The TV series The Summer I Turned Pretty was primarily filmed in Wilmington, North Carolina, and its surrounding beach areas including Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, and Southport
. Key filming locations include:
- Cousins Beach (fictional setting inspired by Cape Cod) scenes were shot around Wilmington and nearby beaches like Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, and Wrightsville Beach
- The "Entering Cousins Beach" sign was filmed near the Wilmington Cape Fear Pilots Association's old lookout tower in Southport, North Carolina
- The Fisher family’s beach house exterior shots were filmed at a private gated golf course community called Porters Neck Plantation in Wilmington; interior shots were done on sound stages at Screen Gems Studio in Wilmington
- The country club scenes were filmed at Cape Fear Country Club and St. Mary Catholic School in Wilmington
- The pie stand "Rosie's" was filmed at Old River Farms in Burgaw, North Carolina
- Brown University scenes were filmed at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, not at Brown itself
Wilmington and its surrounding areas are often called "Hollywood East" or "Wilmywood" due to their popularity as filming locations for many TV shows and movies
. In summary, although the story is set in a fictional Cape Cod beach town, the actual filming took place mostly in Wilmington, North Carolina, and nearby coastal towns
