The Real-Life Filming Locations For Orange Is the New Black

By now, you probably know that Orange Is the New Black takes place at a fictional prison called Litchfield Penitentiary. According to the series, Litchfield — which, by the way, is a a real town that doesn't actually have a prison — is nestled somewhere in upstate New York. What you might not know, though, is that it takes a few different real-life locations to cobble together what we see on screen. Wondering what some of the most recognizable locations are in real life? We did a little digging to give you some answers.

The most important thing to remember is that this is a TV show. That's why it should come as no surprise that most of OITNB's interior scenes are filmed on a sound stage. The sets are located at Kaufman Astoria Studios. According to The Daily Beast, the prison sets are "designed with all the functionality of a real prison . . . unlike the three-walled sets of Hollywood soundstages, this is made for every nook and cranny to be filmed." Apparently, according to production designer Michael Shaw, even Piper Kerman (whose true story inspired the show) was a little freaked out.

As for all of those sprawling exteriors? They're filmed at the Rockland Children's Psychiatric Center in Orangeburg, NY (ha!). The location was confirmed after a teenager trespassed onto the set back in 2015 and posted artistic pics to prove it. Her images show all the hot spots we see on the show: the fences, the open roads, the green house, the recreational fields, and more. We're not going to tell you to go yourself (since the teen in question was warned against trespassing), but if you theoretically wanted to go, that's where you're going to find it.

A story by The New Yorker not only revealed another filming location, but also exposed its horrifying realities. According to the article, parts of the show's second season were filmed at the Riverhead Correctional Facility on Long Island. It's unclear exactly which scenes were filmed at this location, but the resulting news story is much more fascinating anyway. The conditions of the actual prison (much like Litchfield) are horrifying: black mold, overflowing sewage, asbestos, and more. Netflix's decision to use the prison for filming helped catapult it into the spotlight. In fact, the New York Civil Liberties Union launched a campaign called #HumanityIsTheNewBlack to raise awareness about Riverhead.