The most magical parts of Hallmark Christmas movies are always the beautiful, cheery locations where the main characters fall in love with each other and with the holiday spirit. But have you ever wondered if these places full of Christmas joy and charm actually exist? In many cases, adorable small-town backdrops are created on a soundstage, but in some movies, the cast and crew get to spend time in the real versions of the places where the stories are set. As we settle into another holiday season that is sure to be filled with Hallmark Christmas movies, take a look at 16 of the most notable locations where your favorites have filmed over the years. We can't wait to visit some of these spots during a future holiday season!
The Mistletoe Secret focuses on a famous writer who falls for a waitress at a diner in Midway, UT — but it wasn't even filmed in the United States! According to the Aldergrove Star, Hallmark transformed the town's downtown district to film, and a local restaurant, Bob's Bar n' Grill, was turned into the Mistletoe Diner, where the leading couple meet.
Not only is Christmas at Graceland set in the titular location — the former home of Elvis Presley and a present-day tourist attraction — but it was also really filmed there! Country Living reported that the movie was one of the first to be allowed to shoot at the estate. Clearly, Hallmark kept up a good relationship with the location, because in 2019, another movie (though not a sequel), Christmas at Graceland: Home For the Holidays, filmed at Graceland.
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3Christmas at the Plaza — The Plaza Hotel, New York City
The Plaza Hotel is an iconic location for Christmas movies — you probably remember it as the setting for Eloise at Christmastime and Home Alone 2, among others. For Hallmark's Christmas at the Plaza, which is centered on a decorator and a historian who are in charge of the hotel's holiday display, the filmmakers were able to shoot at the real Plaza, according to a behind-the-scenes video.
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4Christmas in Evergreen — Burnaby Village Museum, Burnaby, British Columbia
Christmas in Evergreen and its sequels bring viewers to an adorable Christmas village. A heritage district in Burnaby, British Columbia, stood in for the fictional village of Evergreen in Vermont. Country Living reported that the district pays tribute to the area's early heritage and includes a bakery, a bank, a general store, a blacksmith shop, a log cabin, a church, an ice cream parlor, and more.
How lucky were these actors? For 2019's Christmas in Rome, Hallmark sent its cast and crew to Rome for real! Since the movie centers on a tour guide in the Italian city, it makes sense that it was a better choice to shoot on location rather than try to re-create some of the iconic landmarks.
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6Christmas at Dollywood — Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN
Christmas at Dollywood is literally about Christmas planning for Dolly Parton's famed resort, so nowhere else could compare to the real thing! Local paper the Knoxville News Sentinel revealed that, while some of the filming took place in Vancouver (like many Hallmark productions), they did shoot on location for exterior scenes at the park.
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7One Royal Holiday — The Mansion at Bald Hill, Woodstock, CT
One of the newest additions to the Hallmark Christmas lineup, One Royal Holiday whisked a cast full of Broadway stars up to Connecticut. The state's official visitor website lists several locations where the movie filmed, including the Mansion at Bald Hill, a beautiful old mansion that now operates as a B&B.
Mary-Louise Parker and Mandy Moore were among the cast members of Christmas in Conway, which was filmed at various locations in Wilmington, NC, according to Port City Daily. Fun fact: Wilmington was also the filming home for Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill.
Christmas in Homestead, part of the 2016 Hallmark Christmas season, used the small town of Dahlonega, GA, to stand in for the characters' hometown of Homestead, IA. In real life, Dahlonega really does go all out for Christmas, especially in its downtown district.
The town of Squamish, British Columbia, just north of Vancouver, served as the perfect location for Christmas Cookies. Actor Wes Brown told The Advocate that Squamish worked as a great filming location, even as the spring thaw came to Vancouver: "April in Vancouver is when spring is really starting to come into effect. We could pick places to go, that's why we went to Squamish — which is about an hour-and-a-half outside Vancouver because it was beautiful — covered with snow."
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11A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado — Hope, British Columbia
A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado, which debuted as part of the 2020 Hallmark Christmas movie slate, wasn't actually filmed in Colorado! The movie filmed in the town of Hope, British Columbia, using the downtown area as well as several local businesses, all decked out for the holidays.
For 2020's Christmas in Vienna, Hallmark sent its filmmaking team to the real Vienna! The movie includes scenes at several landmarks, including the Riesenrad — a giant Ferris wheel — and St. Stephen's Cathedral, in addition to real holiday marketplaces. "It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences I think. We were shooting in December, leading up to Christmas, walking down the actual Christmas marketplaces," star Sarah Drew revealed on the talk show Home & Family.
2021's Christmas Sail, like so many other Hallmark movies, headed to Canada for its shoot — specifically, to the coast of British Columbia. Star Katee Sackhoff posted a picture from the movie on Instagram, showing the real marina where they filmed and tagging the town of Gibsons.
Although 2021's Christmas in My Heart is supposed to take place in North Carolina, the movie was actually filmed in Saint-Hyacinthe, a town in Quebec. According to local paper Le Courrier de Saint-Hyacinthe, the filmmakers transformed the downtown district into a Christmas market (even though it was summer and fake snow had to be used!). They also filmed scenes at a local restaurant, Le Parvis.
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16Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses — Marietta, GA
