Stars Hollow is a lovely place with a cozy diner and quirky people, and Gilmore Girls was filmed in a few different locations to depict the fictional town. Despite not being an actual place, the show's small town is steeped in charm and feels real, thanks to the details present in every episode. Many series are set in tiny towns where everyone knows each other's daily business and dark secrets, but Stars Hollow feels unique, with memorable spots like Al's Pancake World, which features different dishes from around the world but not the sweet breakfast food of its name.
The inspiration behind Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls comes from real Connecticut towns like Washington Depot. When wondering where was Gilmore Girls filmed, it's possible to learn the real-life locations behind the romantic moments between Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) and Lorelai (Lauren Graham), along with Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Lorelai's mother/daughter activities. While Rory dreams of going to an Ivy League college and leaving her town, it makes sense that she comes back in the Netflix revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and always sees this place as her home.
Where Was The Gilmore Girls Pilot Filmed?
The pilot episode of Gilmore Girls was filmed in Unionville, Ontario, particularly on Main Street. Unionville is part of Markham and provides the perfect backdrop for the beginning of Lorelai and Rory's story. Lorelai's age at the start of Gilmore Girls is crucial to this episode, as she's 32 years old, and her daughter is 16. Lorelai walks to get coffee at Luke's diner and walks past Tucci Armadio in Unionville, which sells clothes. A customer then hits on Rory before realizing that she's still in high school and that Lorelai is her young mother.
Several other Unionville spots show up in the pilot episode. The scenes at Luke's diner were shot at 156 Main Street, which is now Gratie Medical Spa. The big windows still look similar. There is also the Stars Hollow church, which is located at 150 Main Street. The gazebo and the location of Taylor's Old-Fashioned Shoppe are also real spots in Unionville (via Visit Markham). The latter is at 170 Main Street, which is now a place to grab pastry and coffee called Old Firehall Confectionery.
Lorelai's relationship with Chris leads her to Luke, and it all starts in this episode as she asks the latter to pour her a cup of coffee, and they playfully fight. The pilot is a key part of Luke and Lorelai's romance. As Lorelai walks through her beloved town, the main street of Unionville suggests a warm-hearted place to live.
Where Was The Rest Of Gilmore Girls Filmed?
When it comes to where was Gilmore Girls filmed, the rest of the series was shot on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California. When comparing the pilot episode to the other episodes, it's clear that the heart, soul, and charm of Unionville were recreated on the set. Many of the characters' houses are part of the set, including those of Lorelai and Sookie St. James (Melissa McCarthy). Sookie and Lorelai's homes are actually connected (via Insider). Other sets include Luke's Diner, Doose's Market, Stars Hollow High School, the church, Mrs. Kim's antique store, and the gazebo.
Rory's decision to go to Yale, not Harvard makes her happy, although she does experience several lows during this time. Rory's Yale scenes were filmed at the University of Southern California (via It's Filmed There). In the memorable Gilmore Girls season 7 episode "Unto The Breach," Rory graduates and turns down Logan Huntzberger's (Matt) proposal as she seeks a more independent future. The characters walk and stand near the Norris Theater, the Bovard Administration Building, and Taper Hall. The beautiful campus of USC is a great backdrop for Rory's coming-of-age storylines and the big decisions that she has to make.
Gilmore Girls was also filmed at two locations in Los Angeles, and these were the background for some key moments involving Rory and her Gilmore Girls love interests. The show's Chilton scenes were shot at the Greystone Mansion located at 905 Loma Vista Dr. in Beverly Hills. The show was also filmed at The Ebell Club for several important plot lines, from the vow renewal of Emily and Richard Gilmore (Kelly Bishop and Edward Herrmann) to Rory's meaningful and chaotic school dance. Scenes of Rory eating at Chilton's cafeteria were also shot at this club (via Travel Pulse).
Where Was The Netflix Revival A Year In The Life Filmed?
When wondering where was Gilmore Girls filmed, there's also the question of the Netflix revival, A Year in the Life. These four episodes were filmed on the same lot, in Burbank, California, as the original series. Stars Hollow looks as magical and nostalgia-inducing as ever in the Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life revival. Rory visits home, and she and Lorelai buy coffee from Luke's and wander around the snowy streets, passing the mom-and-pop stores and that famous gazebo. It's the perfect introduction to these new episodes and a reminder of the banter that the mother-and-daughter duo is praised for.
Gilmore Girls showrunner and creator Amy Sherman-Palladino explained during the summer 2016 Television Critics Association press tour, "They changed our Stars Hollow... So we had to go back in and zhoosh up Stars Hollow. We had to rebuild all the sets.” It's also worth noting that in the years since Gilmore Girls ended in 2007 and the revival began filming, the show's set was used for Pretty Little Liars.
Rory is 32 years old at the end of the Gilmore Girls revival and finding her way in the world, with Stars Hollow as a safe place to land. Although Stars Hollow isn't an actual, real place, the question of where Gilmore Girls was filmed would have to be the same for A Year in the Life as in the original series, thanks to nostalgia for Luke's diner, the gazebo, and the characters' homes. Whether Rory visits Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) at the International Food Festival or tap dances in the middle of the night, the Gilmore Girls Warner Bros. set looks as cozy as ever.