Though Stranger Things is primarily set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, the Netflix series is not filmed in Indiana. Stranger Things follows a group of teenage friends and their allies as they learn there is another world, the Upside Down, that exists alongside the one where they reside. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), a child who has been experimented on and has several psychokinetic abilities, is the entry point to the Upside Down, and the person who kicks off many of the events of the show.
Most of Stranger Things is filmed in Georgia. Georgia has been home to many television series over the years, like The Vampire Diaries, The Walking Dead, and nearly all of the Disney+ Marvel shows (Agatha All Along, WandaVision, Echo, Hawkeye, etc.). Georgia has long been a place where studios like to film because it is not as expensive as California, there are just as many historic sites as modern cities, and there is a set of studio sound stages available for use. With many buildings providing the same architecture of the 1980s (or older), several towns and Georgia landmarks make for great Stranger Things filming locations.
1 Emory University’s Briarcliff Campus
Hawkins National Laboratory
Hawkins National Laboratory is the location that kicks off many of the big events in Stranger Things. It’s the location where “Papa” experiments on a group of children with telekinetic abilities, including Eleven.
The real-life filming location used for most of the Hawkins National Laboratory scenes in the show is part of the Briarcliff property that Emory University acquired in 1998. Specifically, the Netflix show uses Briarcliff Building A, which used to be a mental health facility in the early 1990s before it was acquired for the campus. It’s currently empty, which is why Emory leases it out for filming.
Emory did announce plans to eventually use the property as part of a development for a senior citizens center in 2022, but that has not happened just yet, so if Stranger Things fans want to visit, the location might not be the same for much longer.
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2 Tiffany’s Kitchen In Lithia Springs, Georgia
Benny’s Burgers
Though the location is only used briefly, it certainly makes an impression on viewers...
One location that only briefly appears in the series is Benny’s Burgers. It’s one of the first places Eleven visits when she escapes Hawkins National Laboratory. She sneaks into the restaurant, snags some food, and is then given a burger from Benny, the owner and cook at the roadside diner. Unfortunately, when agents come for Eleven, things do not end well for Benny.
Though the location is only used briefly, it certainly makes an impression on viewers, since Benny is the first person to show Eleven kindness and one of the first people to pay for that attempt at kindness with his life. Benny’s Burgers is not a real restaurant, but a real restaurant was transformed in order to film there. Tiffany’s Kitchen is at 7413 Lee Road in Lithia Springs, Georgia.
The restaurant serves Southern-style food all day long. If fans want to stop by, grab a bite to eat, and get a few photos, the only day the restaurant is closed is Mondays.
3 2530 Piney Wood Lane In East Point, Georgia
4 The Wheeler House
The Wheeler household provides a central location for much of the series as Mike Wheeler and his friends use the basement as their home base of sorts. While many of the interior shots at the house were filmed on sound stages throughout the run of the show, exterior shots of the house have been filmed at this very real home in East Point, Georgia. It is, however, someone’s real house, so Stranger Things fans should be respectful of residents if they want to get a glimpse of it.
Likewise, in keeping with the show, the house that provides exterior shots for the Sinclair family (that is Lucas and Erica’s family) is just down the street at 2550 Piney Wood Lane.
5 149 Coastline Road In Fayetteville, Georgia
The Byers House
If fans want to see both the Wheeler and Byers households, they would have to visit two different towns. The exteriors of the Byers house were shot at a home in Fayetteville instead of East Point. While things like Castle Byers and interior shots were done on a set, outside the house was a location shoot.
Like the Wheeler house, the Byers house is someone’s real home, and fans of the show need to remember to be respectful of the residents.
6 8584 Courthouse Square W In Douglasville, Georgia
Hawkins Police Station
Stranger Things fans wanting to see where Hopper did most of his work, or more accurately, most of his donut eating, in the first season, will want to see this Douglasville landmark.
The same building that acts as the Hawkins Police Station used to be the Town Hall in Douglasville, Georgia. The town provided a few more filming locations for the show as well.
7 Formerly Bradley’s Big Buy In Palmetto, Georgia
Bradley’s Big Buy
When Eleven first stole frozen waffles, it was at Bradley’s Big Buy in Hawkins, Indiana. The grocery store pops up at least once a season in the show, whether it physically appears or is mentioned. When originally filming there, the store had the same name in real-life as it does in the show.
Located at 504 Center Street in Palmetto, Georgia, the grocery store is no longer a Bradley’s Big Buy. It’s now part of the Piggly Wiggly chain of stores.
8 Bellwood Quarry In Atlanta, Georgia
Sattler Quarry
The quarry is a location that mainly appears in season 1 of Stranger Things. In addition to the friends walking near the quarry, it’s also the location where the supposed body of Will Byers is found before Joyce gets people to believe that the body is not her son’s.
Bellwood Quarry in Atlanta acts as Sattler Quarry, and many of the filming locations in the Atlanta area are not actually that far from this location.
9 The Old Railroad Tracks
Stone Mountain Park In Stone Mountain, Georgia
In both seasons 1 and 2, the old railroad tracks that appear to run through the woods are used when Mike and his friends try to help Eleven and when Dustin searches for his missing “dog,” which is actually a young demogorgon.
The railroad tracks run through Stone Mountain Park. There are over 3,000 acres of parkland, which makes for some gorgeous scenery, but it has a very loaded history for residents of the area. It was originally opened as a monument to the Confederacy and officially named operational on the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.
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10 Church Street Buildings In Douglasville, Georgia
The Palace Arcade And Family Video
Season 2 sees Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will hanging out at a local arcade. That’s where they first learn that “Madmax” is a new teenager in town. Season 2 also introduces Robin as she works at the local video rental store with Steve. Both of these locations firmly date the show as an ‘80s-set series.
Though these two Hawkins locations are not shown to be right next door to one another in the show, they are right next door to one another in real life. Neither property is currently an arcade or retail establishment as there are multiple empty storefronts for sale.
11 Patrick Henry Adult Education Center In Stockbridge, Georgia
Hawkins Middle School And Hawkins High School
In Stranger Things, the main characters of the show are primarily teenagers. Mike, Lucas, Will, Dustin, and Max go from students at Hawkins Middle School to Hawkins High School throughout the show. The two schools are actually filmed in the same place.
The Patrick Henry School is actually no longer operational. It was closed and classes were moved to a new location in 2015. As a result, the school system has allowed it to be used for filming multiple times. In addition to being used for Stranger Things, it was also used for the Hulu miniseries Candy and the movie Brightburn.
12 The South Bend Pool In Atlanta, Georgia
Hawkins Community Pool
Season 3 of Stranger Things takes place in the summer, so a handful of scenes happen outside and at the community pool in Hawkins. That community pool is a real community pool in Atlanta, Georgia. The South Bend Pool is located at 2000 Lakewood Avenue SE and is open seasonally for the summer months. Admission to the pool is free from 12:30 PM to 7:00 PM Friday through Sunday.
13 Gwinnett Place Mall In Duluth, Georgia
Starcourt Mall
...where the friends take their last stand against the Mind Flayer...
Starcourt Mall is the centerpiece of the end of Stranger Things season 3. The mall provides a location for Max and Eleven to spend the day together earlier in the season, but it ends up being the place where the friends take their last stand against the Mind Flayer and Billy loses his life in the battle.
The original Gwinnett Place mall opened in 1984, making the architecture of the location perfect for Stranger Things, which depicted Starcourt Mall as brand-new to Hawkins. Most of the mall has closed over the last 20 years thanks to competition from other vendors in the area. A handful of stores own their property that is attached to the mall, but the Gwinnett County Urban Redevelopment Agency purchased the property in 2021. Plans were announced to revitalize the area in 2023 over the following two decades.
14 Mary Hall In Berry College In Mount Berry, Georgia
Pennhurst Mental Hospital
In season 4, Robin and Nancy team up for a little trip. They travel to Pennhurst Mental Hospital, pretending to be journalism students, hoping to chat with one of the residents, or at the very least, learn more about him.The hospital houses Victor Creel, who had been wrongly accused of murdering his family when his son became the Upside Down’s Vecna.
The visit was not actually filmed at a hospital, but instead on a college campus. Berry College is just outside of Rome, Georgia, a town where quite a few scenes have been filmed for the show. Mary Hall was chosen to film, which is actually an all-female residence building for the college.
15 906 East 2nd Avenue In Rome, Georgia
The Creel House
Vecna’s backstory comes to Stranger Things courtesy of the Creel house. The family home is a Victorian mansion and provides a suitably creepy locale when Stranger Things’ effects team’s work is combined with the real construction of the home. The home is, like the Byers and Wheeler houses, not a business or historic spot, but a real family home in Rome, Georgia.
Rome, Georgia has provided filming locations for movies like Sweet Home Alabama, Marvel’s Black Widow, and the television series Constantine in the past.
16 Stone Mountain Cemetery In Stone Mountain, Georgia
Roane Hill Cemetery
One of the most memorable aspects of season 4 of Stranger Things is Max mourning the loss of her brother Billy. Despite how conflicted their relationship was because he perpetuated the cycle of abuse from his own father, Max felt guilty about his death at the hands of the Mind Flayer. She often visited his grave at the cemetery, which is also one of the locations where she was targeted by Vecna.
The cemetery that provides the filming location for Roane Hill Cemetery is Stone Mountain Cemetery. It has graves that date back to 1850 when the surrounding area was first settled. It’s still an active cemetery today, marking the final resting place for Civil War soldiers as well as modern residents.
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17 Emory University Hospital In Smyrna, Georgia
Hawkins Memorial Hospital
Hawkins Memorial Hospital has popped up a few times in the show, but it’s most memorable appearance might be as the last location where the audience sees Max in season 4. She is left comatose and with broken bones in the hospital in season 4 after Vecna has infiltrated her mind.
The real hospital is part of Emory University’s hospitals. The location was initially slated for renovation but is actually set to close by the end of 2024.
18 Downtown Jackson, Georgia
Greater Hawkins, Indiana
While there are so many locations that are seen over and over filmed in and around Georgia, Jackson, Georgia has provided the most filming locations for the show so far. The town in Georgia has been the real-world equivalent of Hawkins, Indiana. Most street shots are filmed in the town.
The general store where Joyce buys Christmas lights in season 1 is in Jackson as is Bradley’s Olde Tavern, which stands in for the movie theater in the same season. The Butts County Probate Court in the middle of town is the same building that acts as the Hawkins Public Library - at least for exterior shots.
19 Skate-O-Mania
Rink-O-Mania
When season 4 takes the Byers family to the West Coast for a change of scenery, the show actually filmed for a bit in New Mexico as a stand-in for California. One of those locations was Rink-O-Mania where Mike and Eleven attempt to have a date when he visits, but with her classmates at the rink and Will along as a third wheel, it does not go as planned.
Skate-O-Mania was the stand-in for Rink-O-Mania, and it is no wonder that the location was chosen. The rink originally opened under a different name in 1980, still boasts retro arcade games, and hosts “retro nights” for skaters. They’re located at 400 Paisano Street NE in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
20 Eldorado High School In Albuquerque, New Mexico
Lenora High
With the Byers family and Eleven making the move to the West Coast, the production team needed their new high school to have a different look than the one in Hawkins. They filmed new scenes for Will and Eleven at a new high school in New Mexico, which has a much sunnier atmosphere, but even more bullies for the storyline.
