Since the show’s foundation, Netflix have been using locations across the ATL to shoot their iconic Stranger Things series. Over the years, a season drop has grown on to become one of the streaming platform’s most anticipated events, with fans of the show immediately binging, obsessing, and posting their theories all over the internet!
If you’re one of those loyal fans then you probably know that Stranger Things: The Experience will be taking over Atlanta’s historic Pullman Yards in the fall, beginning on October 12. The immersive experience will take you back in time to the eighties, where you can freely explore the peculiar town of Hawkins, Indiana. Epic audiovisual sets, supernatural mysteries, and pulse-racing encounters will bring the cult TV sensation to life, right before your very eyes.
To celebrate this momentous event finally making its way to Atlanta, we thought we’d round-up some of the filming locations across the city used by Stranger Things. Be warned, nerds! There may be spoilers ahead if you’re still catching up!
1. Patrick Henry Adult Education
The former alumni of the now-closed Patrick Henry Adult Education were delighted to see their former education center enter the pop-culture zeitgeist! The center is used as the filming location for Hawkins Middle School & Hawkins High School.Briarcliff Road Northeast Pictured above is probably one of the most iconic episodes of Stranger Things, as the beloved protagonists Will, Mike, Lucas and Dustin, pay homage to the 1984 family-favorite Ghostbusters.
Travel back to the eighties at Stranger Things: The Experience, taking over Pullman Yards this fall!
2. Gwinnett Place Mall
Gwinnett Place Mall had a huge roll to play in the third season of Stranger Things. Despite its notorious history, many ATLiens were delighted to see this slice of nostalgia reinvented into a retro love-letter to malls in the eighties. Otherwise known in the show as Starcourt Mall, you’ll be able to try out a sundae (or two) by visiting the quintessential ice cream shop ‘Scoops Ahoy’ at Stranger Things: The Experience!
3. South Bend Pool
There’s no denying that Billy Hargrove is one of the most controversial characters in the sci-fi saga. Fans across the globe instantly swooned when we were introduced to the beloved Stranger Things bully and life guard, who was filmed on duty in season three at the Hawkins Community Pool, know as South Bend Pool to us Atlantans!
4. Stone Mountain Cemetery
We’ll never forget the heartbreaking funeral for fan-favorite Barb in season one of Stranger Things. Perhaps it’s still too fresh of a loss to digest or react, but the saddening funeral scenes were filmed at Stone Mountain Cemetery should you wish to pay your respect to meme-queen Barb!
5. Sleepy Hollow Farm
Sleepy Hollow Farm in Powder Springs is home to Hopper’s Cabin, where Eleven found refuge during the earlier seasons. The farm based attraction was also used for those memorable scenes of rotting pumpkins, an earlier indication that something wasn’t quite right with the Hawkins area. Local fans are frequently spotted visiting the farm, but make sure your favorite ATL superfan knows about Stranger Things: The Experience, coming soon to the city’s historic Pratt Pullman District!
6. Jackson in Butt’s County
The town square in Jackson, specifically on 2nd street, has been frequently used as a filming location on Stranger Things. The storefronts and buildings were repurposed and repainted for the series, frequently transforming itself into Downtown Hawkins.
7. Piggly Wiggly
If you’re obsessed with Eleven’s Eggo obsession, then make sure you check out the Piggly Wiggly in Palmeto. This is the filming spot where she first stole the tempting treat in season one, with all the kids returning in season three to take on the Mind Flayer.
Channel your inner-Eleven at Stranger Things: The Experience this fall!
8. Emory Adventist Hospital
That iconic encounter with the Mind Flayer from season three was filmed at Emory Adventist Hospital, turning Smyrna into Hawkins for one of the most tense moments from the newest season.
9. The Georgia Mental Health Institute
The Georgia Mental Health Institute was a psychiatric hospital which operated from 1965 to 1997. If you’ve driven past and wonder why the building looks familiar, perhaps you didn’t notice when watching Stranger Things. The Druid Hills building becomes the notorious Hawkins National Laboratory when the series is filming.
10. Downtown Atlanta
The Fairlie-Poplar district in Downtown Atlanta was used to portray Chicago in Stranger Things. Channel your inner-Eleven on the street of Downtown ATL, or at the upcoming immersive experience coming to Atlanta. Click here for more information.
If reading this round-up has got you rattled up for more Stranger Things, kill some time before the next season with Stranger Things: The Experience. Walk through iconic sets transporting you to the Upside Down, encounter your favorite characters, experience memorable scenes, and uncover hidden secrets with plenty of thrills at the Hawkins Lab, taking over the historic Pullman Yards for a limited time only starting October 22.
Get your tickets for Stranger Things: The Experience, coming to Atlanta on October 22!