Iconic Filming Locations in Georgia

The Georgia film industry is on the rise, and if celebrity sightings are any indication, the state will continue showing up in movies and television shows. From Savannah's haunting streets and Covington's historic squares to Atlanta's modern skyline, here are some of the notable movies and TV shows that have been filmed in the Peach State.

The Hunger Games

Swan House & Atlanta Motor Speedway

The popular Hunger Games trilogy filmed portions of the second two films in Georgia. Audiences may recognize the Swan House, part of the Atlanta History Center, as the president's house and Atlanta Motor Speedway as the site of the Quarter Quell chariot parade. The Goat Farm, nearly hidden in plain sight in West Midtown Atlanta, was the site of a stage built for the film's reaping scene.

The Walking Dead

Senoia & Atlanta

The AMC series that has garnered a cult-like following has been filmed almost entirely in Georgia. Atlanta visitors might recognize an important filming location from The Walking Dead's first season: the roof of the old Norfolk Southern headquarters on the edge of downtown. The historic Fairlie-Poplar district in downtown was the site of a giant battle of “walkers,” while Morris Brown College doubled as an abandoned veterinary campus in season four.

Grantville, which is located in western Georgia, was an ideal setting for the series’ post-apocalyptic scenes in season three. Another key town for the series' filming is Senoia, where visitors can visit the train tracks and bridge from season four, as well as The Woodbury Shoppe, which has Daryl’s motorcycle and a replica of Michonne’s katana sword on display.

Stranger Things

Atlanta, Jackson, Stone Mountain & Douglasville

For the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things, much of the Atlanta metro area and nearby towns—including Jackson for its general store, theater and homes; Stone Mountain for its cemetery; The Palace Arcade in downtown Douglasville; and the high school in Stockbridge—provided the backdrop the eerie scenes set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana.​ 

Driving Miss Daisy

Atlanta's Druid Hills Neighborhood

The 1989 Academy Award-winning film was set in and filmed in Atlanta, with a house on Lullwater Road in the historic Druid Hills neighborhood serving as the title character's (played by Jessica Tandy) home. The Temple, a historic downtown Atlanta synagogue on Peachtree Road, is Miss Daisy's place of worship. (Incidentally, the fictional building was bombed, and the actual temple had the same fate in 1958.) A speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. was filmed in the Georgian Ballroom at the Biltmore at 817 Peachtree Road.

Fried Green Tomatoes

Juliette

Although this iconic Southern movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, is set in the fictional town of Whistle Stop, Alabama, it was filmed in Juliette, Georgia, where the Whistle Stop Cafe is still thriving and serving you-know-what. For a slightly morbid reminder of the movie's importance to the tiny town, the cemetery has two graves marked with the names of Buddy Threadgood and Ruth Jamison, and a grave by the barbecue pit reads, "Here lies Frank Bennet of Valdosta, 'The secret was in the sauce.'"

Forrest Gump

Savannah

This epic Academy Award winner for best picture opens with a feather floating through the air right in front of one of Savannah's oldest places of worship, the Independent Presbyterian Church. Tom Hanks, as Forrest Gump, spends much of the movie telling the tales of his life, sitting on a bus stop bench in the town’s Chippewa Square. The famous bench (and suitcase he was carrying) is preserved in the Savannah History Museum.

Ozark

Atlanta area & Woodstock

While the show is set in the Ozarks, the filmmakers chose Georgia for the majority of the show's scenes. Much of what viewers saw on the show was actually filmed in and around Atlanta, with additional settings in locations like Lake Allatoona, Lake Lanier and the Sunset Grille in Woodstock serving as stand-ins for the Ozark setting.

The Vampire Diaries

Atlanta area & Covington

The WB Network's hit vampire show of the early 2000s, The Vampire Diaries, was filmed in Atlanta, Decatur and Covington. Glenridge Hall in Sandy Springs was the original "Salvatore Boarding House," though because they used the location so often, they recreated the interior of the home on the show’s sound stages in Decatur.

Roll the credits...

Film & Television Museums

Whether retracing the steps of your favorite characters or discovering new stories, these locations offer a unique blend of entertainment and exploration.​ For those interested in delving deeper into Georgia's cinematic history, several museums across the state showcase props, costumes and exhibits from various productions. 

For many more details about how to see Georgia's filming locations, visit ExploreGeorgia.org/film.