“The Summer I Turned Pretty” is an American coming-of-age romantic drama that has garnered plenty of fans since its release in 2022 on Amazon Prime. Based on a trilogy of the same name by Jenny Han, the series follows Belly, a teenager involved in a love triangle with brothers Conrad and Jeremiah.
Set in the fictional town of Cousins Beach, which is said to have been inspired by the Cape Cod area of Massachusetts, the series was in fact entirely shot in Wilmington, North Carolina. The city has earned the moniker of “Hollywood East” thanks to its success as a top filmmaking location, from “Dawson’s Creek,” “Sleepy Hollow” and “Weekend at Bernie’s” to “Iron Man 3,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “The Conjuring” being filmed there.
With the release of Season 3 of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” almost upon us, here’s a look back at the filming locations of seasons 1 and 2 which are sure to make a comeback this July.
The show's beach and bonfire scenes were filmed across Carolina Beach, Kure Beach and Wrightsville Beach. Most of the night beach shots were at Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, while the path Belly and Jeremiah take from the summer house to the beach in Season 1 was filmed at Wrightsville Beach.
These beaches offer plenty of adventure activities for visitors, including kayaking, paddleboarding, surfing and canoeing.
The beach house belonging to the Fisher family is located at Porters Neck Plantation, a private, gated golf course community in Wilmington. The home was the filming location for many exterior shots on the show, including when Belly arrives at the house and when the family hosts a backyard party for the Fourth of July celebrations in Season 1.
The real home boasts five bedrooms and six bathrooms, an infinity swimming pool, a private dock, a pier, and a 33-foot boat slip. As the home is a private residence, fans cannot visit it.
The country club in Season 1 where Jeremiah and Belly's brother Steven worked and Belly attended rehearsals in anticipation of her debutante ball were filmed at the Cape Fear Country Club, the oldest private club in North Carolina founded in 1896.
The club features an 18-hole golf course and is members-only, meaning they don't encourage visitors. However, you can catch a quick glimpse of it as you drive by.
In Episode 2 of Season 1, Laurel has a book party at The Whale of a Tale bookshop. Many of the exterior shots took place at Papercut Books, located in downtown Wilmington. The small independent bookstore specialises in new and lightly used books as well as collectable vintage books.
In Episode 3 of Season 1, Belly's crush, Conrad, teaches author Cleveland Castillo a few things about sailing for his next novel. These scenes were filmed at the Cape Fear Marina near the Hilton Drawbridge in Wilmington. However, as it's a gated marina, it is limited to residential and recreational boat use and not easily accessible to visitors.
In Season 1, the cast heads to a beach volleyball court for a fundraising game. However, the scene was not filmed on a beach at all. It was actually filmed at Cap'n Bill's Backyard Grill and Volleyball Facility in Wilmington, which has several sand volleyball courts and leagues.
For over 30 years, Bill’s has been a favourite hangout spot in the city. The family-owned operation grew from a small grill and a few volleyball courts into a one-of-a-kind bar-cum-grill-cum-beach volleyball facility with 12 courts, three bars, a full restaurant, and an on-site brewery.
Season 2 includes several scenes at Brown University, but they were actually filmed locally at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Apparently, the crew even considered filming at the author's alma mater, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic it was a non-starter.
In Season 2, Belly, Conrad, Jeremiah and the gang head to the boardwalk as they play a number of games in a friendly competition. For this episode, the show actually used two different locations: the Carolina Beach Boardwalk for the exterior shots and Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park for many of the interior shots, as well as the go-kart scene featured in the trailer.
The Hell's Kitchen bar was used as a filming location for Season 2 of the show. Located in downtown Wilmington, it has a long history of being used as a filming location, including as the bar where Joey and Eddie worked in Season 6 of “Dawson's Creek,” and being featured in “One Tree Hill,” “Florida Man” and “Electric Love.”
