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Grown Ups movie cover Movie Locations Guide

Where was Grown Ups filmed?

2010

City Locations

Essex County, Massachusetts

Location Types

Cape Cod, Diners/Coffee, Religious, Restaurant, Ship Docks

Location Styles

Americana/Anywhere America, Boat Style, Cape Cod, Lake House

About Grown Ups

Grown Ups is an American comedy film starring Adam Sandler, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Kevin James, and Chris Rock. They play the characters of five good friends who have known each other since they were 12-year-olds and even won a CYO basketball championship as a team. As they reunite 30 years later, you’ll see a group of men in their forties relieving the good old days.

A first look at the comedy superstar casts will probably give you an idea about how the reunion of these friends will turn out. They sure have ‘grown up,’ having their own families, kids, jobs, businesses, and all. But have they really? If you’re curious about the adventure of these kids-at-heart adults, this guide features some of the best scenes in Grown Ups (spoiler alert!). Plus, it highlights various filming locations you can explore.

The death of their beloved old coach, Bobby ‘Buzzer’ Ferdinando (Blake Clark), brought together the team who hadn’t seen one another for three decades. With their families, they return to New England for the funeral and spend the 4th of July weekend at the lake house. They row out to an island to spread their coach’s ashes, play games, go to a water park, and have a barbecue. They also have a basketball rematch against Dickie (Colin Quinn) and his teammates to settle old scores.

Three summers later, Lenny (Adam Sandler) and his friends are back together in Grown Ups 2. This time, Lenny relocates his family back to his hometown, where he grew up. He reconnects with his old team, and together, they work hard to navigate the unrelenting mid-life crisis.

The Grown Ups movies may not have mind-bending twists or a sophisticated plot, but they’ll surely make you smile and laugh. You may like the dad jokes or not, but you’ll likely end up rooting for the characters as they deal with life as grown-ups.

Grown Ups Locations

In the first movie, numerous shots were filmed in Essex, a hidden gem in Massachusetts with a scenic landscape. However, besides Essex, the Grown Ups filming locations consist of various venues across the state, including Marblehead, Southborough, and Boston. A few scenes also took place in Los Angeles, California.

The film is set at a lake house near the fictional Amoskeag Lake. But in reality, the filming location for Grown Ups lake scenes is in Chebacco Lake. It’s a 209- acre lake that’s classified as a ‘Great Pond,’ placing it under state ownership. It’s an excellent spot for swimming, fishing, kayaking, boating, and other water activities.

Like the 2010 Grown Ups film, the second movie was filmed across various locations in the state of Massachusetts. However, the production picked Marblehead and Swampscott as its primary Grown Ups 2 location. They even built an eighty-foot high soundstage that serves as Lenny’s house and backyard, complete with fantastic amenities, like a pool house and tennis courts. It was set behind the Swampscott town’s football field.

Grown Ups 2 is the first film shot almost entirely in these two distinct towns in Massachusetts. They offer a small-town feel perfect for the film.

Fun fact:

Adam Sandler wrote the movie in the mid-1990s. It was supposed to be released around that time, with Chris Farley playing Kevin James’ role. Due to Farley’s death in December 1997, they didn’t continue with the Grown Ups production plans, and the movie was shelved for over a decade.

Buzzer’s funeral scene in Grown Ups

Pilgrim Congregational Church, Southborough, MA

We can’t talk about the movie and not mention one of the funny scenes in Grown Ups during the coach’s funeral. After Lenny delivers his heartfelt and witty eulogy, Rob pours out his heart, singing Ave Maria. While he’s singing, Lenny and Kurt (Chris Rock) make a five-dollar bet that Rob will go down on one knee with Buzzer’s picture.

The comedy then breaks out at the funeral when Rob starts moving around while singing with the huge picture in his hands. Later on, though he’s no longer holding the picture, he goes down on one knee, resulting in Kurt giving Lenny a five-dollar note.

As if waiting for the right time, Marcus (David Spade) drops the buzzer sound after Rob stops singing, causing everyone in the room to laugh. Quite annoyed, he says, “Grow up, will you?” to which Lenny responds, “Don’t get so mad there, Robbie.”

This iconic scene was shot in Pilgrim Congregational Church, situated in the historic center of Southborough, Massachusetts. It’s a beautiful white church built nearly 200 years ago in a suburban setting. Besides its weekly services, it’s a great venue for weddings and memorials. It is close to the intersection of Routes 30 and 35 and just a few minutes’ walk from the town center.

Families at the lakehouse scene in Grown Ups

The Lakehouse, Centennial Grove, Essex, MA

After the funeral, we now see the guys arriving at the picturesque lakehouse with their families and kids. In this scene, viewers are awarded an aerial shot of the natural paradise that will give you those pleasant summer vibes.

With a bunch of kids and adults in one big house, it can be tricky to choose a room for every family. That’s why Rob creates “the map of who-gets-which-room” and takes the liberty of reserving the room with the waterbed for him and Gloria, his fourth wife, who’s thirty years older than him.

Many of the scenes in the film were shot in the lakehouse and the surrounding area. The production used the Grove cottage located in Centennial Grove in Essex. They also renovated the buildings on the property, replanted the grass, improved the parking lot, and built two new basketball courts at the Grove.

Local town officers revealed that the town has significantly benefited from being used as a film location for Grown Ups. The production left the property in a much better condition than they found it, and it’s now a great place to visit for vacation.

If you’re coming from route 133 in Ipswich, take a right turn after the Congregational Church. Then take another right turn to Martin Street, taking you to route 22. Continue on this route until you find the Centennial Grove Road. Keep going until the end, and you’re at the Centennial Grove. You can use any of the two exits to get to Centennial Grove: exit 15 in Manchester or exit 18 in Beverly.

Boat scene in Grown Ups

Chebacco Lake, Essex, MA

One morning, the five men go rowing to an island to bid their final goodbye to Buzzer and spread his ashes. It’s also when Rob opens up to his friends about his personal struggle, telling them that he messed up his previous marriages. “It’s my fault,” he confesses. He’s also anxious about meeting his daughters, who will arrive in a few minutes.

The scene where you see them boating on a lake was shot in Chebacco Lake. It’s one of the central Grown Ups locations located between Hamilton and the coastal town of Essex, MA. This body of water has been the center of a meaningful and rich history and provides a home to aquatic species.

Visitors enjoy swimming, boating, kayaking, fishing, and canoeing in the waters of Chebacco Lake. As a 209-acre lake, it provides plenty of areas for you to explore and take advantage of freshwater adventures. It is also surrounded by beautiful cottages, vacation homes, and woodlands, making the area a great spot to unwind and relax.

To get to the lake, off Route 1A, follow Rt 22 towards Essex/Hamilton. Then find Chebacco Road after the farmstand.

Water park scene in Grown Ups

Water Wizz, Wareham, MA

Do you remember the water park scene where the five friends completely unleashed their inner child? Lenny decides they should go to a water park for a day, and the guys, along with their kids and partners, have the best time.

One of the scenes involves the four women ogling a water park hunk (Alex Musser). They feel so thrilled seeing the man approaching them slowly. Out of the blue, you’ll hear Gloria’s hilarious comment, “Whatever you do, don’t fart.” Much to the ladies’ surprise, his voice in the film is not as sexy as his body, causing them to burst into laughter and leaving the Canadian hunk offended.

Meanwhile, the children and their dads are enjoying the water slides. And then there’s Rob pushing a rude attendant down the water slide for being disrespectful to his daughters and calling one of them “fugly.”

If you’re wondering where the water park scene was filmed, you’ll have to go to Wareham, the Gateway to Cape Cod. The Grown Ups production chose Water Wizz of Cape Cod in 2009 as one of its filming locations, showcasing its fantastic facility. Established in 1982, Water Wizz was the first water attraction in New England with four serpentine slides.

Today, it features more water features, rides, a shop, and other outstanding attractions. It is located on routes 6 and 28, close to Buzzards Bay. It’s only about five minutes from routes 25 and 195, twenty minutes from Plymouth and Falmouth.

The restaurant scene in Grown Ups

Woodman's of Essex, Essex, MA

One of the best scenes in Grown Ups takes place in a family restaurant called Woodman’s Eat in the Rough. It’s another hilarious scene where Lenny needs to explain what “wasted” means to the kids after Marcus reminisces the time they used to spend at the diner late at night in high school after getting wasted.

Struggling for the right words to say, Lenny comes up with what he believes is a perfect explanation appropriate for children. As a result, all the kids jubilantly expressed their strong desire to be wasted. One of the little girls even said she wanted to “get wasted every single day of her life!”

The movie was filmed at an actual restaurant for the dining scene. They used Woodman’s of Essex, a New England seaside restaurant since 1914. It meets multiple production needs, including a convenient space, delicious menu, and easy access to the region through the Logan Airport.

Final basketball scene in Grown Ups

Centennial Grove, Essex, MA

Since basketball is what brought the team together when they were young, it’s not surprising to see another basketball scene in the latter part of the film. So despite everyone being out of shape, the guys face off with their rivals for a basketball rematch.

You’ll also see flashbacks of some events that happened thirty years ago while they were playing in high school as young players. But this time, it’s their families cheering for them.

Later in the game, most players become too exhausted to continue, leaving only Dickie and Lenny on the court. However, instead of finishing the game themselves, they bring out their sons and play a game of 2-on-2 with their boys.

The basketball court is located in Centennial Grove, along Centennial Grove Road. The gorgeous lake you’ll see in the background is the glorious Chebacco Lake.

Conclusion

Visiting Grown Ups locations will take you to some of the most beautiful natural sites in the coastal town of Essex. You can explore the spectacular Chebacco Lake and enjoy different water activities with friends and families. You can also visit the lake house and snap some photos around the property while thinking about the funny yet heartwarming family scenes shot in the area.

Go to the largest waterpark in Southern New England and ride the different slides at the Water Wizz to complete your adventure. It’s an ideal summer activity you don’t want to miss, especially when traveling with kids.

If you need a break from your Grownups film locations tour, head to the Woodman’s of Essex. Check out the restaurant menu and its welcoming atmosphere. You can have a quick bite here or enjoy a luscious dining experience no matter when you plan to visit.