Where Was Dawsons Creek Filmed? Katie Holmes And Michelle Williams’ Teen Drama Series!

If you like to binge on teen drama television shows, then I bet you’ve seen Dawsons Creek (1998). The teen drama series recounts the story of four adolescents who are close friends and go through a confusing period in their lives. In this article, I’ll discuss the series and tell you where was Dawsons Creek filmed.

Dawsons Creek stars an interesting cast including James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Michelle Williams, and Joshua Jackson. All of these actors are no longer teenagers and have become well-established, prominent actors. 

Five-time Academy Award-nominated actor Michelle Williams is one of the most versatile actresses in Hollywood who has collaborated with legendary filmmakers like Ang Lee, Derek Cianfrance, Ridley Scott, and Steven Spielberg. Whereas Katie Holmes gained popularity after starring as Joey Potter in this particular series. Eventually, she shifted to movies and worked with critically acclaimed directors like Sam Raimi and Christopher Nolan.

Now, to answer your primary question regarding where was Dawsons Creek filmed, the teen drama television series was filmed in Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, and Southport, North Carolina, United States of America.

Created by Kevin Williamson, Dawsons Creek premiered in the United States on 20th January 1998 on The WB. The teen drama series has six seasons. With each season you get to see a gradual change in the characters as they get more mature. I must admit that Dawsons Creek is unlike many other teen drama series as it deals with a number of serious issues. However, let’s dive into the details of the filming locations. 

Where Was Dawsons Creek Filmed? Dawsons Creek Filming Locations!

Kevin Williamson’s Dawsons Creek turned out to be an iconic TV show back in the late 90s. Following its success, several other teen drama shows were released but they weren’t as popular as Dawsons Creek. The show went on for five years and it was one of the most watched series on the WB Network. 

The teen drama series received mixed responses from critics, who criticized it for its lack of realism, whereas some critics lauded the show’s extremely articulate and self-aware dialogues, which makes it different from many other teen dramas. Dawsons Creek got an audience score of 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and a rating of 6.8 on IMDb. However, let’s cut to the chase and find out where was Dawsons Creek filmed.

Wilmington, North Carolina, United States of America

Except for a few establishing shots that were filmed in Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, the entire teen drama series was shot in North Carolina. The city of Wilmington served as a major filming location for Dawsons Creek. Filming took place in and around Wilmington and also at the Screen Gems Studios, which is situated at 1223 N 23rd Street, Wilmington.

The Leery and Lindley family houses are located on Head Road by the Hewlett’s Creek, a stream that falls under New Hanover County. Joey’s house in the show was situated at 6401 Pine Grove Drive, which was demolished. The Icehouse Restaurant that was owned by Joey’s parents was actually a bar situated at 115 South Water Street.

The exterior shots of the restaurant were filmed at Dockside Restaurant and Bar, which is located in Wrightsville Beach. The exterior shots of the Capeside High School were taken at Alderman Hall at the University of North Carolina Wilmington campus. Duke University in Durham was used as a stand-in for the fictional Worthington University.  

A major portion of the teen drama series was shot in multiple locations in Durham and Raleigh. The Hell’s Kitchen Bar in Wilmington was bought by the producers of the show and was transformed into a fictional bar. It is located at 118 Princess Street.

Some of the other locations in Wilmington where filming took place are Orton Plantation, Market Street, Water Street, and Cape Fear Riverwalk. The Rialto Movie Theater in the show is actually the Thalian Hall Center For Performing Arts.

Wrightsville, North Carolina, United States of America

A number of scenes, including the one where Pacey kisses Joey, were filmed on Airlie Road, Wrightsville Beach. The Holiday Inn SunSpree Resort was used as a stand-in for the rehabilitation facility where Audrey is a resident. Pace and Gretchen’s beach house and the Capeside Yacht Club are situated at West Atlanta Street and Marina Street, respectively.

Southport, North Carolina, United States of America

Several vital sequences were filmed in the city of Southport. Filming took place at Yacht Basin Drive and West Brunswick. The scene in which Joey tells Pacey that she loves him and the scene in which Dawson finds out about their relationship were filmed in Southport as well. 

Plot Of Dawsons Creek (1998) | Growing Up Is Tough!

The story of Dawsons Creek is set in a small coastal town in Massachusetts and revolves around teenagers Dawson Leery (James Van Der Bee), Joey Potter (Katie Holmes), Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams), and Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson). Four of them are close friends and hang around all the time, talking about life and what they want to be when they grow up. While Pacey and Jen fool around, Dawson and Joey go through a confusing time.

Both of them seem to like each other but are not able to tell each other that. Dawson wants to become a filmmaker and is a big fan of Steven Spielberg, whereas Joey is a tomboy but is more mature than him. Both of their friendships are put to the test when they get into a relationship with different people.

Final Words

If you haven’t binged on Dawsons Creek yet, I would suggest you hurry up and get on with it. The show is streaming on multiple platforms. Having said that, if you enjoyed going through the article, then do let me know in the comments section.