If you’ve followed me for some time, you already know I’m a die-hard fan of The Vampire Diaries franchise—a popular vampire TV series filmed in Covington, GA, commonly known as The Real Mystic Falls.
This picturesque small town in Georgia is home to some of the show’s most epic filming locations.
Writing about this makes me relive the excitement from my first visit to Mystic Falls in 2020, and when I also visited filming locations from The Originals—the popular spin-off series from The Vampire Diaries.
If you’re wondering if Mystic Falls is in Virginia or Georgia, let’s just say that in our hearts, it could be both! (wink, wink).
But in reality, Mystic Falls is located in Covington, Georgia and it’s the most epic place to be if you’re a fan of TVDU (The Vampire Diaries Universe).
From Elena Gilbert’s house with the iconic porch to the Lockwood Mansion, Caroline’s house, the iconic Clock Tower and the Mystic Grill; it’s all here!
Additionally, you can also see where the decade dances were filmed, where the Delena kiss scene took place and even the Frat Murder House and Wickery Bridge.
Nonetheless, I want you to know that even if you’re not a fan of this popular vampire series, Covington, Georgia has many promising experiences and many things to do that make it a bucket-list destination for everyone.
Can You Find Things to Do in Mystic Falls Without a Tour?
Absolutely! You don’t need to be part of a tour to see and explore the many filming locations from The Vampire Diaries. You’ll be able to get the full “Hollywood of the South” experience with a self-guided tour, at your own pace.
There are many great shops around Covington Square where you can shop for TVD merch and fun things like blood bags, vervain vials and all the epic jewelry like Elena’s daylight ring and vervain locket necklace.
For places to eat in The Real Mystic Falls, definitely try the coffee at Bread & Butter and the Fried Green Tomatoes at the Mystic Grill.
There are also many incredible TVD-inspired places to stay in Mystic Falls like Caroline’s House, the Carriage House at the Lockwood Mansion and Elena and Damon’s Little Pine Cottage.
🩸 What is TVD? It refers to the series The Vampire Diaries that originally aired on the CW Network from 2009 to 2017. The show concluded with 8 seasons and two spin-off shows—The Originals and Legacies, forming The Vampire Diaries Universe which is still followed by millions of fans worldwide.
Don’t Miss These Locations When You Visit Mystic Falls
If you’re ready to start planning a trip to Mystic Falls, you’ve come to the right place!
As an avid fan of The Vampire Diaries, I’m also a frequent visitor to Covington, GA.
Throughout the years I’ve had the opportunity to visit many exciting Vampire Diaries filming locations in Covington, Georgia.
Now, I’m here to share with you the locations and best things to do in Mystic Falls for the most unforgettable experience.
👉🏼 BEFORE YOU GO: Please follow these rules during your visit to Covington, GA—The Real Mystic Falls:
🩸 Be respectful. The majority of these filiming locations are private properties, so please be mindful of this and respect the areas at all times.
🩸 Leave no trace. Let's keep the beautiful city of Covington, GA clean and pristine!
🩸 Be kind to others. Don't let the excitement take over and be kind to others who are visiting Covington for other leisurely purposes. Not everyone is a fan and that is okay! Enjoy and let others enjoy as well.
But First… Stop by the Covington Welcome Center
This should be your first stop and it’s also one of the things that you don’t want to miss, especially if you want a picture with the Mystic Falls Welcome Sign.
You will find the original wooden sign inside the Welcome Center, another placed on the exterior of the building and a painted mural Mystic Falls Welcome Sign at The Alley in Mystic Grill.
The Covington Welcome Center has the biggest collection of items and props used during the filming of all of the TVDU series.
Some of the iconic things to see are Damon’s car, Alaric’s Vampire Hunting Kit, Elena Gilbert’s Coffin and the Salvatore Mansion Cellar Door.
You’ll also be able to see exhibitions from other popular films and shows that have been filmed in Covington, Georgia.
Adjacent to the Welcome Center is The Film Garden—an art project that highlights the film history of this beautiful Georgia town and it’s definitely a must-see!
📍 Covington Welcome Center: 1143 Oak St SE, Covington, GA
1. The Iconic Clock Tower
Even if you haven’t watched the show, you’ll be in awe of the beauty of the town’s historic Clock Tower built in 1884!
An iconic location for fans of The Vampire Diaries but also one of the best places for photos in the town square.
I suggest you take a walk around and take pictures of it from many different angles because you just can’t enough of its beauty!
📍 Covington Clock Tower (Newton County Courthouse): 1124 Clark St SW, Covington, GA
2. The Lockwood Mansion
If you’re interested in going to the Lockwood Mansion, you should know that booking a tour with Vampire Stalkers (Mystic Falls Tours) is the only way to get inside the property grounds, past the gate.
However, photos outside the gate of The Lockwood Mansion (Worthington Manor) are allowed.
📍 Lockwood Mansion: 2129 East St, Covington, GA
3. The Town Square
The town square, wooden benches and all, is largely seen throughout some of the most popular scenes of both The Vampire Diaries and Legacies.
Covington, Georgia is a very charming town with a lot of filming history and every inch of the square makes for great photo ops and fun self-guided walking tours.
It’s also referred to as the Hollywood of the South and it even has its very own Walk of Stars to prove it!
Most recently, Covington became the home of Netflix’s Sweet Magnolias series.
🚗 Georgia Road Trip Bucket List
While in Georgia, create your road trip bucket list so you don't miss these other must-see places!
📍 Tallest Free-falling Waterfall East of the Mississippi
📍 Things to do in Helen, Georgia
📍 Hiking in Georgia's Little Grand Canyon
📍 Is Tallulah Gorge Worth Visting?
4. The Mystic Grill in the Iconic “Mystic Falls Georgia“
For TVD fans the Mystic Grill needs no introduction. But for the sake of others visiting Covington, this is one of the best places to eat in the town square and the food is delicious!
Keep in mind that with this being a very popular filming location, long wait times can be expected, especially if you visit in the high season.
Mystic Grill also offers souvenir glasses with the most famous quote: “It’s okay to love them both…I did” and occasionally serves Damon’s Prison World Pancakes.
Be sure to get them when you dine in and visit The Alley Shop downstairs for the greatest Vampire Diaries merch, a small museum with set props and clothing items worn by the cast.
In my opinion, it’s the best Vampire Diaries-related gift shop around town!
📍 Mystic Grill: 1116 Clark St, SW, Covington, GA
5. Flashback Lockwood Mansion
Fans of The Vampire Diaries will also recall this, as it was in parts of the 1864 flashbacks.
But this beauty was also the inspiration behind the plantation featured in Gone with the Wind.
Twelve Oaks Bed & Breakfast is a must-see when you’re in Covington, Georgia.
📍 1864 Lockwood Mansion: 2176 Monticello St, SW, Covington, GA
6. Grayson Gilbert’s Office Sign
This sign is located in the town square right across Scoops and right next to it is the sign for Elena Salvatore, M.D.
📍 Grayson Gilbert, M.D. sign (Wildart LLC): 1105 Washington St SW, Covington, GA
🍨 Don’t forget to grab Ian Somerhalder’s favorite at Scoops—the Banana Pudding Milkshake.
7. Whitmore Frat House Party (the Murder House)
The Frat House Party event takes place in the fourth episode of Season 4 or as many may recall it…when Elena and Damon get ‘high on blood‘!
📍 Frat Murder House: 1008 N Emory Street, Oxford, GA
8. Get a Taste of New Orleans in Olde Town Conyers, Filming Location from The Originals
The ornate ironwork–which is so iconic of the city of New Orleans, can be found all around Olde Town Conyers. Hence the reason why Conyers was one of the main filming locations for The Originals series for most of the filming of its five seasons.
What I loved the most about this quaint little town was the sense of magically stepping foot in New Orleans!
There’s also a train station, shops, and restaurants around the town.
While here, you’ll be able to see the street where the death of Jane Anne Deveroux took place, in the first episode of The Originals.
Additionally, you’ll find places like Simply Naked Candles which was the actual filming location for the Jardin Gris Voodoo Shop located at 906 Center Street, Conyers, GA.
📍 Olde Town Conyers: 901 Railroad St, Conyers, GA
9. View the Rooftop Shown in Season 1, Episode 2 of The Vampire Diaries
For those hardcore fans like me, you’ll remember this iconic rooftop featured in the first season of The Vampire Diaries.
An unforgettable scene was filmed on the rooftop of the Butter Bakery & Coffee Shop.
In the scene, Damon said the iconic phrase “That’s for me to know and for you to dot dot dot“.
Who remembers this scene? 🙋🏻♀️
Go For a Drive to Visit These Iconic Filming Locations
The following filming locations require driving time, with the closest one being 15 minutes from the town square.
10. Salvatore Boarding School
This gorgeous mansion was seen in The Vampire Diaries but was mainly featured throughout Legacies as the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted and is very much worth the visit!
📍 Boarding School: 5520 Kent Rock Rd, Loganville, GA
11. Bell’s Grocery Store from the Prison World
In 1994 Prison World, Bell’s was the iconic grocery store we all remember, primarily because this is when Kai’s character was introduced for the very first time.
📍 Bell’s Grocery Store: 11377 Brown Ridge Rd, Covington, GA
12. 1864 Salvatore Mansion
This one surely needs no introduction, but I’ll do it anyway!
Built in 1890, this stunning mansion is just as perfect in person as it is in the show.
The Salvatore Mansion is home to the 1864 flashback scenes of Katherine, Stefan and Damon.
Being here brought back nostalgia and memories of the time when we all fell in love with the Salvatore Brothers.
📍 Salvatore Mansion: 617 Dixie Ave, Madison, GA
More Filming Locations of The Vampire Diaries
Wondering where the rest of The Vampire Diaries filming locations are? I have you covered in the list included in this last section!
Some of the most asked questions from my readers are “Where is the gym in Covington?” referring to where the 20s dance of The Vampire Diaries took place, and “Where did the Delena rain kiss take place?“.
Well, the gym is conveniently located at the heart of the town and it can be found on the main route leading towards Academy Springs Park, which is where the Delena kiss took place.
Here are more Vampire Diaries filming locations to see in Mystic Falls:
13. Elena Gilbert’s House: 2104 Floyd Street NE, Covington, GA
14. Isobel’s House: 2146 Conyers St, SE, Covington, GA
15. Caroline Forbes’ House: 2118 Floyd St, NE, Covington, GA
16. Rebecca’s House: 3115 Pennington St, Covington, GA
17. Dead Witches Mansion: 3188 Conyers St, SE, Covington, GA
18. Grams and Bonnie’s House: 2136 Conyers St SE, Covington, GA
19. Damon and Elena kiss in the rain location: 3120 Conyers St SE, Covington, GA
20. Stephan’s Garage Job: 4162 Washington St, Covington, GA
21. Whitmore College: 801 Emory St, Oxford GA
22. Gillespie’s Pub (Celtic Tavern): 918 Commercial St NE, Conyers, GA (S4 EP 8: “We’ll Always Have Bourbon Street”
23. The Armory: 1680 Westview Dr, Atlanta, GA
24. Wickery Bridge: 5098 Klondike Rd, Lithonia, GA
25. The Falls (Amicalola Falls): 418 Amicalola Falls Rd, Dawsonville, GA
26. Bree’s Bar: 4122 Emory St, Covington, GA
27. Damon & Elena’s Future Home: 11 Dartmouth Ave, Avondale Estates, GA
28. Matt’s House: 1133 Conyers St, Covington, GA
29. TJ’s Garage: 1186 Clark St, Covington, GA (Where Stefan stopped with Katherine)
30. Caroline and Alaric’s House: 1134 Reynolds St SE, Covington, GA
31. Damon and Elena Hotel Scene: 4300 Snapfinger Woods Dr, Decatur GA
32. The Falls, Amicalola Falls State Park: 418 Amicalola Falls State Park Rd, Dawsonville, GA (great place for hiking in Georgia)
33. The Depot (Where Damon took Elena when he kidnapped her): 4122 Emory St NW, Covington, GA
34. Delena’s Last Dance: the filming location for Damon and Elena’s last dance was a spot outside the studio property and there is no public access.
35. Alaric’s Dallas House: 1134 Reynolds St SE, Covington, GA
36. Liz Forbes’ Funeral: 1113 Conyers St SE, Covington, GA
37. Prison World Hospital: 4159 Mill Street NE, Covington, GA
38. Historical Society Beautification Day Picnic and Swimming Hole, Costley Mill Park, 2455 Costley Mill Rd NE, Conyers, GA
39. Abby Bennett’s House: 6990 S Goddard Rd, Lithonia, GA
40. Delena Human House: 11 Dartmouth Ave, Avondale Estates, GA
41. Elijah and Katherine Gazebo Scene: 938 Main St, Stone Mountain, GA
42. House where Bonnie stops Matt’s heart: 4145 Dorchester Dr. SE, Covington, GA 30014
43. The ‘Salvatore House’
For those hoping to see the gorgeous estate featured on The Vampire Diaries as the home of the Salvatore Brothers, you should know that this property no longer exists.
Glenridge Hall, the real-life name of the Sandy Springs mansion listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was sold and demolished in 2015.
However, you can get the next best thing right in the town square!
With its grand opening in June 2024, Mystic Mercantile offers the most unique experience in Mystic Falls—the iconic Salvatore House living room.
Most of the items that take part in bringing this space to life are actual props used in the filming of The Vampire Diaries.
From the entrance brick and lamps to the picture frames and living room couch to the bourbon glasses and decanters, and even some of the books!
If you plan to be in Covington for a few days, definitely check out Mystic Mercantile!
Have you been to Covington, Georgia aka Mystic Falls? Drop your comment below!
Save it for Later!
My daughter and I are here now 11/12/2023 for her 30th bday ! We love the towns !!
This is so exciting! What an EPIC way to celebrate a 30th birthday!
I am coming down the weekend of 09/29/2023(its my birthday weekend!) and I am so excited!! This is my first time coming and I cannot wait!!
Yay!!! You’re going to have so much fun! An EPIC birthday for sure! Let us know how it goes 🙂