Pictures of Dawson's Creek Filming Locations in Wilmington, North Carolina
| Dawson Leary's House & Pier - I got these pictures on what turned out to be quite an adventure! This is Dawson's actual house the show . It is privately owned by homeowners and it is located on Hewlett's Creek. The homeowners allowed the crew to film here on location quite a bit. In the third picture you can also see Jen Lindley's house to the left (partially obstructed by trees), it is also privately owned. It is easy to see why the show choose this area to film. It is incredibly beautiful here! | |||
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| Joey Potter's House - This is Joey & Bessie's house on the show which is located on Hewlett's Creek. It was originally owned by a private home owner but she sold it to the production company for the show. When the show finished filming the production company sold it back to the original owner. It is very beautiful here! I was surprised to find that it was much closer to the road than it ever seems on the show. You can actually see Joey's pier from the road. | |||
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The Bend on Arlie Road - This has been the location of several famous DC scenes. It is where Pacey kissed Joey for the first time (3rd Season). It is where Mitch Died in his car crash (5th season) and later where Pacey tells Dawson that it wasn't his fault that his dad died in the car crash. Also, Doug pulls Joey over here to tell her Pacey is leaving on the boat for the whole summer (3rd season). |
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The Ruins - This is actually called The Pergola and is located at Arlie Gardens. Many famous scenes were also shot here. This is where Dawson brings Jen to film the last part of his first movie and they are scared into hiding in the bushes by what turns out to be Pacey and Ms. Jacobs, the school teacher, who are there to hook up up (1st season). The last episode of season 4 starts off with most of the main characters laying in the sun on the steps here. This location is also used in the very last episode of the series at the end of season 6. In that episode both Dawson and Pacey think they are meeting Joey there but it was really her way of getting them to talk and work out there differences, |
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| The Village Market - This is the store first made famous in the Friday the 13th episode from season 1 when Pacey "borrows" his Dad's jeep and he, Dawson Joey go to pick up munchies for the séance. Inside the Village Market Pacey & Dawson meet the crazy lady that is fighting with her boyfriend and they bring her back to Dawson's house. In the parking lot Joey gives directions to the guy that turns out to be the serial killer. The Village Market was also used in the 5th season episode after Mitch's funeral. The clerk in the store tells Dawson's his father had said a lot of nice things about him the night just before he died. After that Dawson sits in the parking lot in his jeep and cries over his fathers death. | ||
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| The Rialto - This is the movie theater featured in several episodes on the show. It was first made famous in the pilot episode where Dawson & Jen go on their first date and Joey does her best to interfere. Jen returns the favor in the theater in the first episode of the second season when Dawson & Joey are on their first official date. The inside scenes are shot at Thalian Hall which is a local performing arts center. When we visited here the manager was very kind and let us into the theater before the evening performance to take pictures. She told us that on Tuesday nights they have local actor performances and workshops and that Josh Jackson and Michelle Williams would often participate in the performances with local actors. | ||
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| The River Walk - One of the most famous areas that the show would shoot at frequently is right along the Cape Fear River. This various spots along this area was used in many episodes. Here are a few memorable landmarks. (Left to Right) - The Fountain - this was where Pacey was waiting for Christy Livingston just prior to the "Heart Stripe" incident (season 2). Information Booth - This was used as the bus station in season 1 where Dawson & Joey wait for the bus to go visit her Dad in Prison. It was also used as a Hot Dog stand in season 2 or 3. Market Street - Many scenes were shot here near the blue building which is Roy's Riverboat Restaurant. The Bridge - Not many episodes would go by where there wasn't at least one shot of the bridge over the Cape Fear River in the background. | |||
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| The Icehouse (115 S. Water Street) - (Pics 1 & 2) During season 1 and 2 Joey and Bessie owned a family restaurant called The Icehouse. Several episodes over season 1 & 2 were filmed at this location. At the end of season 2 it was destroyed by fire on the show via a little movie magic. The Icehouse was an actual bar / restaurant but has changed ownership and is now called the Flood Zone (and sadly was in the process of being torn down). Leery's Fresh Fish (5 S. Water Street) - (Pics 3 & 4) This was Mitch an Gales restaurant on the show. The restaurant in real life is actually called The Water Street Restaurant and is located near the Cape fear River. They have good food and occasionally have live bands there. It is actually owned by the Mayor of Wilmington. The last shot is of the Bar on the inside where Dawson and Gretchen shared a few scenes (4th season) | |||
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Pictures of Dawson's Creek Filming Locations in Southport, North Carolina
| Boat Slip Pacey's Boat "True Love" was Christened (Yacht Basin Drive) - In the episode the "Longest Day" (3rd Season) the story kept rewinding back to the beginning of the show to tell one story from four of the character's perspectives. This episode started off with the official launch of Pacey's boat which was tied up in a boat slip while many of the main characters waited for Pacey to show up. Pacey & Joey however where inside what appeared to be a boat shack kissing (still hiding from the others their secret romance). The building they were in is a seafood shop called (believe it or not) Potters Seafood in real life. In the episode the sign on the shack was hard to see but it was called Gunderson's Seafood. The folks at Potters Seafood still have the prop sign from the show hanging on their ceiling. When Joey then Pacey come out of the shack they walk down a landing and out onto a short pier where true love is docked and Pacey Breaks the champagne on the boat to Christen it . These pictures should look familiar from that episode. | ||||
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| Pacey's Anchor (Opening Credits) (Franklin Square Park) - This is the famous anchor from the opening credits from the first couple of seasons. In the credits Pacey is perched on the anchor acting crazy and acting like he is looking out to sea. I had always wondered where this was and originally thought it was somewhere in Wilmington but it is in a very small park right off the Rt. 211 a few blocks up from the Southport waterfront. Yes, that is me and my family posing in the last picture! A couple of ladies driving by saw us taking pictures and they stopped and asked us if we wanted a family shot. People in the south are just really nice! Up north they would have pulled up with a gun and asked for the camera! ;-) | ||
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| Fish Shack (Yacht Basin Drive) - This is the place where Mitch goes to talk to his friend who he had known since the second grade (1st season). His friend is a fisherman and is working in the little shack putting ice on fish and stuff and they share a beer. Mitch tells his friend about Gale's affair and his friend suggests that Mitch and Gale have an "open relationship" as they come out of the shack out onto the pier. This wasn't a super significant scene in the overall DC storyline but as I was watching this episode I could see a lighthouse in the background which was a clue. It turns out that I was seeing the Oak Island lighthouse (which you can see in the distance in picture 4). Using the lighthouse as reference I was able to figure out where they were filming from in those scenes. Many other DC scenes were filmed in this general area as well. | |||
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| Dawson's Creek shot many scenes in the waterfront town of Southport, North Carolina. Here are some random shots of Dawson's Creek filming locations around Southport | |
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Buoy & City Pier (Bay St.) - This one of those things that threw me. In the opening credits they show some pier scenes (the majority of which are the Oceanic Pier in Wrightsville Beach). In part of the opening credits Pacey is actually hanging from the pier which is odd because the Oceanic Pier is very high. Some old ladies fishing on the City Pier in Southport told us that they used the pier the opening credits (I figured they didn't know what they were talking about). After some thought I realized the Pier Pacey & Dawson were hanging from was the one in Southport. You can even see this red buoy in the background during the first & second season credits if you look close. |
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Episode 1 Sidewalk (Moore St.) - This is the sidewalk Joey, Dawson, Jen & Pacey walk along on the way to the movies on Dawson & Jen's first date (Season 1). A very jealous Joey is very rude to Jen asking her what color her hair dye was and if she was a virgin. |
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Logan's Marina (Yacht Basin Drive) - Logan's Marina is actually a made up marina for the show. It is right next to Potter's Seafood along the water. This is where Joey worked with the guy that was a jerk, Rob (Season 3). The show had created this prop sign that says "Logan's" and they never took it down. |
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Fishing Boat ((Yacht Basin Drive) - This is also right out in front of Potter's Seafood. This is the fishing boat that the guy "Vincent" worked on that Abby Morgan liked (Season 2). He wound out going out with Jen which made Abby very jealous. It turned out Vincent was a jerk when he wouldn't take no for an answer. |
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Quaint Street by the Water (W. Brunswick St.) - This little street was used in several episodes. This is where Jen's bad boy former boyfriend talks Dawson to go on the road trip to the bar (Season 1). It is also where Jen & Joey talk about Joey's new secret relationship with Pacey (Season 3). |
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First Season Shots (W. Brunswick St.) - In the very last episode (series finale season 6) Pacey shows Jen, who is on her death bed, a video tape he "borrowed" from Dawson. It was a compilation of a bunch of shots from very early in the first season and all of the actors looked so young! One of the shots was of Dawson, Joey, Jen & Pacey sitting on a fence with their arms around each other and there was a boatyard behind them (don't ask me how I remember this stuff - my photographic memory I guess?) I had stopped just to take a scenic photo and I recognized the angle from the show. |
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Ferryboat & Bridge (Southport Ferry Rd) - This is the ferryboat from the bar road trip episode that Dawson & Pacey take with Jen's old boyfriend from New York. While they are on the ferry some drunk rednecks start messing with other passengers. Dawson chains the redneck's truck axel to the ferry and when they go to leave Dawson moons them. The rednecks try to chase them but their truck falls apart. Dawson stands up in the back of the convertible and pumps his arms in the air as they come up over the bridge in the picture. |
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Waterfront Road (Bay St.) - It is very scenic here and this street was used in several episodes. Joey rides along this road in the guy Warren's Jeep who lied to everyone about sleeping with her (Season 2). Also, Dawson and Pacey ride their bikes along here and are met by Pacey's Dad in the fishing tournament episode. While standing along here with their bikes Pacey's Dad all but says he wishes Pacey could be like Dawson. |
