Fans Can Join the #PogueLife by Visiting the Real Place 'Outer Banks' Is Filmed
Updated Feb. 24 2023, 12:44 p.m. ET
Netflix's original show Outer Banks made all of its audiences wish they were throwing keggers on sandy shores and going hunting for buried treasure from sunken ships. Now, the show is back for Season 3, and it won't be long before fans are once again dreaming of sun, surf, and John B.
Luckily, Outer Banks is filmed very close to where the show is set, which means that fans too can enjoy a bit of the #PogueLife for themselves.
So, where is 'Outer Banks' filmed?
The show Outer Banks derives its name from the real-life string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the East Coast of the United States. Due to the sandy beaches and large expanse of available water, the Outer Banks is a frequent tourist and vacation spot.
Historically speaking, the Outer Banks is also significant as the site of early European settlements, such as the Roanoke Colony, that vanished from Roanoke Island in 1587. Estimated hundreds of shipwrecks along the Outer Banks have earned it the nickname "the Graveyard of the Atlantic," and it's easy to see why treasure hunting would become a theme in the show.
However, around the time Netflix began production for Outer Banks, North Carolina's HB-142 "bathroom bill" was in place, which forced people to use restroom facilities based on their assigned sex at birth, effectively discriminating against transgender people. In protest, Netflix changed its filming location to Charleston, S.C., which stands in for its neighboring state just as well.
Harper's Bazaar counted several notable filming locations in Charleston in case fans at home would like to re-create their favorite Pogue moments for themselves. Among them is Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant, where several boardwalk scenes were filmed; Pitt Street, which fans might recognize from sequences of the Pogues driving through town; and Hunting Island, which hosted several nighttime beach scenes.
Additionally, the Hunting Island Lighthouse is where John B. and Kiara uncover the "Redfield" clue, and you can climb to the top yourself for $2. Speaking of Kiara, fans will be pleasantly surprised to know that The Wreck, the restaurant managed by her family on the show, is a real place! The Wreck of The Richard and Charlene is a dining establishment with all the best Southern comfort food money can buy.
Sarah Cameron's fictional home of Tanneyhill might be fake, but the Lowndes Grove estate where they filmed is not. The estate is a wedding and events venue and is currently on the National Register of Historic Places. Other filming locations include Morris Island Lighthouse, which is visible in the distance of certain scenes, and Kiawah Island Golf Resort, where Midsummer's celebration was filmed.
Season 3 of 'Outer Banks' filmed some scenes in Barbados.
The third season of Outer Banks takes viewers on quite the exploration, making stops in Guadeloupe, St. Kitts, and Venezuela, as HouseBeautiful reports.
While the show manages to pull off settings akin to many places on the map, Barbados stands in for several of the backdrops. It's likely that the church, which becomes a staple in season 3, is the St. John Parish Church, which has been rebuilt multiple times since its erection in 1645. However, this detail has yet to be confirmed. Season 3 also continued filming throughout parts of Charleston, where the show filmed most of the first two seasons.
The show's Kildare island — though not a real place — is a portmanteau of the Outer Banks town of Kill Devil Hills and its county, Dare.
Season 3 of Outer Banks is now streaming on Netflix.