Boone Hall in Mount Pleasant supplied plantation exteriors and grounds for The Notebook in 2004 and for the 1985 miniseries North and South. The historic site is ticketed and open to the public, with tours of the grounds available, making it one of the easiest big-screen locations to visit in depth.
The Short Answer
Charleston, South Carolina draws screen tourists for its antebellum architecture, plantations and Lowcountry coastline, which have appeared in The Notebook, Dear John, The Patriot, Outer Banks, Army Wives and Halloween (2018). Most sites sit in or near the historic district, and guided tours covering these productions run about one to three hours.
Charleston has one of the most filmed skylines in the American South. The city counts 73 pre-Revolutionary buildings, 136 late-18th century structures and over 600 built before the 1840s, a stock of authentic period architecture that location scouts return to again and again. Add plantations, salt marshes and barrier island beaches, and the region can convincingly play almost any Southern setting a script demands.
The result is a deep back catalogue. The Notebook and The Patriot used Boone Hall Plantation, Middleton Place and Cypress Gardens. Dear John filmed on Sullivan's Island and the College of Charleston campus. More recently, Outer Banks and The Righteous Gemstones have brought a new wave of fans to the area, many of them arriving specifically to find the spots they recognize on screen.
What Was Filmed Here
Screen productions have been working in the Charleston region since at least 1985, when the miniseries North and South filmed at Boone Hall Plantation, the Calhoun Mansion and The Battery. Major films followed, including The Legend of Bagger Vance, Cold Mountain and Die Hard with a Vengeance, alongside long-running television series such as Army Wives, Mr. Mercedes and Vice Principals. The current wave is led by Outer Banks, filming in the area since 2020, and The Righteous Gemstones, which uses the Citadel Mall exterior and the North Charleston Coliseum interior. Reality television contributes too: Southern Charm has filmed at Charleston landmarks, Shem Creek and historic streets since 2014.
| Title | Year | Type | What was filmed here |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Notebook | 2004 | Film | Boone Hall Plantation, Cypress Gardens, Upper King St. near Cannon and Spring St. |
| Dear John | 2010 | Film | Sullivan’s Island, College of Charleston campus, Waterfront Park |
| The Patriot | 2000 | Film | Middleton Place, Cypress Gardens, College of Charleston, lower Meeting St. |
| Army Wives | 2007-2013 | TV | Old Navy Base/North Charleston Navy Yard, Oakridge Shopping Center sound stage |
| Outer Banks | 2020-present | TV | Morris Island Lighthouse, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Lowndes Grove, various Lowcountry spots |
| The Righteous Gemstones | 2019-present | TV | Citadel Mall exterior, North Charleston Coliseum interior |
| Vice Principals | 2016-2018 | TV | Park Circle neighborhood North Charleston, R.B. Stall High School, West Ashley High School |
| Halloween | 2018 | Film | Magnolia Cemetery, Hampton Park Terrace, Military Magnet Academy |
| North and South | 1985 | TV | Boone Hall Plantation, Calhoun Mansion at 16 Meeting St., The Battery |
| Mr. Mercedes | 2017-2019 | TV | Wagener Terrace neighborhood, King Street establishments |
| The Legend of Bagger Vance | 2000 | Film | Kiawah Island Ocean Course |
| Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls | 1995 | Film | Botany Bay on Edisto Island |
| Die Hard with a Vengeance | 1995 | Film | Old Cooper River bridges |
| The Sinner | 2017 | TV | Summerville area |
| Southern Charm | 2014-present | TV | Various Charleston landmarks, Shem Creek, historic streets |
| The Prince of Tides | 1991 | Film | Charleston area locations |
| Cold Mountain | 2003 | Film | Charleston region |
| O | 2001 | Film | Bishop England High School area |
Locations You Can Visit
Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner hosted the rowboat scenes and period settings for both The Notebook and The Patriot. The attraction is ticketed, with gardens and swamp boat tours on offer. Fans of the rowboat sequence will recognize the black water and cypress knees from the film.
This lighthouse at Folly Beach appears as a backdrop in multiple episodes of Outer Banks. The structure itself stands offshore, so access is exterior only. Visitors view it from Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve, a short trip from Folly Beach for anyone combining beach time with location hunting.
The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort served as the setting for the Midsummers party scenes in Outer Banks. Access is ticketed through the resort, and public events are sometimes possible. The same course appeared years earlier in The Legend of Bagger Vance in 2000.
Lowndes Grove, a waterfront property in Charleston, stands in for Sarah Cameron's family home in Outer Banks. It is private property, so touring inside is not an option. Exterior views from the street give visitors a look at the site, which sits conveniently near other downtown locations.
Citadel Mall in North Charleston provides the exterior of the Gemstone Prayer Center in The Righteous Gemstones. The mall is public and open during shopping hours, making this one of the easiest TV locations to visit without tickets or advance planning.
Magnolia Cemetery in Charleston appears in the 2018 Halloween film, standing in for the cemetery scenes. It is a public cemetery with historic graves, open to visitors, and its Victorian funerary architecture draws interest beyond its screen credits.
The Battery, the waterfront promenade at the tip of the Charleston peninsula, featured in North and South in 1985. It is public and open to visitors at all hours, and its antebellum mansions and harbor views make it a standard stop on any walking tour of the city.
The College of Charleston campus appears in both Dear John and The Patriot. The campus is public, and tours are available for those who want context beyond the film connections. Its historic buildings sit within walking distance of King Street and other downtown locations.
Sullivan's Island provided beach and island scenes for Dear John in 2010. The beaches and surrounding residential areas are public, so visitors can walk the same sand as the cast. It sits just across the harbor from Charleston and pairs well with a Folly Beach itinerary.
The Old Navy Base and North Charleston Navy Yard stood in for the military base town sets in Army Wives, which filmed in the region from 2007 to 2013, alongside a sound stage at the Oakridge Shopping Center. Some areas have been redeveloped, so check access before visiting.
King Street, Charleston's historic shopping district, supplied street and business scenes for Mr. Mercedes, which filmed in the area from 2017 to 2019. The district is public and open to all. Upper King Street near Cannon and Spring Street also appears in The Notebook.
Studios And Film Tours
Two dedicated guided tours focus on screen locations. Gray Line Hollywood Comes to Charleston operates a 1.5-hour bus tour of filming locations and celebrity spots, departing from 375 Meeting St. in downtown Charleston. For something more active, the Charleston Segway Hollywood Tour runs a one-hour Segway tour concentrating on movie and TV production locations around the city. Both options cover the downtown core, where many of the most recognizable sites cluster within a compact historic district.
Film And TV Tours Here
Bookable film location tours concentrate on Outer Banks, the production currently drawing the most fans to the region. Options include a standard guided locations tour, an eBike version based in Mount Pleasant near Shem Creek and the boat-oriented sites, and a highly rated private-style outing. Travelers should compare group size, transport mode and starting point when choosing.
Guided Locations Tour By Van
Outer Banks Film Locations Tour
A guided tour of Outer Banks filming locations around Charleston, covering the sites fans recognize from the series in a single outing without needing a car.
PriceLive on listingCheck availability
eBike Locations Ride, Mount Pleasant
Outer Banks Film Location eBike Tour in Charleston
An eBike tour from Mount Pleasant that reaches Outer Banks locations, including waterside spots near Shem Creek, with a local guide leading the way.
PriceLive on listingCheck availability
Small-Group Boat-Based Tour
Charleston: Outer Banks Film Locations Tour
A 4.9-rated tour priced at $250 per booking that visits Outer Banks film locations by boat, reaching waterfront sites like the Morris Island Lighthouse view that land tours skip.
From$250Check availability
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Was The Notebook Filmed In Charleston?
The Notebook filmed at Boone Hall Plantation in Mount Pleasant, Cypress Gardens in Moncks Corner, and Upper King Street near Cannon and Spring Street in downtown Charleston. Boone Hall and Cypress Gardens are both ticketed attractions open to the public.
Can You Visit Outer Banks Filming Locations?
Yes. The Morris Island Lighthouse can be viewed from Lighthouse Inlet Heritage Preserve at Folly Beach, Kiawah Island Golf Resort hosts the Midsummers party site at its Ocean Course, and Lowndes Grove, the Sarah Cameron family home, can be viewed from the street. Guided tours of these sites are also available.
What Movies Were Filmed In Charleston, South Carolina?
Titles include The Notebook, Dear John, The Patriot, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Cold Mountain, The Prince of Tides, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Halloween (2018) and O.
What TV Shows Were Filmed In Charleston?
North and South filmed here in 1985, Army Wives from 2007 to 2013, Vice Principals from 2016 to 2018, Mr. Mercedes from 2017 to 2019, Outer Banks since 2020, The Righteous Gemstones since 2019, and Southern Charm since 2014.
Are There Film Location Tours In Charleston?
Yes. Gray Line runs a 1.5-hour Hollywood Comes to Charleston bus tour from 375 Meeting St., and a one-hour Charleston Segway Hollywood Tour focuses on production locations. Several bookable tours also cover Outer Banks filming sites specifically.
Can You Visit The Army Wives Set?
Partially. Army Wives filmed at the Old Navy Base and North Charleston Navy Yard, plus a sound stage at the Oakridge Shopping Center. Some of these areas have since been redeveloped, so access varies and visitors should check before going.
Charleston rewards both casual fans and dedicated screen tourists. A single walk through the historic district passes sites from The Notebook, North and South, Dear John and Mr. Mercedes, while plantations like Boone Hall and Cypress Gardens make easy half-day trips. For Outer Banks fans, a guided tour, whether by van, eBike or boat, is the most efficient way to cover locations scattered across the harbor towns and resort islands south of the city.
