Is Stars Hollow, Connecticut a real place? Discover if the cozy, idyllic northeastern town we see in Gilmore Girls is a place you can visit in real life!
Keep reading for details on filming location, the inspiration behind Stars Hollow and more.
Where Did They Film ‘Gilmore Girls’?
Besides the pilot episode — which was filmed in a Toronto suburb called Unionvill — all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls were filmed on a set at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California. That’s right, the fictional town of Stars Hollow is, in fact, fictional, and most of what you see on the show is a set.
What Was the Inspiration for Stars Hollow?
Although the charmingly quaint New England town is not located anywhere IRL, Stars Hollow was inspired by multiple towns within Connecticut — including Washington, New Milford, Bantam and Litchfield.
In fact, Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls was inspired by the town of Washington Depot after staying in a bed and breakfast called The Mayflower Inn & Spa.
“At the time I was there, it was beautiful, it was magical, and [there was a] feeling of warmth and small-town camaraderie,”Amy told the Deseret News in 2001. “There was a longing for that in my own life, and I thought — that’s something that I would really love to put out there.”
ICYMI, Gilmore Girls followed the mother-daughter relationship between Lorelai (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel) while living in the cozy paradise that is Stars Hollow. The show ran from 2000 to 2007 for seven seasons, and fans were gripped by the show’s portrayal of family drama, romantic relationships and of course, the tight-knit community of Stars Hollowers.
Aside from Lauren and Alexis, the show also starred Scott Patterson, Keiko Agena, Jared Padalecki, Liza Weil, Matt Czuchry and Milo Ventimiglia, who all went on to have some pretty major acting careers after the iconic series came to an end. In November 2016, the entire cast reprised their roles for the Netflix revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, much to every longtime viewers excitement.
However, after the creators left audiences with a cliffhanger in the revival’s finale episode, fans are dying for more Gilmore Girls!
“I think [we would do more] if the time is right and everybody is in the mood — because that’s how it happened before. We all sort of saw each other at a festival and kind of went, ‘Hey! No one hates each other.’ And decided to do it,” Amy told Us Weekly in January 2018. “[It] could happen again — absolutely.”
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