Caption
Broad Street Boardwalk in downtown Atlanta is a pedestrian-friendly area often used in films as a stand-in for a New York City street.
Credit: X / Darin Givens / @atlurbanist
Section Branding
Header Content
Love holiday movies? Spot these Georgia locations in 'Dashing Through the Snow' and 6 more
Hero Image
Primary Content
As Georgia celebrates 50 years in the film industry, Gov. Brian Kemp announced in September that productions spent $4.1 billion in the state during fiscal year 2023. With new facilities including Gray Television and Lionsgate Studios coming to the region, Georgia will have 7 million square feet of studio space, second only to California.
Georgia is known as one of the primary filming locations for the Marvel Studios superhero franchise and is the home of Tyler Perry Studios. But it's also a popular spot for shooting holiday movies and specials produced by Disney, Hallmark and more. Because of Georgia's variety of landscapes, it is a malleable backdrop for creating on-screen locales ranging from a snowy mountain town to a coastal retreat to the bright lights of the big city.
Here are 7 Georgia locations to spot in holiday films:
Broad Street Boardwalk in downtown Atlanta
Producer Will Power Packer told The Grio that his Christmas film, Dashing Through the Snow, could bring back some of the true magic and meaning of Christmas and bring representation and diversity to the holiday classic genre. The movie stars Ludacris as a social worker disillusioned with the holidays and trying to be a good husband and father.
Filming locations included multiple spots in the city of Atlanta, including Castleberry Hill and a holiday scene filmed on Broad Street in downtown Atlanta, which was used because of its charm and lack of automobiles. Check out the Atlanta views in this trailer.
Atlanta is also the filming location for two new holiday films with all-star casts expected next year: Red One, starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Chris Evans and Dear Santa, starring Jack Black and Keegan-Michael Key.
The band shell and gazebo at Glover Park in Marietta Square
Marietta, Ga., is famous for its vibrant and all-American town square. Glover Park, in the center of the square, includes a beautiful gazebo and a bandshell where musical groups perform for the community.
The square was featured in the 2019 Hallmark holiday film Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses, a typical example of the cozy sweaters and cocoa that characterize the channel's holiday love story genre.
Crimson Moon in Dahlonega
Dahlonega, Ga., is a favorite location for holiday movie productions. The historic downtown buildings dating back to Georgia's gold rush combine with a winter village feel to make the town idyllic onscreen. At the center of the town is a two-story wooden building that housed the Crimson Moon, a cafe and live music venue.
Although the Crimson Moon appeared in at least one Hallmark movie, it has since either changed locations or closed, as its phone number was not in service at time of publication. Catch a glimpse of it in 2020's A Taste of Christmas from Lifetime.
St. Simons Lighthouse
St. Simons Island was the filming location for a 2017 TV movie called Christmas on the Coast. The seaside town was meant to stand in for a faux version of South Carolina's Hilton Head called Harbor Point.
The Christmas tree in downtown Roswell
Roswell's historic downtown is also a picturesque spot for filming. Its Christmas tree features in BET's A Jenkins Family Christmas from 2021. This story doesn't try to hide Roswell's typical December weather with average temperatures in the 50s. While every holiday film is obliged to put snowflakes somewhere, this one includes lots of real sunshine.
Historic Newton County Courthouse in Covington
Christmas came to Covington and Conyers when Dolly Parton filmed her NBC TV movie, Christmas of Many Colors in 2016. Watch the film for glimpses of both towns' landmarks.
Stone Mountain Park
Stone Mountain Park was one of the primary filming locations for Nickelodeon's The Loud House: A Very Loud Christmas, which brought cartoon characters to life in a live-action movie.
Bottom Content
