Netflix‘s Sweet Magnolias has returned for Season 5. The show, based on the novels of the same name, follows three childhood best friends, as they lean on each other through the trials and tribulations of adulthood. The trio, Maddie (JoAnna Garcia Swisher), Helen (Heather Headley) and Dana Sue (Brooke Elliott), call themselves the “Sweet Magnolias,” hence the name of the show.
Set in Serenity, South Carolina, the show is deeply rooted in southern charm, but this season the Sweet Magnolias are venturing outside of their small town. In Season 4, it is revealed that Maddie is moving to New York for a new job. In an interview with DECIDER, Swisher talked about what it was like filming on location in New York City.
“Oh, we had the best time,” she recalled. “It was run and gun. It was wild how much we had to shoot in the time that we had there. But it was so cool. It was special. To be able to be with Brooke and Heather in New York, and all of our kind of core crew that we took with us from Atlanta. To be able to tell this story in that city, it was a very surreal, cool moment.”
With the addition of two new filming locations, including the trip up north, fans are wondering just where Sweet Magnolias is set and filmed. Keep reading to find out more.
Both the show and the book, written by Sheryl Woods, are set in the fictional town of Serenity, South Carolina. A small southern town, where everyone knows everyone. However, in Season 5, the world continues to expand. Maddie travels to New York, and the girls take on Savannah, Georgia for Helen’s bachelorette. These new locations add a different perspective to the show as, unlike Serenity, they are real places fans can visit.
Despite Serenity being a fictional place, the filming location is very real. The show is mainly filmed in Covington, Georgia. Located about 40 minutes outside of Atlanta, Covington is known for being a very popular filming location, where shows like Vampire Diaries and the spin-off series The Originals were also shot. The Newton County Courthouse is featured in a lot of the establishing shots and opening credits of the show, as well, per Entertainment Weekly.
In addition to Covington, the series filmed on location in both New York and Savannah. According to Netflix’s Tudum, shots of Central Park and the Grand Central Terminal can be seen in the series.
The addition of Savannah, is also not unrealistic, as South Carolina is only a couple of hours outside of Savannah. Most of the filming takes place near Foley House Inn, located in the heart of the Historic District.
Foley House Inn is a bed and breakfast that is currently operating if fans of the series want to recreate the magic of Helen’s bachelorette trip.
Seasons 1-5 of Sweet Magnolias are streaming on Netflix.
