Where One Tree Hill was filmed
One Tree Hill was filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina — Tree Hill is Wilmington, more or less unretouched. The production was based at the studio lot now operating as Cinespace Studios Wilmington, and the street beside it is officially named One Tree Hill Way. Most of the locations are downtown and still open: the Riverwalk and the Naley Bench near Dock Street, Thalian Hall as the town hall steps, the New Hanover County Courthouse, the shops on Front Street, and TRIC, which runs ticketed tours of the real set. The beach scenes were shot at Wrightsville Beach and at Fort Fisher in Kure Beach, about 40 minutes south.
Day 1 · Arrive
Fly into Wilmington (ILM) or Myrtle Beach (MYR), depending on flight times. Check in for a two-night stay at Dreamers BNB in Wilmington — Deluxe Suite with king bed, twin sofa bed, fireplace, separate sitting and dining areas, rainfall shower.
Day 2 · Downtown & Riverwalk
The Riverwalk + downtown core
- Water Street Park — backdrop for outdoor basketball games
- Wilmington Riverwalk — find the famous Naley Bench at the base of Dock Street near Anne Bonny’s
- Michael’s on the Waterfront — the open-air produce market in several episodes
- Black Cat Shoppe — Chris’s CD store; now novelty toys + One Tree Hill merch
- Edge of Urge — the lingerie shop in the show; now an indie boutique
- Blue Post Billiards — Lucas and Brooke’s tattoo-date pool hall (21+ to enter)
- Reel Cafe — Carl’s Crab Shack, where Brooke worked
TRIC Tours
- Reserve tickets online and tour the real TRIC Nightclub — props from Chase’s apartment, Peyton’s bedroom, Red Bedroom Records, plus the OTH merch souvenir shop
Diners, schools, courthouses, churches
- The Dixie Grill — Sam’s favorite diner
- Graystone Inn — funeral home, NYC apartment, hotel room (season 5)
- St. James Episcopal Church — Jamie’s preschool (the school portion)
- New Hanover County Courthouse — Keith and Lucas car crash + an election rally
- Thalian Hall — Tree Hill town hall steps
- Hell’s Kitchen — Swinging Donkey Bar (also in Dawson’s Creek and The Summer I Turned Pretty)
- New Hanover County Public Library — the health clinic
- Dough House Pizza Co. — Karen’s Cafe in the pilot, Tree Hill Cafe in the final season
- Grace United Methodist Church — Brooke and Julian’s wedding
- Cape Fear Community College — Whitey Durham’s Field House (plus the Health Sciences building, library, courtyard)
- Joe and Barbara Schwartz Center — exterior of Tree Hill High and the gym
- Wilmington Convention Center — Brooke and Julian’s wedding reception
Day 3 · Studios, parks, beaches
- Greenfield Park — Lucas and Peyton’s outdoor wedding (season six)
- Cinespace Studios Wilmington — the show’s home base; the street beside it is officially renamed One Tree Hill Way (great photo)
- Airlie Gardens — Karen’s dream of Keith and Lily
- Jungle Rapids Family Fun Park — arcade, mini golf, Big Splash Café
- The Stadium Batting Cages
- Performance Auto Specialist — Scott Body Shop
Beach filming locations
- Johnnie Mercer’s Fishing Pier in Wrightsville Beach
- Fort Fisher State Recreation Area in Kure Beach — Nathan and Haley got married by the rocks here
Fly home in the evening.
Who this is for
- One Tree Hill fans who want to be where it was filmed — beyond just one or two stops
- Friend groups, fan-club trips, milestone-rewatch travelers
- Anyone who’s ever sung “I Don’t Wanna Be” with the windows down