Where was Sand Dollar Cove filmed?
2021
City Locations
Groton, CT; Walnut Beach in Milford, CT; Mystic, CT
Location Types
Beach/Oceanview, Diners/Coffee, Buildings/Offices, Restaurant
Location Styles
Beach house, Beachfront, Americana/Anywhere America, Lakehouse
About Sand Dollar Cove
Sand Dollar Cove is a 2021 movie viewed on the Hallmark Channel; it was a part of their Summer Nights programming. Sand Dollar Cove stars Aly Michalka and Chad Michael Murry as Elli and Brody, who meet due to a potential land development. Brody owns land that Elli’s company wants as a new beachfront resort, but he refuses to sell.
Although there has been a terrible storm that has devastated much of the town - and Elli’s real estate agency believes she can negotiate a quick deal for the beachfront property. Brody won’t back down, however, because of a family fishing pier that he doesn’t want to see torn down. The pier is an important part of the community in which Brody lives, and he’s determined not to let it be destroyed.
Elli and Brody will begin to have feelings for one another while Elli works to win Brody over to sell the property. However, Elli’s company is pushing her to seal the deal as they are ready to move ahead with building their new resort.
Brody is an attorney while Elli is a project manager with a real estate developer. The company is set in Connecticut, as is the movie. While Brody is an architect, he is also active in the community, running a bait shop in the town of Sand Dollar Cove. Before Elli shows up, Brody hasn't even thought about selling his property.
Brody has quite a history in the town. He has come back to Sand Dollar Cove to take a break from practicing law and get his life together. His family gave him the property, including the café, only until he can figure out exactly where he wants to go in the next phase of his life. Brody’s great-grandfather was the founder of Sand Dollar Cove, so a decision to sell would truly impact not only Brody’s history but that of his family as well.
Sand Dollar Cove Locations
The Hallmark Channel movie Sand Dollar Cove was filmed in multiple locations in the state of Connecticut. It’s interesting to note that the book upon which the movie is based sets the locale of Sand Dollar Cove in North Carolina.
Sand Dollar Cove production locations were mostly in the town of Noank, Connecticut. This is a small town in the Groton village. Other scenes were filmed in Stonington, which is near the Connecticut and Rhode Island state borders.
The fictional Sand Dollar Cove was established by Brody’s great-grandfather in 1674. This can be seen as a bit of an Easter egg in the film as that would mean Brody’s grandfather and father would have to have been born much later in life - or lived over a century - in order for the math to work.
The filming location of Sand Dollar Cove pier in the movie is located on Walnut Beach in Milford, Connecticut. Charles Island is in the background of the pier. The producers of the movie utilized CGI to make the pier look as if it had been damaged by a storm.
Fun fact:
Sand Dollar Cove is loosely based on a book of the same name by Nancy Naigle.
A dog and a little girl steal the limelight scene in Sand Dollar Cove
Mystic Seaport, CT
Both Aly Michalka and Chad Michael Murray lauded the scenes in which the dog appeared. In an interview with Aly and Chad, both spoke about how much fun filming with the dog was. The dog appeared in multiple scenes with Michalka and Murray, including a sandcastle scene and a clambake.
Murray spoke about the cold weather in Mystic, Connecticut, and he related that the appearances of the little girl named Millie (who was played by Lily Jane Chachula) were “warm” due to her energetic enthusiasm about the film and working.
Murray also talks about the snow showers that occurred three times while the movie was being filmed during the month of March. Both the dog and the little girl appeared in scenes that would be part of the fair.
There is much to do in Mystic aside from viewing Sand Dollar Cove filming locations. There is a maritime museum, the Mystic Aquarium, the Stonington Lighthouse Museum, and the Mystic Drawbridge. You can also find multiple marinas there with a variety of shopping and dining opportunities. Mystic isn’t far from Groton and Noank, so you can get there in a personal vehicle or on one of the many buses that stop there.
The couple on the pier scene in Sand Dollar Cove
Albert Munroe Pier, Walnut Beach, Milford, CT
The pier is a focal point of the Sand Dollar Cove movie, and it’s actually a real pier in Milford, CT. The filmmakers chose to utilize CGI to make the pier look as if it had been damaged in a storm.
Although the book is set in North Carolina, the movie is set in Connecticut. Often, this part of New England is affected by a type of storm called a Nor’easter by locals. A Nor’easter is a storm that builds on the Atlantic Ocean, with high winds and might be compared to a hurricane in many ways. However, these are storms that take place during the winter rather than summer and fall in the way a hurricane would.
The pier is a part of Brody’s property. Brody’s parents deeded the land to him at a time when he was disillusioned with working as an attorney. Although the pier is damaged, Brody is committed to repairing the pier for the people of Sand Dollar Cove to enjoy.
The pier is also a pivotal part of the scene in which Elli returns to Sand Dollar Cove. She spies a couple on the pier, and they appear to be very much in love. Elli thinks to herself that she “wishes them better luck than” she had, although the audience isn’t made privy to what luck she had. We do know that the pier brings many memories to Elli, most of them good.
This Sand Dollar Cove filming location is easy to find and a nice place to visit as well. Surrounding the pier, you will find a few quaint shops and eateries as well as the Silver Sands State Park. If you are not traveling by car, you can take Bus CL, 234, 261 or 271.
Elli Eversol returns scene in Sand Dollar Cove
Sand Dollar Café (Carson’s Store), 43 Main St, Groton, CT
Elli grew up spending summers in Sand Dollar Cove with her grandparents. As a child, and even as a teenager, Elli imagined moving to the small town and spending her life there. However, Elli’s father made her promise that she would live “in the real world in a big city” for at least two years before she actually made a home in Sand Dollar Cove.
The scene opens with Elli standing on the beach by Sand Dollar Café. Her toes are in the sand, and she’s enjoying the fresh misty air of the ocean. Her memories of a happy childhood return as she looks out at the ocean.
She immediately remembers the happy times she had at the Sol-Mate, which was the name given to her grandparents’ beach house. Elli also remembers the sadness surrounding losing her “Pops,” as she called her grandfather. Elli recalls that summer as the worst of her life.
Elli also thinks about her leaving Sand Dollar Cove to live in a big city. Her father’s request to stay for two years had lengthened into five years. She had a rewarding and busy job with a real estate developer, and she really hadn’t given much thought to returning to Sand Dollar Cove - until she did.
Carson’s Store serves as the film shoot location of Brody’s Sand Dollar Café in Groton, Connecticut. In the film, this is a focal point in the small village. Most of the townspeople venture in and out of the Sand Dollar Café, if not to grab a bite to eat, or to grab some fishing gear.
One of the best scenes in Sand Dollar Cove takes place at the café owned by Brody, including a clambake scene where the romance continues to blossom between Brody and Elli. This cute shop is found on Main Street in Groton, Connecticut. There is no bus that goes to this area so you will need a private vehicle, taxi, or rideshare service.
Conclusion
Overall, Sand Dollar Cove is more of a romance than a drama or action film. It was aired by Hallmark in 2021, and it can be streamed today on a number of platforms.
Chad Michael Murray and Aly Michalka star in this sweet tale of a woman who has ties to Sand Dollar Cove but left after the death of her grandparents (and at the behest of her father). Murray’s character has been drawn to the area as well due to his roots there.
Elli (Michalka) has been sent to Sand Dollar Cove to make a purchase for her real estate development company, but she has no idea she will find love in her old stomping grounds.
Visiting Groton and Mystic in Connecticut offers breathtaking views and an opportunity to learn a little history. It’s quite easy to get to these adjoining villages and towns from Hartford, the capital city of Connecticut. All you need is a rental vehicle to putt around in.