Since its debut in 2016, Stranger Things has become a global phenomenon, captivating audiences with its perfect blend of 1980s nostalgia, supernatural mysteries, and a stellar ensemble cast. The series plunges viewers into the seemingly ordinary town of Hawkins, Indiana, which becomes a battleground for a group of young friends fighting against Cold War-era conspiracies and terrifying creatures from another dimension, the Upside Down, threatening their town and potentially the world.
While Stranger Things is set in the fictional Hawkins, Indiana, the series is primarily filmed in the state of Georgia. Georgia has become a major filming hub, attracting numerous productions like The Walking Dead and Cobra Kai due to its attractive tax incentives and diverse landscapes. Season 4 expanded the show’s scope, dividing the characters across three main locations: Southern California (portrayed by Albuquerque, New Mexico), Hawkins (still filmed in Atlanta, Georgia), and a chilling Russian prison (filmed in Vilnius, Lithuania).
For fans eager to step into the world of Stranger Things, many filming locations are real and accessible. Here’s your guide to exploring these iconic spots. Just remember, while visiting, watch out for portals to the Upside Down – you’ve been warned! (Spoiler alert for those not yet caught up!)
1. Piggly Wiggly (Formerly Bradley’s Big Buy)
Palmetto, Georgia
Located approximately 25 miles southwest of Atlanta, the town of Palmetto, Georgia, might seem like an ordinary small town with a population of just over 5,000. However, since Stranger Things premiered, Palmetto has become a point of pilgrimage for fans worldwide.
The Piggly Wiggly grocery store, formerly known as Bradley’s Big Buy, is where Millie Bobby Brown’s character, Eleven, famously shoplifted Eggo waffles in the first season. This location reappeared in Season 2 when the group sought medical supplies after Eleven was attacked by a Mind Flayer creature. It was also here where Billy Hargrove, under the Mind Flayer’s control, discovered Eleven’s blood, setting him on a path to hunt her down.
Despite changing its name to Piggly Wiggly in 2019, the store continues to welcome Stranger Things enthusiasts. The store manager, David Johnston, even offers informal tours, pointing out Eleven’s route through the store during her waffle heist, as mentioned in a 2019 Detroit News article. This unassuming grocery store has become an unexpected tourist attraction, offering fans a tangible connection to the show.
2. Douglasville Old Town Hall (Hawkins Police Department)
8485 Courthouse Square W., Douglasville, Georgia
While the fictional town of Hawkins is represented by Jackson, Georgia, not all Hawkins locations are filmed there. The Hawkins Police Department, Sheriff Jim Hopper’s workplace, is actually located in Douglasville, Georgia, about a 75-minute drive from Jackson.
The building used for the exterior shots of the police station is the former town hall of Douglasville. This classic small-town building provides the perfect backdrop for the Hawkins Police Department, adding to the show’s authentic small-town American atmosphere. Fans can easily recognize this building and imagine Sheriff Hopper solving mysteries within its walls.
3. Emory University’s Briarcliff Campus (Hawkins Laboratory Exterior)
Atlanta, Georgia
A stark, Brutalist structure on Emory University’s Briarcliff Campus in Atlanta serves as the exterior of the ominous Hawkins Laboratory. This is the site of numerous tragic and unsettling events in Stranger Things, including the horrific massacre of telekinetic children. It’s important to note that while this building is used for exterior shots, the interior scenes of Hawkins Lab were filmed on soundstages.
The Briarcliff Campus itself has a fascinating and somewhat eerie history. It was once the estate of Asa Griggs “Buddie” Candler Jr., son of the Coca-Cola co-founder. Later, another building on the property housed the Georgia Mental Health Institute from 1965 to 1997. A large mental health hospital and smaller residential homes were built on the site of a former laundry facility. While Emory University now owns the property, the former hospital building, featured in Stranger Things, still stands. Interestingly, real psychiatric research was conducted here, adding a layer of real-world intrigue to the fictional Hawkins Lab. Although the interior is off-limits, fans can still take photos of the exterior and contemplate the eerie history both fictional and real surrounding this location. The campus is also a popular filming location, having been used for the horror film Rings (2017).
4. Gwinnett Place Mall (Starcourt Mall)
Duluth, Georgia
Starcourt Mall, the central location of Stranger Things Season 3, where the gang uncovers a secret Russian base, is actually the Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth, Georgia. The mall had closed its doors a few months before filming began, after struggling for years to attract tenants. Adding a darker layer to the location, a murder occurred in a vacant Subway within the mall’s food court just five months before filming started.
For Stranger Things, parts of Gwinnett Place Mall were transformed into a vibrant, stereotypical 1980s shopping mall, complete with recreations of over 40 stores, including an Orange Julius. Despite its on-screen revival, the interior of Gwinnett Place Mall remains closed to the public. However, there are plans for revitalization. Gwinnett County acquired the mall and its surrounding 93 acres and intends to redevelop the area into a mixed-use space featuring retail, housing, and offices. While fans can’t currently explore the Starcourt Mall interior, the exterior and the surrounding area offer a glimpse into this key Stranger Things location.
5. South Bend Pool (Hawkins Community Pool)
Atlanta, Georgia
The Hawkins Community Pool, where Billy Hargrove worked as a lifeguard in Season 3, is also a real community pool. Known as South Bend Pool, it’s conveniently located just half a mile from Screen Gems Studios, where many Stranger Things interior scenes are filmed.
South Bend Pool is open to the public from Tuesday to Saturday, offering fans the chance to swim in the same pool featured in the show. For a small fee of $5 for those aged six and up, visitors can experience a piece of Hawkins in real life, imagining Billy’s lifeguard scenes as they relax poolside.
6. Stone Mountain Park (Various Wooded Scenes)
DeKalb County, Georgia
Stone Mountain Park, a vast 3,200-acre park located 15 miles east of Atlanta, is Georgia’s most popular tourist destination. Open year-round, it offers a wide range of activities, from ropes courses to cable car rides and a nightly laser and fireworks show.
Stone Mountain Park’s diverse landscapes served as the backdrop for many of the wooded outdoor scenes in Stranger Things. The park’s railroad tracks are featured in Season 1 when the kids walk along them with Eleven. In Season 2, the forests of Stone Mountain Park are where Dustin and Steve famously bond while hunting demodogs and sharing girl advice. Exploring Stone Mountain Park allows fans to walk in the footsteps of their favorite characters and experience the natural settings of Hawkins.
7. Downtown Jackson, Georgia (Downtown Hawkins)
Jackson, Georgia
Downtown Jackson, approximately 50 miles south of Atlanta, stands in for downtown Hawkins throughout the Stranger Things series. Key locations like Melvald’s General Store, where Joyce Byers and Bob Newby worked, are located here.
Local businesses in Jackson have embraced their connection to Stranger Things. Lucy Lu’s Coffee Cafe, opened in downtown Jackson in 2017, quickly capitalized on the show’s popularity by creating a Stranger Drinks menu. Fan-favorite drinks include the Sheriff Hopper, a hazelnut and vanilla coffee, and the Demogorgon, a red frappé inspired by the show’s monster. For visitors, Melvald’s General Store is located at 2 Second Street, and the Butts County Courthouse and Probate Court Building, used as Hawkins Library, is also nearby. Downtown Jackson offers a truly immersive Hawkins experience.
8. Roller King (Rink-O-Mania)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Rink-O-Mania, the roller rink featured in a pivotal and tragic scene in Stranger Things Season 4, is actually Roller King in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Thanks to a unique agreement, many of the set decorations from filming remain at Roller King.
Roller King agreed to a reduced filming rate in exchange for keeping the Stranger Things set decorations. This location was chosen due to its proximity to the Byers’ new home and Will and Eleven’s high school in the show. It took about four months to renovate Roller King for filming, transforming it into the 1980s-themed Rink-O-Mania. Now, fans are visiting Roller King, often dressed in 80s attire and Hellfire Club T-shirts, to experience the Stranger Things magic firsthand.
9. Eldorado High School (Lenora Hills High School)
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Lenora Hills High School, where Will, Jonathan, and Eleven attend in California (actually Albuquerque, New Mexico in Stranger Things Season 4), is represented by Eldorado High School in Albuquerque. This is also where new fan-favorite character Argyle attends school.
Key scenes depicting Eleven’s struggles to fit in and her journey to regain her powers take place at Lenora Hills High. Eldorado High School is no stranger to Hollywood, having also appeared in the first episode of Breaking Bad. While it’s an active school, fans can still view the exterior and recognize it as Lenora Hills High from Stranger Things.
10. Stone Mountain Cemetery (Hawkins Cemetery)
Stone Mountain, Georgia
Hawkins Cemetery, the setting for Max’s emotional monologue and confrontation with Vecna in Season 4, is Stone Mountain Cemetery in Stone Mountain, Georgia. This is where Max’s iconic scene, set to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill,” was filmed.
Founded in the 1850s, Stone Mountain Cemetery is a historic location with graves dating back to the Civil War. However, it’s important to note that Will Byers’ funeral scene in Season 1 was filmed at a different cemetery, Bethany Cemetery in Fayetteville. Stone Mountain Cemetery provides a somber yet beautiful location for fans to reflect on the powerful scenes filmed here.
11. Aliberto’s Mexican Food (Surfer Boy Pizza)
3476 NM-47, Los Lunas, New Mexico
Surfer Boy Pizza, where Season 4’s beloved character Argyle works, is actually Aliberto’s Mexican Food in Los Lunas, New Mexico, a village south of Albuquerque.
While you can’t order Surfer Boy Pizza here, Aliberto’s offers delicious New Mexican cuisine, including green chile plates and chile rellenos. However, for those craving a Surfer Boy Pizza, you can find frozen versions at Walmarts nationwide, featuring flavors like pepperoni and pineapple jalapeño. Visiting Aliberto’s offers a taste of New Mexico and a fun connection to Argyle’s world.
12. Lukiškės Prison (Kamchatka Prison)
Vilnius, Lithuania
One of Season 4’s major plot twists involved Hopper’s survival and imprisonment in a Kamchatka, Russia, penitentiary. The Russian prison scenes were actually filmed at Lukiškės Prison in Vilnius, Lithuania, a location also recognizable from the HBO series Chernobyl.
Built in 1904 during the Russian Empire, Lukiškės Prison operated for over a century until 2019. It has since been transformed into Lukiškės Prison 2.0, a cultural space housing a music venue, artist residencies, and even a dance club. Fans can tour this historic prison and see the location that stood in for the chilling Kamchatka prison in Stranger Things, experiencing a unique blend of entertainment and history.
Exploring these Stranger Things filming locations offers fans a unique way to connect with the series, stepping into the real-world settings that bring the fictional town of Hawkins and the expanded Stranger Things universe to life. From grocery stores to malls and even prisons, these locations provide a tangible link to the show’s captivating world.
