Mystic Falls, Virginia, is the picturesque little town in the southern state where, supposedly, nothing bad ever happens. Elena utters those famous last words a few times throughout the series, generally always before she winds up in mortal peril.
But almost every good supernatural tale begins with a "normal" small town. While The Vampire Diaries is over now, Mystic Falls lives on in its successor series, Legacies. It remains a pivotal part of TVD mythology. However, there are a few hidden details even the most diehard fans might not know about the town.
The Mystic Grill Is A Real Restaurant In Georgia
While most fans are aware that The Vampire Diaries was filmed in Georgia and that there are ongoing set tours where you can visit the hot spots and used sets from the series -- and it's spin-offs, The Originals, and Legacies -- many people aren't aware that the Mystic Grill exists in real life.
In the series, the characters frequented the Grill often, and some even worked there. The Vampire Diaries community in Georgia is so strong, it motivated a few restaurant owners to open the place up. Sadly, you won't see Matt Donovan busing any tables.
Mystic Falls Was Named As Such Due To Legal Reasons
If you read the original Vampire Diaries novels, then you know the town was actually named Fell's Church. Unfortunately, the series couldn't use that name on the show for legal reasons.
See, the fictitious town of Mystic Falls is located in Virginia and so if the show had stuck with the novel town name, it would've been very similar to the real Virginian city called Fall's Church. Just like how Forks, Washington, is a fictional spot based on a real place in Twilight. The Vampire Diaries writers needed a name that wasn't as close to reality as Fell's Church would have been.
Salem Witches Relocated To Mystic Falls During The Trials
The Bennett family of witches originally lived in Salem but during the infamous witch trials, they relocated to Mystic Falls to escape persecution. It's kind of a cool tidbit that the series added to be more historically relevant.
It makes one wish we had gotten the chance to learn more about the history of the Bennett witches and what their time in Salem was like. They fled from Salem in 1692 but, as we all know, Mystic may have not been the best place for them to end up.
The Search Engine Of Choice In Mystic Falls Is Bing
If you've ever noticed what search engine the characters on the series use, you might be painfully aware that the series clearly had a product placement deal with Bing.
Instead of using Google, which most people strongly prefer, you would instead see everyone operating with Bing. Obviously, there are real-life, behind-the-scenes reasons for this, but it's amusing to think that everyone in this town chose to ignore Google in favor of the lesser search engine.
There Are A Lot Of Dangerous Roads In Mystic Falls
The opening scene of the series begins with a couple driving and then getting attacked by Damon Salvatore. Ironically, another vampire show also begins with a couple getting mauled by vampires -- True Blood.
But in this instance, it's a clever bit of foreshadowing for how many deadly accidents would eventually occur on the roads and backroads in this small town. There have been numerous car accidents, bridge accidents, and more throughout the series.
There Are Real "Mystic Falls" In Mystic Falls
Did you know there is an actual waterfall in Mystic Falls? We get a glimpse of it in the Pilot episode, although they're not really seen again in the series. But we can imagine that's what the town name is referencing.
There is also a real-life spot called Mystic Falls, too, funnily enough. It's not evident if the two are related. Also, Steven's Quarry is a spot in the series just outside of town that has a nice waterfall, it could also be related to the town name.
Mystic Falls High School Was Built On Top Of The Mikaelson Birthplace
Did you know that the exact spot where the characters attend high school used to be the place the Mikaelsons lived when they were still young and not ancient vampires?
The school was built on top of an Indian village and the former home of Esther and Mikael Mikaelson, along with their many children. No wonder bad stuff is always happening at their decade dances.
The Mystic Falls Cemetery Is A Powerful Spot
Fans of the series might not realize how important the Mystic Falls cemetery really is. The cemetery played a much bigger role in the novels than it did in the show but it still resonates with many characters in the series.
For starters, a lot of characters we met are buried there. But, the plot of land is also famous for being the place where Klaus murdered Esther, which had a profound effect on that particular plot of land. It marked the area as a place of power.
Mystic Falls Has Two Different Newspapers
It's not clear if this was just a continuity error in the series or not, but Mystic Falls actually has two different newspapers. The first is the Mystic Falls Courier, which was initially established in the late 1800s.
Whenever there are flashbacks to that time, we usually see the Courier, so it seems that was the newspaper for the past while the other publication, Mystic Falls Daily, is the updated one. That said, the Courier has been seen in the present-day scenes, too. Only one issue of Mystic Falls Daily was shown in 2009.
Darren Malloy and Brooke Fenton Were The First Humans To Appear And To Die
Since the Pilot aired so long ago, many fans might have forgotten about Darren Malloy and Brooke Fenton, who were actually the first two human characters to ever appear on the series, and also the first two deaths.
As we mentioned above, in the first episode, Damon lays out in the road, waiting for helpless passengers to help him out. Darren and Brooke fall for the bait and he subsequently kills them, kickstarting the events of the series.