Stranger Things season 4 brings back some familiar Hawkins staples while also introducing new filming locations for the storylines set in California and Russia. While the first three seasons were primarily contained to the fictional Hawkins, Indiana, season 4 has massively increased the scope of Stranger Things. Not only are the majority of the characters separated throughout Stranger Things season 4, but four key locations also serve as characters of their own – Hawkins, California, Russia, and the Lab.
In addition to reusing the locations for Hawkins’ suburbs, National Lab, and the town’s cemetery, Stranger Things season 4 introduces a variety of new settings for the series’ fictional home base. With Creel House and Forest Hills Trailer Park playing extremely important roles in Stranger Things season 4’s Upside Down mystery, the scope of Hawkins' geography is expanding as well. Across the country in California, Stranger Things’ Byers family, Eleven, and Mike enter dangers of their own in the new Lenora Hills house, high school, and ‘80s-style roller rink. While Stranger Things season 3’s post-credits scene gave a glimpse of the Russian prison, season 4 uses the scenery of the Eastern European location to truly exhibit the stark reality of Hopper’s captivity.
Stranger Things season 4 may primarily be set in Indiana, California, and Russia, but Netflix didn’t actually film at any of these locations. Rather, the majority of the Duffer brothers’ filming locations were in Georgia, New Mexico, and Lithuania. Here’s a breakdown of all the new and reused filming locations for Stranger Things season 4.
Hawkins, Indiana – Atlanta, Georgia & Suburbs
Stranger Things season 4 brings back many of the most familiar Hawkins locations from previous seasons, all of which are filmed in or around the city and suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. The Wheeler, Henderson, and Sinclair houses are all filmed around East Point, Georgia, with many of Stranger Things’ iconic bike-riding scenes being shot in the same or nearby neighborhoods. The downtown scenes of Stranger Things' fictional Hawkins are primarily filmed in Jackson, Georgia, which includes the town’s library.
Creel House – The Claremont House, Rome, Georgia
One of the most important new locations in Stranger Things season 4’s story is Creel House, which has a long, twisted history in the fictional Hawkins, Indiana. The old home’s Upside Down connection makes for plenty of terrifying turns in Stranger Things season 4, and is named after Pennhurst Mental Hospital patient Victor Creel (Robert Englund). The historic Claremont House in Rome, Georgia acts as the filming location for Stranger Things’ Creel House, which previously served as a bed and breakfast for 16 years. The old Victorian home was first built in 1882 but is well kept today, unlike the worn-down Creel House depicted in Stranger Things.
Hawkins National Lab – Briarcliff Campus, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
Stranger Things’ oft-used location of Hawkins National Lab returns in season 4 for some of the series’ most significant and eerie reveals. As with previous installments, Stranger Things season 4 uses the Briarcliff campus of Emory University for the filming location of Hawkins Lab, which is actually located in Atlanta, Georgia instead of Indiana. The real Briarcliff [A] Building holds a strange history of its own, as it once housed Asa Griggs “Buddy” Candler Jr., the son of Coca-Cola’s co-founder, before operating as the Georgia Mental Health Institute.
Hawkins High School – Patrick Henry High School, Stockbridge, Georgia
Netflix’s fourth installment of Stranger Things also revives the Hawkins High School location, which doubled as the middle school as well. With Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, Nancy, and Robin all attending Hawkins High as teenagers in Stranger Things season 4, the location is far more prominent than in previous seasons, especially with the important activities that take place there like Lucas’ basketball games and Eddie’s Hellfire Club. Stranger Things season 4 reuses Hawkins High’s filming location from previous installments, which is the former Patrick Henry High School in Stockbridge, Georgia.
Forest Hills Trailer Park – Griffin, Georgia
Another new Hawkins location that plays a massive role in Stranger Things season 4 is the Forest Hills Trailer Park, the Upside Down-infested site where Robin, Steve, Nancy, and Eddie ride their bikes. The fictional Forest Hills was filmed at a real trailer park located in Griffin, Georgia. While this is the first instance that the series has actually shown the mobile home community, Forest Hills connects back to a notable sequence in Stranger Things season 2. Nancy and Jonathan quickly mentioned the location as a public place to meet with Barb’s mother, which they were doing in order to see if officials from Hawkins Lab were tracking them.
Hawkins Cemetery – Stone Mountain Cemetery, Stone Mountain, Georgia
While the fake Will’s memorial took place in a different location, Stranger Things season 4 reuses the cemetery site from Barb’s funeral in season 2. Stranger Things season 2 only gave a glimpse of the location, whereas Hawkins Cemetery plays a major role in Max and Billy’s storyline in season 4. Hawkins Cemetery is filmed at the Stone Mountain Cemetery in Stone Mountain, Georgia, which is located nearby the filming site for Max and Billy’s Hawkins house.
Where Is Lenora Hills In California?
At the end of Stranger Things season 3, the Byers family packs up and moves away from Hawkins, with season 4 revealing their new home to be Lenora Hills, California. It’s not clear where exactly in California the fictional Lenora Hills is situated, but it’s presumed to be in the Southern California area around the Los Angeles suburbs. However, filming for the majority of Lenora Hills’ locations actually took place in Los Lunas, New Mexico outside of Albuquerque. Netflix purchased New Mexico’s Albuquerque Studios in late 2018, with the California setting of the Byers and Eleven’s Stranger Things season 4 storyline lending itself well to the New Mexico desert scenery. Along with the location for Surfer Boy Pizza, most of the roaming shots for the town of Lenora Hills are filmed in Los Lunas, New Mexico.
The interior of the Byers’ new home in Lenora Hills, California was filmed on a sound stage, while the exterior of the house was filmed near the Shadow Hills neighborhood in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The decision for Stranger Things season 4 to move the Byers to a small California neighborhood tied into the series’ noted inspirations from Steven Spielberg’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. With Stranger Things recreating the misadventures of E.T.’s California neighborhood through the fictional Lenora Hills, the series’ parallels to the iconic 1980s sci-fi movie are even more glaring.
Lenora Hills High School – Eldorado High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Eleven, Will, Jonathan, and Argyle all attend Lenora Hills High School in Stranger Things season 4, with Eleven having a particularly difficult time fitting in with her peers. Located nearby the filming location for the Byers’ new house, Lenora Hills High School was shot at the real Eldorado High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Similar to Hawkins High for the rest of Stranger Things’ teens, Lenora Hills High School's location only has brief importance for Will and Eleven’s journeys in season 4.
Rink-O-Mania – Roller King, Albuquerque, New Mexico
One of the most memorable sequences in Stranger Things season 4 takes place at the Rink-O-Mania, which Netflix’s crew completely dressed up for the ‘80s roller skating fad. The real Rink-O-Mania was filmed at the Roller King in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Similar to the inclusion of Starcourt Mall in Stranger Things season 3, the Rink-O-Mania is another instance of the series integrating the decade’s most notable hang-out spots.
Is Kamchatka A Real Place In Russia?
Hopper is incarcerated at a Demogorgon-using prison in Kamchatka, Russia, which he’s desperately trying to escape at the start of Stranger Things season 4. Unlike Lenora Hills and Hawkins, Kamchatka actually is a real place in Russia. The Kamchatka Peninsula is located in the Russian Far East, which is across the Bering Strait from Alaska. While Kamchatka is real, Stranger Things season 4 shot the Russia scenes in Vilnius, Lithuania instead, the city that was also used for the filming location of HBO’s Chernobyl. Stranger Things' Russian prison was filmed at Lithuania’s Lukiskes Prison, which officially closed in 2019 after operating for over a century.
Stranger Things season 4 drops Friday, May 27 on Netflix.