of City Hall are recognizable from the intro of “Matlock”) and local history (the city is working to peel back modern asphalt to restore its original 19th-century brick streets).

To cover more ground, historian and writer Hunter Ingram led me on an “Outlander in the Cape Fear” tour, starting at the Burgwin-Wright House. Built in 1769 over the city’s original jail, the home’s dungeon and former gallows provide a glimpse into the gritty colonial era navigated by Jamie Fraser in the show.

Literary culture runs deep here. New York Times bestselling author Wiley Cash recently opened a two-story bookstore called Floodplain Books, and Old Books on Front Street is a floor-to-ceiling haven for book lovers. Gwenyfar Rohler, owner of the later, told me how she reads one book a day, and that the shop doubled as a location in “Sleepy Hollow.” Meanwhile, Papercut Books was the Whale of a Tale bookstore from The “Summer I Turned Pretty,” though the interior has expanded since filming.

For vintage shopping, Jess James + Co is a stylish boutique where pastel-hued racks have attracted celebrity shoppers such as Zooey Deschanel and the stars of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” Owner Jess James even made a cameo in the show as part of her DJ duo, The Beehive Blondes.

Naley Bench. Photo: Atoosa Ryanne Arfa

Along the Wilmington Riverwalk, the “One Tree Hill” Naley bench overlooks the Cape Fear River. Take a tour of Airlie Gardens to see the location for scenes from Nicholas Sparks’ “The Choice” and the show “The Runarounds.” Fifteen minutes away, Wrightsville Beach is where you’ll find the familiar white sands and marinas seen on “Dawson’s Creek” and “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”

Where to eat in Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach: Elijah’s is a casual American grill that doubled as Pacey’s restaurant in “Dawson’s Creek.” For dinner, manna has elevated dishes by chef Carson Jewell that arrive like works of art. In Wrightsville Beach, The Workshop café has both espresso and fossilized shark teeth. The shop is owned by local scuba divers who spend their time recovering treasures from the Atlantic. The Crystal Pier restaurant Oceanic is where Belly and Jeremiah’s dramatic engagement announcement happened in “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”

Where to stay in Wilmington: ARRIVE Wilmington is a boutique hotel with a courtyard gazebo bar where “The Summer I Turned Pretty” filmed several scenes. While there, try the attached restaurant, Dram Yard. Its elephant logo honors Popsey, a circus elephant who crashed into the building in 1926 and spilled enough indigo dye that painted the city purple.

Southport

Photo: Atoosa Ryanne Arfa

I hadn’t heard of Southport before visiting, but the town felt familiar thanks to its role as a quintessential coastal movie set: the backdrop for “A Walk to Remember,” standing in for Long Island in the World War II film “Spies,” and serving as a fishing port in the 1997 slasher “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” Most famously, it was the primary filming location for the 2013 romantic thriller “Safe Haven.”

Where to eat in Southport: Start with coffee at Southport Coffee Co., then grab lunch at Blue Cow Grille. Fishy Fishy Café offers quirky waterfront views with colorful signs, while the laid-back Provision Company serves peel-and-eat shrimp.

Where to stay in Southport: The Southport Carriage House Inn is a restored 1935 brick bed and breakfast steps from the town center.

Getting to North Carolina for a film tour

Photo: Visit North Carolina

To recreate this tour, fly into Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and rent a car. Chapel Hill is a quick 30-minute drive from the terminal. From there, you can hop between New Bern, Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, and Southport, with drives ranging from 30 minutes to two hours. To skip the long trek back, book your return flight out of the smaller and stress-free Wilmington International Airport (ILM).