Where Was 'Dawson's Creek' Filmed? All About the Real Locations Behind Capeside

Though the series takes place in a small New England town, filming primarily took place in Wilmington

You don't have to travel to Massachusetts to see the all iconic filming locations from Dawson's Creek.

Though the series takes place in the fictional New England town of Capeside, filming primarily took place in Wilmington, North Carolina. Additional scenes were also filmed in Southport and Wrightsville Beach, and as the characters got older, other filming locations included Durham for the fictional Worthington University in Boston.

The hit teen drama starring James Van Der Beek, Katie Holmes, Joshua Jackson and Michelle Williams first premiered in January 1998 and ran for six seasons until its series finale on May 14, 2003.

Not only did the show jumpstart the careers of its young stars, but it paved the way for many more teen dramas in the years that followed. In fact, One Tree Hill and The Summer I Turned Pretty have directly followed in the show's footsteps by also filming in Wilmington.

In early 2023, Jackson returned to where it all began — his new Starz series from Ava DuVernay began filming in Wilmington.

PEOPLE recently visited the coast with Visit NC, where we learned all the hidden secrets and details about the filming locations behind Dawson's Creek.

In honor of the show's monumental anniversaries, here are a handful of filming locations you can visit in real life.

Related:The Stars of 'Dawson's Creek' : Where Are They Now?

Dawson's Creek

The creek near the Leery home was filmed at Hewlett Creek as well as Bradley Creek located in Wilmington.

For Kerr Smith, who played Jack McPhee, some of his favorite memories from filming Dawson's Creek were from the actors' group trips to the beach. "In the summer we as a cast would go to Masonboro Island. We'd get out the grill and go Jet Skiing and swimming. It was the most fun I ever had in my life," he previously told PEOPLE.

Leery's Fresh Fish

The restaurant, co-owned by Dawson's mom Gale Leery and Bodie Wells on the show, was filmed at Michaels on the Waterfront in Wilmington. The restaurant specializes in "contemporary American cuisine with a coastal Carolina twist," per their website.

Hell's Kitchen

Unlike some of the other filming locations on the show, Hell's Kitchen was a temporary set used as the location for the bar where Joey and Eddie worked in the sixth season. After the series wrapped, the bar was sold to a local restaurateur, who turned it into a real bar.

Located in downtown Wilmington, Hell's Kitchen has a long history with N.C. filming. It's even set to be featured in the upcoming second season of The Summer I Turned Pretty season 2.

"Hell's Kitchen has a strong connection to the film industry," the bar's owner Eric Laut tells PEOPLE. "Originally a film stage for Dawson's Creek, Hell's Kitchen has hosted many film sets, from One Tree Hill to Florida Man, Electric Love and more recently The Summer I Turned Pretty."

He added, "In The Summer I Turned Pretty, the artists and production staff transformed the stage at Hell's Kitchen into a lounge. It was amazing to see the transformation. The location crew, production staff and the artists were so talented and it was such a great experience to be on set and watch the magic of the film industry unfold."

Joey's Wall

In season 3, Pacey rents a wall for Joey to paint on as a grand gesture. In the season 3 finale, the two have a romantic moment as Pacey paints on the wall, writing, "Ask me to stay." The wall (minus Pacey's writing) can be seen across the street from Reel Café in Wilmington.

Capeside High School

The high school featured on the series was actually filmed at the college campus, UNC Wilmington, with many notable scenes filmed at Alderman Hall.

Boston Bay College

Jen and Jack's school, Boston Bay College, and the campus radio station were filmed at 272 N Front St in Wilmington. Currently, a camping store called Outdoor Equipped stands in its place. (272 N Front St was also the filming location for Karen's Cafe on One Tree Hill throughout the show's run!)

Dawson and Joey's big kiss

Though Dawson and Joey's first kiss took place in the Leery home, their big kiss scene on the swings in the season 2 premiere takes place along the northern part of the Wilmington Riverwalk.

For Nina Repeta, who played Joey's older sister Bessie, she loved filming along the water the most. "I love the practical water locations the best," she told PEOPLE. "The river walk is located on the Cape Fear River downtown Wilmington where many scenes were filmed — not just Dawson's Creek but One Tree Hill as well. Those locations were my favorites."

Andie and Pacey's first kiss

Fittingly enough, Pacey's first kiss with Andie also takes place along the Wilmington Riverwalk across the street from the Alton Lennon Federal Courthouse.

In EW's 2018 cast reunion interview, Meredith Monroe, who played Andie McPhee, said shooting the series in Wilmington "was like growing up together." She added, "I felt like I was so grateful that it was shooting in Wilmington. We all got to really connect in a way that I don't think we would have had we been in New York or L.A."

Worthington University

Since UNC Wilmington had served as the filming location for many of the high school scenes, the series looked elsewhere to find a backdrop for the college years. Worthington University, the fictional Ivy League university where Joey went to school, was filmed a few hours from Wilmington at Duke University in Durham.

True Love Dock

Throughout season 3, Pacey works on restoring a wrecked boat, which he names True Love. Unlike other filming locations, the boat was actually docked at the Old Yacht Basin in Southport, right near the restaurant Fishy Fishy Cafe.

Right down the road, Safe Haven filmed many scenes for the shop owned by Josh Duhamel's character in the film.

Screen Play Video

Screen Play Video, where Dawson and Pacey work in high school, is located at 212 N Front Street in Wilmington. At the time of filming, there was a business with the same name, however, it's now Nsalo Salon.

Pacey's Icehouse

After the original Icehouse closes due to an arson incident, Pacey has it rebuilt years later. In the series finale, fans get a glimpse of the Icehouse, which was filmed at Elijah's Restaurant. The seafood restaurant is located in Wilmington and offers gorgeous views of the water from the deck.

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