The series finale of Amazon Prime’s hit show, “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” airs this week. Here’s everything you need to know about its NC filming locations.
Season 3 of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” has taken social media by storm. Since its premiere on July 16, droves of people have been choosing sides and drawing battle lines: Are you Team Conrad or Team Jeremiah? Week after week, the Amazon Prime hit television series has created a ripple effect with fans based solely on who they think main character Isabel “Belly” Conklin should end up with of the two Fisher brothers. As someone who’s been watching since Season 1, I personally feel like there’s only one obvious choice here, and that’s Conrad.
All life-changing romantic decisions aside, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is near and dear to people’s hearts because of how it depicts grief, love, self-worth, loyalty, and being true to who you are. The on-screen adaptation of Jenny Han’s beloved book series is as moving as its novel counterparts, but it provides an added layer of reality for North Carolina residents, since much of the show was filmed here. Though Cousins Beach is fictional, production locations depicting this scenic summer backdrop are very much real.
Let’s take a look at some of the key places where you can relive all your favorite “TSITP” memories, and maybe even create a love story of your own while you’re there.
The show was primarily filmed around Wilmington, NC
Many of the most memorable shots in “The Summer I Turned Pretty” were filmed around Wilmington, as well as nearby beaches including Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, and Kure Beach. To throw it back to the first season, the scene showing the “Entering Cousins Beach” sign was actually captured in Southport, just outside of the old lookout tower near the Wilmington Cape Fear Pilots Association.
Primary shots of the characters on the beach—whether they’re walking, fighting, or attending a bonfire—were recorded at Kure Beach, Carolina Beach, and the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area. Additional scenes were filmed at Crystal Pier and Wrightsville Beach. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to take as close of a look at the Fisher family home, as its located within a gated, private community in Wilmington at Porters Neck Plantation. Most of the exterior shots of the house were taken there, but interior shots were largely produced at the Cinespace Studios soundstage in town.
For a full scene-by-scene breakdown of most of the Wilmington filming locations, click here.
Many of Season 3’s college scenes were captured in Chapel Hill
Belly Conklin attends Finch College in the third and final season of the show, and production used the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s campus as a dupe for the fake Rhode Island university. Several key scenes were also filmed at McCorkle Place quad, Cape Fear Community College, St. James Episcopal Church, a local David’s Bridal, and numerous restaurants.
If you want to get a bite to eat and potentially create a meet cute of your own, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” shot at Little Loaf Bakery, Goody Goody Omelet House, and Circa 1922 restaurant, to name a few. Many of the season’s outdoor scenes were filmed back around Wilmington at Wrightsville, Kure, and Carolina Beaches.
Now, we can’t guarantee that you’ll be able to perfectly replicate the magic of the Fisher and Conklin families by visiting these locations. At the very least, though, you can relive some of the show’s best scenes and maybe even act out how you wish certain interactions went down between your favorite characters.
This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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