Fly into Covington, Georgia, and Go on a Southern Film and TV Show Location Tour
GA – Where is your favorite movie or TV show filmed? While many films and shows are filmed in Hollywood, many others have locations in Georgia. Covington, Ga, has been used as a movie and TV filming location for decades. A few popular movies and TV shows that had scenes filmed in Covington include The Vampire Diaries, Steel Magnolias, In the Heat of the Night, Footloose, Vacation, and Selma.
Covington Municipal Airport (CVC)
Covington Municipal Airport (CVC) is located at 33-37-56.0910N 083-50-47.8280W, 33-37.934850N 083-50.797133W and 33.6322475, -83.8466189. Its elevation above sea level is 819.9 feet, and it’s 35 miles east-southeast of Atlanta. CVC was first activated in 1961, and it has one runway. Runway 10/28 is 6,000 feet long and 100 feet wide. It is a publicly owned airport with no control tower. The CTAF is 123.0, and 100LL and Jet-A are available. Hangars and tiedowns are available, and major airframe and powerplant maintenance is available.
Enjoy a Self-Guided TV and Movie Tour in Covington
Once you land, you’ll most likely want to head over to the Covington Visitors Center and pick up a few of their walking tour maps. The center has brochures that include maps of the downtown district, a movie site self-guided tour map, a walk of stars tour map, and guides for finding banks, ATMs, shopping, and dining so that you can make the most of your time in this wonderful little town with a population of 14,677.
Covington – The Hollywood of the South
Despite its small population, Covington has had an incredible number of movies and television shows filmed on its streets. A few of the more notable shows include The Vampire Diaries, The Dukes of Hazzard, In the Heat of the Night, and Sweet Magnolias. Movies that have been filmed in Covington include A Man Called Peter, Selma, and Christmas Everlasting. It’s important to note that many of the filming locations are private residences and businesses. The homes are not open to the public, and the businesses should be respected.
The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries ran from 2009 until 2017 and won 39 awards for its brilliant acting and plotting. It stars Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder, among others, and it’s one of the more popular tours in the city. If you want a guided tour, you could schedule one with Mystic Falls Tours. However, you can choose to take the self-guided tour that can be found in a brochure at the Covington Visitors Center.
The Vampire Diaries had 14 amazing filming locations in Covington. You can view The Abandoned Witches Mansion at 3188 Conyers Street and the site of Damon and Elena’s kiss at Academy Springs Park, which is located at the corner of Conyers Street and Legion Drive.
You can also view the locations of many of the characters’ homes, including Caroline’s house at 2118 Floyd Street, Elena’s house at 2104 Floyd Street, Gram’s house at 2136 Conyers Street, Isobel’s house at 2146 Conyers Street, and Rebekah’s house at 3115 Pennington Street. The 50s dance was held at the Conyers Street Gym at 1146 East Conyers Street.
The Lockwood mansion had two locations in town. The “present” Lockwood Mansion is located at 2129 East Street, and the mansion they used in the flashback is located at 2176 Monticello Street. Covington Square was used to film Dr. Gilbert’s office, Stab Alley, and the Mystic Falls Courthouse, Square, and Grill. In fact, you’ll find that many TV shows and movies feature Covington Square due to its fantastic layout and amazing architecture.
The Dukes of Hazzard
The original Dukes of Hazzard aired between 1979 and 1985. It starred Tom Wopat, John Schneider, and Catherine Bach, and it was nominated for a Primetime Emmy. The Dukes of Hazzard had three filming locations in Covington. The intro jump scene with the General Lee was filmed at 1166 Elm Street. The location of Ace’s Used Cars was 1156 Elm Street, and the Hazzard County Square and Courthouse was filmed at 1124 Clark Street, which is actually a very popular building for filming court scenes.
In the Heat of the Night
In the Heat of the Night ran from 1988 until 1995. It starred Carroll O’Conner, Alan Autry, and David Hart, and it won a Primetime Emmy. The television show had 18 amazing filming locations in Covington. Academy Springs Park was filmed on Conyers Street at Legion Drive. The Mongolia Cafe was filmed at 1159 Monticello Street. The Mason-Dixon Line Bar was filmed at 5101 Floyd Street. The Old Jail was filmed at 1177 Stallings Street, while the Police Station was filmed at 1174 Monticello Street.
The architecture of the houses in Covington make them great locations for the homes of various characters. Bubba’s Apartment was filmed at 2140 Monticello Street, while Gillespie’s House was filmed at 2130 Monticello Street. Harriet Delong’s House was filmed at 3156 Floyd Street, and Virgil and Athea Tibb’s House was filmed at 1108 Conyers Street.
Sweet Magnolias
Sweet Magnolias began in 2020 and is still filming. It stars JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley, among other notable stars, and it’s won three awards so far. Many of the characters’ houses are filmed in Covington, including Dana Sue’s House at 3119 Conyers Street, Maddie’s House at 2103 Floyd Street, and Paula’s House at 2166 Conyers Street. The Corner Spa was filmed at 1144 College Avenue.
Selma
Selma is a period drama that was released in 2014. It starred David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, and Oprah Winfrey and highlighted the historical Selma to Montgomery march that was carried out during the civil rights movement. The film’s courthouse scenes were recorded at 1124 Clark Street.
Footloose
Footloose was released in 1984 and starred Kevin Bacon, Lori Singer, and John Lithgow. The movie was about a city kid who moved to a small town where dancing and rock and roll music were banned. It was nominated for two Oscars and featured scenes filmed at the historic old courthouse located at 1124 Clark Street.
Making the Most of Your Time in Covington
Many of the filming locations in Covington are next to each other, which means you can view the filming locations for many different movies and shows at the same time. For example, if you drive down Conyers Street, you will find filming locations for The Vampire Diaries, In the Heat of the Night, Sweet Magnolias, A Man Called Peter, Christmas Everlasting, and False Face. If you drive down State Road 36, which is also Monticello Street, you’ll see filming locations for In the Heat of the Night, The Dukes of Hazzard, Footloose, Vacation, and The Family That Preys.
Covington, GA, is considered to be the Hollywood of the South, and it’s no wonder. Numerous TV shows and over 20 movies have been filmed in the area. Visitors can choose to take one of the many self-guided tours or hire a tour company. Whichever you choose, you’re certain to have a fantastic time viewing and taking pictures of all the filming locations of your favorite shows and movies.
