Where was A Christmas Story filmed?

In one of the film’s opening scenes, we see Ralphie spot the Red Ryder BB Gun at a local department store’s Christmas display window. The narrator set the scene by saying “Highbee’s Department Stores’ corner window was traditionally a major high-water mark of the pre-Christmas season…Kids were brought in from miles around just to see the window.”

Located in Downtown Cleveland, the now-defunct Higbee's Department Store is among the reasons why Clark settled for Cleveland as the primary filming location. Most of the department stores scouting for the film weren’t willing to open up their doors to the A Christmas Story production team. Bruce Campbell, who was Highbee’s Vice President at the time, welcomed the film crew to his premises on one condition. He reworked the script a bit for cursing, and ultimately, the department store served as the setting of several scenes in the film. In 1992, Edward J. DeBartolo, who acquired Highbee’s in 1987, sold his stake in the business, and the store rebranded as Dillard’s. It operated as Dilliard’s for a decade before later developments transformed the building into the Horseshoe Casino.

Given that Higbee’s exclusively operated in Northeast Ohio, the department store Shepherd referenced in his book as well as the film is most likely the now-defunct Goldblatt’s. The discount store was located in Downtown Hammond, just three doors away from the also defunct Cam-Lan Chinese Restaurant along Sibley Avenue.

Long before targeted social media ads and TV campaigns reigned, marketers relied on magazines to drum up sales for their products. It’s best displayed in the scene where Ralphie sets his eye on the Red Ryder in a publication referred to as the “Boy’s Life” in the film.

Ralphie reads out the sales text, “Yes, fellows, this two-hundred shot carbine action air rifle, just like the one I used in all my range wars, chasin’ them rustlers and bad guys can be your very own!”

The filming location of A Christmas Story is located at 3159 West 11th Street, Cleveland, Ohio. Brian Jones, who is perhaps the film’s biggest fan, dropped $150,000 on the purchase of the house in 2005. He spent another $350,000 on renovations to restore the interior and exterior to how they appeared in the movie.

The “A Christmas Story House” expanded in 2006 with the inclusion of a museum opened right next door. That’s where you’ll find archives of props and costumes used during the production of the film, including some of the Highbee’s toy displays and Randy’s (Ian Petrella) snowsuit.

Best still, you can book the residence for a festive overnight stay to recreate the holiday spirit exuded by the film. Bus #81 will get you to the iconic filming location.

The Homan Christmas Parade is one of the most iconic scenes from the film. Ralphie and his family were amongst the crowd watching the parade flow along as the sounds of jingle bells filled the air. The narrator explained that it stirred an idea in Ralphie’s mind. “Now it is well-known that foolish men stuff themselves with pillows and other such devices, it is equally well-known that the real Santa Claus can be found at Higbee's Department Store in Hohman, Indiana.”

The public square located right outside Highbee’s made its cameo for the parade scene. Found in downtown Cleveland, the central plaza is modeled after an 18th-century New England locale, and it remains an essential element of the city’s center.

The crew filmed the parade scene at night, given that the Federal Building and Erieview Tower were glaringly visible during the day. It was the same case for the ongoing construction of the BP Tower (200 Public Square) during the production period.

If you are planning on visiting the A Christmas Story location, check out the event calendar to drop by when there’s something exciting happening at the square. The square hosts year-round events ranging from outdoor concerts to product launches and the legendary Winterfest holiday kick-off party.

The Red Line and bus 9, 19-19A-19B, 53-53A, or 3 will get you there.

One of the relatable and hilarious scenes in the film takes place on the school grounds during recess. After an exchange with Schwartz (R. D. Robb ), Flick (Scott Schwartz) took on the mightiest of all dares, the triple-dog-dare.

The narrator explained, “Schwartz created a slight breach of etiquette by skipping the triple dare and going right for the throat.”

Ralphie’s school was yet another landmark location used during the production process. Coupled with the Cleveland and Toronto locations, it helped create the “A Christmas Story” word. The Ontario-based Victoria School, situated within St. Catherine’s, stood in for Warren G. Harding Elementary School. Several of the learning institution’s students also participated in the filmmaking process as extras. They shaved their hair in a ‘40s style to match up the actors and reflect the film’s time setting.

However, the freezing temperatures and snowy weather made the production process a nightmare and once the crew wrapped up the interior school scenes, they vacated to a Toronto-based sound studio. The snow eventually eased up and they managed to finish filming the exterior scenes of the school.

Victoria Public School is no longer in operation but the building that housed the learning institution remains unchanged while functioning as a women’s shelter.

The scene where Ralphie's family goes to a Christmas tree lot is another warm and fuzzy moment from the classic movie. It mirrors a Christmas tradition that most of us can relate to, as drawn out through the difficulties of settling on the perfect tree.

The narrator captured it in one sentence, “Buying the Christmas tree was always only after long and soul-searching discussions.”

It’s yet another scene from “A Christmas Story” that was filmed in Ontario, Canada. Online sleuths suggest that it must have been around 232 Queen St W which is right near where you’ll find the Toronto symbol.

Today, the locale functions as a parking lot, and the CTV studios are located right around the corner, at 299 Queen St W. Given that it’s smack in the middle of the city, you might also want to check out the Chippawa Volunteer Firefighters Association. That’s where you’ll find the vintage truck, dubbed the Chippawa Fire Truck, that responded to the scene when Flick got his tongue stuck on the pole.

Besides the epic visit to Highbee’s, the time when Ralphie used a curse word in his father’s presence stands as another memorable A Christmas Story scene.

Helping his old man who is fixing his car, Ralphie dropped the bowl of bolts that he was holding onto and they went flying everywhere. That’s when Ralphie exclaimed “Ohhhhh… fudge!” Needless to say, his foul mouth landed him in trouble.

The scene was filmed at the Cherry Street lift bridge which spans the Don River. Filmed against the darkness, you might not recognize the location in real life because it also suffered from corrosion damage through the years before getting restored in 2011.

Get to the A Christmas Story filming location via the 1 subway, Up train, or bus 72 or 172.