Where was Stranger Things filmed?

If you’ve ever been in Middle School or High School, you’ll know that school dances are a big deal, especially if it’s one of your first ones!

In this Christmas-themed scene from episode 2, Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) has dressed himself up to the nines, including getting hair styling tips from the high school stud, Steve Harrington (Joe Keery).

He’s feeling good, he’s ready to get some dances in with some lucky ladies, and as the night goes on it becomes apparent that none of the girls are going to dance with him. Fortunately, his friend’s sister, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), swoops in and dances with him, saving the night.

She reassures the obviously dejected Dustin by saying, “You know, out of all of my brother’s friends, you’re my favorite. You’ve always been my favorite.”

Hawkins Middle School and Hawkins High School are used throughout the three seasons of Stranger Things and these scenes were actually shot in a closed-down school formerly Patrick Henry High School in Stockbridge, GA.

Located at 109 South Lee Street, if you want to visit this famous Stranger Things landmark, you’re going to want to hurry. Reports are now stating that the old school is set to be demolished!

Stockbridge is pretty small, so there’s no public transport around this site, but there are a number of Stranger Things filming locations around here, so you can have a quick road trip or day-long walking tour.

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In the first episode of the entire show, we find out that one of the young group of friends, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) has mysteriously gone missing. His mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) immediately heads to the Hawkins Police Station to register him missing.

As it hasn’t been missing all that long, and Joyce has a reputation for being somewhat hysterical, the Police Chief, Hopper (David Harbour) doesn’t take her very seriously at all, much to her dismay.

When asked about Will and why Joyce was worried this early on, the following exchange happened:

Joyce: He’s a sensitive kid. Lonnie used to say he was queer. Called him a fag. Hopper: Is he? Joyce: He’s missing, is what he is!

With Hopper being a major character throughout the series, we see a lot happening within and around the Hawkins Police Station. In reality, the police station is actually a building at Courthouse Square West in Douglasville, GA.

There isn’t a whole lot of public transport here as Douglasville is pretty small, but the building is just off the main road, so ideal if you’re driving.

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The start of Joyce’s seemingly crazy spiral really grabs hold when she receives a call through a fried phone, with Will’s voice on the other line in episode 2 of series 1. The phone could’ve been fried by the storm, Hopper says, but Joyce is convinced that it was Will.

Resolved that her missing son is in trouble and trying to reach her using the electricity around her house, Joyce heads to Melvald's General Store, where she works, to stock up on supplies to bring her boy home.

Here she says in a frantic manner, “ I need this phone and two weeks’ advance. And a pack of Camels.”

Joyce Byers is a woman on a mission, and God help anyone who tries to question her methods or get in her way. We love to see it.

The site of this shop can be found at the corner of a square in the small town of Jackson outside Atlanta. It was a Radio Shack at one point but was repurposed as a small convenience store by the Stranger Things production team.

As it’s a small town, there isn’t public transport available so it’s best to drive. You can find tons of places to eat around Jackson, so check out the location and enjoy this thriving small town.

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When we get into the deep end of season two, things just keep on getting weirder and messier for our favorite group of supernatural fighting teenagers.

In this particular scene, we see it revealed that Dustin has kept some kind of alien lizard as a pet, instead of getting rid of it as he was told to. Now that pet, affectionately known as Dart, is loose in the woods around Hawkins, and boy is he hungry.

This is also where Dustin and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) fight over Lucas telling new girl, Max (Sadie Sink) all about the supernatural ins and outs of their lives. While this is happening the three of them, together with Steve, scour the woods for Dart before he can do any further damage.

Max, who is pretty uninitiated in this whole monster lifestyle, sensibly asks, “Hey guys, why are you headed towards the sound?”

Throughout the seasons, there are a lot of scenes that take place in the woods. Separate from thrilling showdowns, it’s where the gang ride their bikes and socialize, so it’s used frequently.

The majority of these scenes, including this one, were shot in Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta. Aside from the trails, you can also enjoy golf, cable cars and hiking around this beautiful and expansive city park.

Depending on where in Atlanta you’re traveling from, both the 119 and 120 bus routes go to Stone Mountain Park. However, if there’s a group of you, there is plenty of car parking available.

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Unfortunately, our ragtag group of nerds isn’t the most popular gang of kids in the town of Hawkins. As such, the group is often bullied by some of the older kids, almost with deadly consequences. One of the best scenes in Stranger Things season one is this particular one at the quarry.

This scene from season 1 follows Dustin and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) as they look for the missing Eleven. Along the way, they get chased by a pair of their longtime bullies, Troy (Peyton Wich) and James (Cade Jones).

The chase ends on the cliff top overlooking the quarry, where Troy tells Mike to jump or they’ll cut out Dustin’s teeth. All in all, not nice guys. Mike, not seeing another option, actually jumps.

Luckily, Eleven heard them looking for her and uses her powers to catch Mike midair before snapping Troy’s arm with her mind. We know violence is never the answer, but this was pretty cool.

As they flee, Dustin shouts the now fan-favorite line: “Yeah, you better run. She’s our friend and she’s crazy!”

This scene was filmed out at the Bellwood Quarry in Atlanta and was used for a few scenes in the first season. Bellwood Quarry sits within Westside Park in Atlanta and is full of trails and greenery for you to explore.

There’s no designated public transport stop for the Bellwood Quarry or Westside Park, but you can get the green line train and get off at Bankhead or get the 26 bus. Both will bring you within walking distance of the park. There is also a designated parking lot for Westside Park.

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In season three, a lot of the fans’ dreams came true when Eleven and Mike finally got together as a couple. However, navigating life as a teen couple can be full of tricky twists and turns, resulting in one of the funny scenes in Stranger Things.

At this point, Eleven has now fully moved into Hopper's cabin in the woods, and is pretty much his daughter. As such, he’s got seriously protective, and let’s not forget he’s a police chief in the 80s with access to guns. Mike should be scared.

Mike comes round to hang out in Eleven’s room, with the door closed. Hopper’s mind runs wild and speaks to Eleven about it afterward over dinner.

He says, “If you don’t mind, for the sake of your poor old dad, keep the door open three inches.” We sympathize with you Hopper, we really do.

Hopper’s cabin is shown throughout the three seasons and actually doubles as Merrill’s pumpkin patch in the Halloween episode. You can find this cabin at the Sleepy Hollow Farm near Powder Springs.

This farm is so popular among Stranger Things fans and families that you can take guided tours, go on hayrides and even get lost in the nearby corn maze.

As this farm is out in the middle of the countryside, there’s no public transport available, so driving is a must!

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