We all have our favorite TV shows. You know – the one that’s already had its finale years ago, yet you continue to watch reruns of its best episodes over and over. Because let’s face it, no matter how many times you watch Carrie and the girl’s escapades in NYC, or dive into the mafia crime world of Tony Soprano… classics just never get old. And of course, there’s always gotta be a currently-running show you’re obsessed with. The one that you and your bff gossip about as if the main characters are a part of your immediate social circle. (Yes, Jon [Snow] and I are absolutely on a first-name basis.)
Ok so maybe not everyone is that big of a TV buff. But for those of you who are: get up close and personal with some of the most iconic locations from television and make your favorite shows come to life.
17 Places From Your Favorite TV Shows That You Can Visit in Real Life
1. Game of Thrones: Astapor
From Northern Ireland to Iceland, Spain to Croatia – GOT has been filmed in some of the world’s most beautiful and unique locations. Astapor, the home of the Unsullied, is no exception. Scenes featuring this great city-state of Slaver’s Bay were shot in the coastal town of Essaouira, Morocco.
2. Broad City: 42 Squirts
After Abbi’s surgery, Llana happily rises to the role as Abbi’s caretaker. She sends Jaime off to 42 Squirts with the task to “capture the complexity of this beautiful human being (Abbi) in one single flavor”. Poor Jaime has a slight mental breakdown while trying to do so, but on the bright side – you can visit the trendy Brooklyn froyo shop where it all went down. Located on 139 N 7th St., it’s actually called 16 Handles.
3. Breaking Bad: The White’s House
Home of the infamous school teacher turned drug lord, Walter White’s home is an actual residence located at 308 Negra Arroyo Lane in Albuquerque, New Mexico. After the show took off, the house became so popular that residents had to install round the clock surveillance. So maybe don’t push your luck too far by asking for a tour of the inside… I’d suggest you just stick to the view from the sidewalk.
4. Girls: Cafe Grumpy
Cafe Grumpy from the hit HBO series Girls, is indeed a real cafe. It originated in Greenpoint, Brooklyn but has several franchises. Grab a cup of coffee and check out the set of this popular Girls filming location.
5. The Sopranos: Holsten’s Ice Cream Parlor
Featured in the finale of The Sopranos, Holsten’s Brookdale Confectionery Ice Cream Parlour is located in Bloomfield, New Jersey. Story has it that producer, David Chase, decided on Holsten’s because of the memories he had there when he himself grew up in New Jersey. There are also quite a few famous Sopranos hotspots in New York City, and you can visit them all in an amazing guided tour.
6. Sex and the City: Magnolia Bakery
Carrie and Miranda made this New York bakery world famous when they picked it as their spot to dish about Carrie’s latest crush, Aiden Shaw, over buttercream-topped cupcakes. You can visit the bakery at 401 Bleecker St. and W. 11th St.
7. Mad Men: P.J. Clarke’s
Way back in Season 1, new girl to the firm, Peggy Olson, celebrates a successful day of work by kicking back a few pints at P.J. Clarke’s. And you too, can let loose with a drink here. The famous bar is located on 205 East 55th Street in New York; however, the actual show was shot inside Casey’s Irish Pub, which is in Downtown Los Angeles. In fact, almost every episode of Mad Men was filmed in L.A. and not New York, where the show typically takes place.
8. The Vampire Diaries: Mystic Grill
Just about every important character from the series The Vampire Diaries has stepped into the Mystic Grill, often referred to as The Grill, at least once or twice. The popular cafe plays itself, and can be visited in Covington, Georgia.
9. American Horror Story: Murder House
The infamous haunted mansion from American Horror Story may seem like something straight out of a nightmare, but it’s actually a real Los Angeles home. The Alfred F. Rosenheim Mansion is located at 1120 Westchester Place. While the pilot episode was shot inside the mansion, the rest of the series was filmed inside an exact replica.
10. Friends: Monica and Rachel’s Apartment
The Greenwich Village Apartment, where so many of our favorite Friends moments took place, is located on the corner of Grove and Bedford St. in New York. …Rumor has it, Ugly Naked Guy has moved back in?!
11. The Walking Dead: Woodbury
Overrun by the dead, the rural town of Woodbury sets the scene for a few eventful episodes in Season 3 of The Walking Dead. Fortunately, things aren’t so grim here in real life. You can step onto the Woodbury set by walking around Main Street in Senoia, Georgia.
12. Lost: Survivors’ Beach Camp
The TV series Lost was filmed in quite a few intriguing locations; however, one of the most prevalent sets can be found at Police Beach in Oahu, Hawaii, just off Papailoa Road, north of Haleiwa.
13. Orange Is The New Black: Dmitri’s Russian Deli
Named after Red’s husband, who co-owned the cafe before her incarceration, Dimitri’s Russian Deli is actually a popular pizza joint called Rosario’s. You can visit the place in Astoria, Queens, New York. If you’re not into pizza, order the deli’s spicy sopressata sandwich. (…Hah, just kidding. There’s no such thing as ‘not liking pizza’. What I meant was, order the pizza and the sandwich.)
14. Scandal: Olivia Pope’s Office
One of the show’s most frequently shot locations, Olivia Pope’s “office”, can be found on the upper floors of The Palace Theatre in Los Angeles, California….For those of you looking for the perfect selfie, what you see on TV is typically shot from the east side of Broadway, between 6th and 7th streets.
15. Sherlock Holmes: Speedy’s Cafe
Speedy’s Cafe, which has served as an important meeting place for Sherlock on a number of occasions, plays itself in the TV series. It’s located on North Gower Street in London, England. Directly to the left of the cafe is the door to Sherlock and Watson’s apartment building. Their ‘home’ is on the first floor.
16. Seinfeld: Monk’s Cafe
Seinfeld’s notorious Monk’s Cafe is actually Tom’s Restaurant. It’s located on the corner of West 112th Street and Broadway in New York. However, only the exterior shots were filmed here. The scenes inside were recorded on a soundstage. (An interesting fact for you: Throughout the show’s run, the chance to sit in the first booth — and thus be included in a Seinfeld scene — was auctioned off for charity.)
17. Portlandia: ‘Women and Women First’ Feminist Bookstore
This satirical television show features a very popular feminist bookstore, “Women and Women First”. While the show’s shop is fictional, the episodes are filmed inside a real-life feminist bookstore in Portland called “In Other Words”.
You can visit all of the above places on your own; however, if getting an even more intimate behind the scenes look intrigues you, then you’ll love this official NBC tour. Not only will you get to check out the studios of Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and Late Night with Seth Meyers, you’ll also get to create your own 5-minute segment. Afterward, you can dish about everything else you saw over a drink at the famous NYC bar that inspired MacLaren’s from How I Met Your Mother. Cheers!
Know of another awesome TV series location you can visit? We’d love to hear about it. Share below in the comments!
