Where was "Virgin River" filmed?

Netflix's "Virgin River" is the perfect TV escapade: the low-key show, which premiered for season four in July 2022, boasts Hallmark-level drama, sultry romance, an unforgettable cast, and cozy locales to which you want to move forever. Unfortunately, the northern California town of Virgin River is a fictional world. That doesn't stop people from asking Robin Carr, who wrote the novel that Virgin River is modeled after, about the idyllic town. Carr told Entertainment Weekly (opens in new tab), "I have to remind people that it exists only in our minds."

But Carr believes that the Virgin River atmosphere is everywhere: "But to take that idea further, we can have a sense of community in our own neighborhoods, schools, church groups, community centers, and even library associations. All we have to do is try to create it."

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That is exactly what the program producers did in Canada. The Vancouver tourism website says: "In fact, the "town" of Virgin River is a collection of locations in and around Vancouver. 5]

Virgin River was filmed in Vancouver, as well as Burnaby, Squamish, Port Coquitlam, and other locations in British Columbia. If the locations of Virgin River look familiar, that's because many of your favorite TV shows, including Riverdale, Once Upon a Time, The Adventures of Sabrina, The X-Files, and The L Word, have been filmed in and around Vancouver.

But "Virgin River" is supposed to be set in the United States, specifically in California, "in Humboldt County in the redwoods," says Tim Matheson, who plays Doc. He spoke to Interviews magazine about the town: "It's incredibly beautiful. Most of the people who live there came there to escape some kind of pain, heartache, or loss, and to try to pick themselves up and turn their lives around.

A glimpse of the Virgin River in the program:

For a real-life town with a Virgin River feel, try Snug Cove, a 7-mile-long island on Bowen Island with a population of 3,700. Vancouver's tourism website has a page dedicated to Virgin River, which states that "Snug Cove appears as a fictional town called Virgin River, with a library, Main Street, and Artisan Lane."

Side note: Virgin River is a real river in Colorado, USA. It is a small river that has nothing to do with the Virgin River of the show. However, if you are looking for vacation ideas on the Virgin River, you should not visit that river. Instead, you should go to British Columbia and seek out your favorite spots on the Virgin River, including Snug Cove. Here is a handy-dandy guide on how to actually find these places.

For the show, we filmed an exterior scene of Jack's Bar at Watershed Grill in Brackendale, 40 miles north of Vancouver. The restaurant's Instagram (which opens in a new tab) reads "Everyone Welcome," presumably meaning that Virgin River fans would visit to find Jack's lookalike. The interior is all filmed at a local studio. (Sometimes they are closed for filming, so make sure they are open on the day you visit.) (opens in new tab)

According to Condé Nast Traveler, the Vernon Mullins Family Practice Clinic house is located at 122 First Street in New Westminster. built in 1889, the house is a Virgin River fantasy for sale for a cool $2.3 million in 2021 if you want to live out your fantasy IRL (and have a casual few million dollars to do so). The house boasts four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two staircases, a wrap-around veranda, and a truly stunning garden.

Mel's creepy shack, a gift from Mayor Hope McCrea, is actually the home of the caretaker of Murdo Fraser Park in Canada. The house has been there since 1950 and has been featured in popular Hollywood series such as "Stargate," "Psycho," and "The Flash" (opens in new tab).

Hope's house is located on Deer Lake Drive near Deer Lake Park in Burnaby.

Although it doesn't appear much in the program, Fitch's Bed and Breakfast is actually the Claffany Campground in Squamish. See them side by side.

The Paige-owned bakery truck where Lizzie works after Paige is forced out of town was filmed at the Burnaby Fraser Coastal Park near Vancouver. The park is famous for its waterfront boardwalk (opens in new tab).

Some scenes were filmed behind the Hart House. Vancouver's tourism website describes it as "an idyllic place to stop for tea or a West Coast-style lunch, in a charming traditional house with manicured lawns and gardens, where warm-weather weddings are often held." Sold.

Vancouver's tourism website elaborates on the filming locations for other small scenes in the series: "Melinda and Jack's scenes were also filmed in Squamish near the river. The show's waterfall scene was filmed in Shannon Falls Provincial Park, a 10-minute drive from Squamish, along the Sea to Sky Highway, one of the most beautiful highways in the world. Port Coquitlam, a 30-minute drive from Vancouver, lies on the north shore of the Fraser and Pitt Rivers. Here, the Virgin River crew filmed at beloved local businesses, such as Sam's Pub, which serves as the pub Melinda and Jack visit, and the Inn a Wink Beaute, which plays a beauty salon.

Just be sure to pack your bags before your Virgin River trip. To quote Breckenridge: "Frankly, I've had enough of shooting in Vancouver in the winter. It's cold, and I don't want to do it again."

Speaking to Narcity, Breckenridge said that Canadians are "really nice" and recommended some of his favorite places in BC not featured on the show, including Deep Cove and several restaurants.

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