The show's picture perfect setting has many wondering where is Sweet Magnolias filmed?
It's the all-American feel good show that champions friendship, family and making the most of life's big and small moments. And of course, any series depicting such values has to be supported by a bright and beautiful backdrop - full of white picket fences and dreamy mansions. It seems fans of the show are just as taken with the show's setting as they are the drama. With a lot of people eager to know if this suburban paradise exists in real life. We've done some digging and found one or two locations you can actually visit in the flesh.
Season 2 of the show has been drawing in the numbers on Netflix of late. And if you've enjoyed the homey spirit of the show, we recommend adding Chespeake Shores and Virgin River season 4 to your viewing list.
Where is Sweet Magnolias filmed?
Netflix series Sweet Magnolias is filmed in the quaint, picturesque town of Covington, Georgia in the United States. Season 1 and 2 were both shot here and fans can visit some of the properties featured in real life.
It turns out that Sullivan's Restaurant run by Dana Sue is an actual eatery in Covington. Residents will know it as Mystic Grill, a 4.5 star rated restaurant on TripAdvisor which serves delicious Southern food staples. Whilst the exterior is used for filming, the interiors of Dana Sue's establishment are actually shot on a studio set instead.
It seems production crew have frequented the Mystic Grill on occasion. As the official Sweet Magnolias Instagram revealed the place had named a drink after them:
"Happy National Margarita Day! How are you pouring it out today?," read the post caption. "Swipe for a yummy drink, named after us, one of our writers got at Mystic Grill in Covington, GA -- which is also the exterior of Sullivan's!"
The Sweet Magnolias spa is also a real Covington location. In addition to the high school that Maddie and Dana Sue's kids attend in the show. Located just 30 minutes away from central Covington it's known as Henry County Middle School in real-life. Though in the show it's been renamed as Serenity High School.
Then there's the Oakhurst Presbyterian church in Decatur which acts as the show's place of worship. Both the interior and exterior of this site is used for scenes as Serenity's Prince of Peace Lutheran Church.
Covington is certainly proud to feature as the backdrop of the Sweet Magnolia series. The town's official Instagram account GoCovingtonGA likes to regularly share posts about the show - especially as it's home to the action.
The second season of Sweet Magnolias was filmed in April 2021 and production wrapped up in July 2021.
Where is the spa in Sweet Magnolias filmed?
The Corner Spa scenes in Sweet Magnolias are also filmed in Covington, Georgia. The exterior of the spa is a real-life property in the town - a historic Greek revival mansion known as the Lee-Porter House. It was built in 1912 and is named after it's owner Lester Lee.
Sadly the spa's gorgeous interiors don't exist in real life. Instead, they are filmed on a studio set and soundstage.
Maddie and her fellow Magnolias - Heather and Dana Sue open the Corner Spa in season one of the hit show.
Is Serenity a real town in South Carolina?
No, Serenity where Sweet Magnolias is set is a fictional town that's based in South Carolina. The town in the show bears the same name as the one used in the Sweet Magnolias book series by Sherryl Woods.
In the first novel of her 11-book series, author Sherryl explains that Serenity was actually inspired and based on the real-life city of Sumter in South Carolina. "Thanks for the warm welcome, the laughter, the great meals, and the inspiration for this new community," she writes in the introduction.
According to the show's director Norman Buckley, Serenity needed to feel more than a setting to viewers:
"Anderson repeated, throughout the shooting of the show, that it was important that everyone might see themselves in Serenity," he wrote in a 2020 Instagram post. "I like that idea more than ever these days — Serenity not just as a place, but a state of mind."
Are The Vampire Diaries and Sweet Magnolias filmed in the same place?
Yes. Fans of both Sweet Magnolias and The Vampire Diaries may be surprised to learn that the shows are filmed in the same place of Covington in Georgia. It's known as Serenity in Sweet Magnolias but is otherwise called Mystic Falls in the popular vampire series.
Covington has attracted a large number of television crews over the years. It was the backdrop for Hazzard county in the cult American series The Dukes of Hazzard. And was the setting for seasons 2-8 of In the Heat of the Night.
Film fans might also be aware that the Georgian town also features the mansion from Gone with the Wind. It's now a bed and breakfast called The Twelve Oaks which guests can stay in.
Most recently, Covington has re-featured as the Mystic Falls town in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals spin-off - Legacies.
Cast of Sweet Magnolias
- JoAnna Garcia Swisher (Privileged, Once Upon a Time) plays spa owner Maddie Townsend
- Brooke Elliott (Drop Dead Diva) plays chef Dana Sue Sullivan
- Heather Headley (Respect, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights) plays lawyer Helen Decatur
- Chris Klein (American Pie, Just Friends) plays Bill Townsend - Maddie's ex-husband
- Jamie Lynn Spears (Zoey 101) plays Noreen Fitzgibbons
- Justin Bruening (Knightrider, Grey's Anatomy) plays Cal Maddox - Maddie's new love interest
- Logan Allen (Bernie the Dolphin 1 and 2) plays Kyle Townsend
- Carson Rowland (I am Frankie) plays Tyler "Ty" Townsend
- Anneliese Judge plays Annie Sullivan
- Dion Johnstone (Canadian Strain) plays sous chef Erik Whitley
- Brandon Quinn (Charmed) plays Ronnie Sullivan - Dana Sue's estranged husband)
Sweet Magnolias: Season 2 episodes
- "Casseroles and Casualties"
- "So Much to Say"
- "The More Things Change"
- "Walk of Faith"
- "Great Expectations"
- "Find It in Your Heart"
- "Fragile Things"
- "The Rules of the Game"
- "Dear Heart"
- "If Thou Wilt, Remember"
There are 10 episodes in season 2 of Sweet Magnolias and all are available to stream and watch now on Netflix. The second series was released on February 4, 2022. Each episode lasts for approximately 60 minutes.
Season 1 of the show proved so popular with fans that Netflix confirmed a second series was on the way in July 2020.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nfkWFUWdfI
Will there be a season 3 of Sweet Magnolias?
Netflix have not confimed a season 3 of Sweet Magnolias as yet. But if the second series proves as popular as the first, we have a feeling another season will be on the way. This is especially because the series two finale left fans with many questions unanswered.
Netflix officially announced a second series two months after season 1 of Sweet Magnolias premiered. So basing it on this timeline, we should hopefully get confirmation of a possible third run in May 2022.
We'll of course be keeping our eyes peeled for any season 3 information. But in the meantime, why not binge other talked about shows like This is Going to Hurt, Shakespeare and Hathaway plus Peaky Blinders season six.
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