Mid October my brother and I drove to Covington, Georgia because I wanted to see the town where my favorite TV show, “The Vampire Diaries” (TVD), was filmed. It was a very last minute trip and it was probably one of the most amazing and fun times I had.
For anyone who knows my brother he doesn’t like a lot of things. I was shocked when he said he would go with me to see a town from a TV show he didn’t watch. Makes me so thankful for my family and their willingness to be adventurous with me.
The town of Covington wasn’t just home to “The Vampire Diaries”. “Dukes of Hazard” and “Sweet Magnolias” and many more have filmed in this small town. After visiting I can see why, it’s an amazing little place.
The drive from Northeastern PA to Covington wasn’t actually that bad. It did take us about 14 hours so we were pretty sore and tired from just sitting all that time. The views were beautiful. We went through the mountains in Tennessee and North Carolina around sunset and it was breath taking.
We stayed at a hotel in Covington, Georgia. I picked a hotel that was right outside Covington town square and about 40 minutes from the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, which was has also been on my “to visit” list for a long time.
The first thing we did on our full day in Georgia was head to the aquarium. We wanted to get in and out of Atlanta before traffic got crazy and we hoped that by going to the aquarium early, we would beat the crowds. We had tickets for 10am entry and it wasn’t crowded at all we were able to enjoy all of the sights without masses of people. I have a separate post about the Aquarium.
After a few hours in the aquarium, we headed to the town square in Covington for lunch. Of course we ate at the Mystic Grill! How could I pass up the opportunity to eat at the place The Vampire Diaries featured so much in the show? And I will say, the food was really good. We actually tried to go back for dinner but the wait was about 2 hours and my brother was pretty hangry after a full day of exploration.
After lunch, we walked around the town. First stop was the Mystic Falls welcome sign at the Welcome center. It’s the actual sign they used in the show!
From the welcome sign we walked over to the cemetery from the opening scene in season 1 where Elena is writing in her diary at her parents grave. After we left the cemetery we went to the houses the characters were living in. Disclaimer: I am not going to post the addresses of the houses because actual people live in these homes and they don’t want their property disturbed by tourists. There is a Vampire Diaries tour called “Night Stalkers” that will take you around the town and up close to the homes. We weren’t able to get a spot on the tour so we did a self guided tour but kept a respectable distance between us and the homeowners property.
First, was Elena’s house. This house is my FAVORITE! I love the big wrap around porch and the porch swing. When I first saw the house my mind immediately went to the scene where Damon and Bonnie were sitting on Elena’s porch swing while stuck in the prison world in 1994. After that, my mind was reeling with all clips from the show. I’m glad it didn’t actually burn down when Elena shut her humanity off because this house is too beautiful.
Caroline’s house is actually right across the street from Elena’s. If you are looking at the picture above of me infront of Elena’s, Caroline’s house is to the left on the other street corner.
Just a short walk away is the Lockwood Mansion which is actually called Worthington Manor.
After the Lockwood Mansion, we walked over to Twelve Oaks Bed and Breakfast. This property was the Lockwood Mansion in 1864. I wanted to book a room here but it was all booked up for the weekend we were in town, but that’s what happens when things are planned last minute. We didn’t make it to Matt’s, Bonnie’s or Grams’ homes, so it gives me an excuse to come back and hopefully stay at this bed and breakfast.
All of these places I mention above were within walking distance of the Mystic Grill in the town square. After the long car ride we had the day before, it was nice to be out walking, but after a few hours I had us back in the car driving to some other film sites. Not going to lie, it took me a while to research it and find the real names of the locations. First stop was Whitmore College which is actually called Oxford College of Emory University. We didn’t spend too much time exploring the campus but did snap a few pictures.
After leaving the college we found the Salvatore Boarding house which was not only use for the filming of “The Vampire Diaries” but also “Legacies”, the spin off show from TVD. The owners of the home left the “S” on the front gate and the sign from “Legacies” showing it is the Salvatore School. I would have loved to see more of the property and the house, but I know that’s not realistic.
The last stop we made was the location of the outside school scenes for Mystic Falls High School. This location was super hard for me to find. I think I spent a solid hour Googling and reading, but it was so worth it! Everything is exactly how it was in the show. Like I mentioned before, I am not going to give out the addresses of the places. If you do go to them, just respect the property
Overall this trip was really amazing and I can’t thank my brother enough for going with me. I highly recommend making the trip even if you didn’t watch TVD, the town of Covington is super cute and there is actually a lot to see and do. There are a ton of cute shops around the town square and many other places beside the Mystic Grill to eat.
The Venturesome Introvert 