My husband and I are huge fans of the Netflix show Outer Banks. If you’ve watched it (and, as its name implies) you know that the show is set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. However, did you know that it’s not actually filmed there? All of the scenes that take place in Kildare, the hometown of the Pogues and Kooks, are actually filmed in Charleston!
While on a recent trip to Charleston, I decided that my children and I (much to their chagrin) would live like Pogues for a day, and check out some of the local filming locations for Outer Banks. Some locations were a bit further away, so we didn’t hit up all of them, but we did as many as we could. A couple other places, which I’ll mention below, are places my family has previously been to, but just didn’t realize the show was filmed there.
Here are the specific places my boys and I visited in order to be Pogues for a day.
While there is an “official” Outer Banks film location tour you can take, it costs a good amount of money. There’s no reason you can’t do it on your own for free. Many of the filming locations are actually pretty close to each other in Mount Pleasant, so it’s actually very easy to drive to the locations yourself. I had no problem getting where I wanted to go.
Pitt Street, Mount Pleasant
The first place we hit up was Pitt Street in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant. There are actually four different locations from Outer Banks that are on Pitt Street.
1. The Kildare Pharmacy (Frequented by John B. and Sarah)
2. The Kildare Police Station
This is actually an apartment building at the end of Pitt Street.
3. One of the many churches in the show (St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church)
4. The Pitt Street Bridge (Used in Season 3 as the bridge J.J. drives his motorcycle down)
Houses and Businesses
After we hit up all the spots on Pitt Street, we headed out to find some houses and businesses that are in the show.
1. Kiara’s House
The house where Kiara and her parents live is actually just around the corner from the Pitt Street shops. It’s a beautiful house situated on the turn of a corner.
2. Heyword’s Seafood (Pope Heyward’s dad’s seafood business)
The place used as Heyword’s Seafood is actually Geechie Seafood. It’s a great little place to get fresh seafood, and is located right on Shem Creek. The picture below is in front of Geechie Seafood, where you pull in to park. Most of the outdoor shots in the show are seen from the Shem Creek side.
3. Shem Creek
Speaking of…Shem Creek was our next stop. Many of the water shots in Outer Banks are filmed on Shem Creek. It’s such a beautiful area! If you are dining at one of the restaurants right on the creek (such as Red’s Ice House), be on the lookout for dolphins. They are frequently seen in the creek.
Charleston Proper
1. The Crain House
This house is where the Pogues discover an old well underground where they think Denmark Tanny’s gold may be. While most of the filming locations are in Mount Pleasant, this house is located in the Cannonborough Elliotborough neighborhood in Charleston. (I won’t be putting the exact address here, but if you Google it, you’ll find it.)
If the house pictured below looks different than in the show, it’s because they used visual effects to add to the top of the house for the episode in order to make it look older and more creepy.
2. The Battery/Battery Park
The Battery is one of my favorite places to visit in Charleston. It’s right on the water and is so beautiful! It’s no wonder shots from Outer Banks were filmed here. You can see the Pogues riding their bikes along the street in a few episodes. The Battery is also the location for the house of Ms. Limbry. The Historic Edmondston-Alston house, located at 21 East Battery, is the house that was used for filming.
3. The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
Located on East Bay Street, right near Rainbow Row, is the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon. This is actually a great place to visit to learn about some historical events that took place in Charleston in the 1700s and after. But, it also happens to be where a scene from Outer Banks was filmed for season three.
4. Joe Riley Waterfront Park
I absolutely adore this park! It’s where you will find the iconic Pineapple Fountain. There is also a fantastic pier you can walk along, a beautiful tree covered walkway, and plenty of places to sit and relax. A scene between Pope and Cleo was filmed here for season three.
Locations outside of Charleston
As you can see, many of the Outer Banks filming locations are located in Mount Pleasant and around Charleston. But there were some episodes that were filmed in South Carolina, but not in Charleston. Of those places, my family and I have been to the Hunting Island Lighthouse.
Located on Saint Helena Island , SC, the Hunting Island Lighthouse is the only publicly accessible lighthouse in SC, and was featured in Outer Banks. It’s a beautiful place to visit, and I highly recommend a trip there if you’ve never been. My family absolutely loved it and we can’t wait to go back!
Other locations in Charleston and around SC that we did not visit
There are many other filming locations in Charleston and the surrounding areas. We just didn’t have the chance to hit them all up. But, below is a list for you in case you are interested in visiting them yourself.
- Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Kiawah Island)
- Lowndes Grove Estate (Charleston)
- Creekside Lands Inn (Charleston)
- Morris Island Lighthouse (Morris Island, just north of Folly Beach)
- Gaillard Center (Charleston)
- Ben Silver clothing store (King Street, Charleston)
- Dunes West Golf and River Club (Mount Pleasant)
- Washington Square Park (Charleston)
- The Wreck Restaurant (Mount Pleasant)
- Palmetto Islands County Park (Mount Pleasant)
- The Charleston Museum (Charleston)
