Calling All Christmas Lovers! You Can Visit These Real-Life Hallmark Movie Towns
Ever dreamed of starring in your own Hallmark Christmas movie? Well, here’s your chance!
No, this isn’t a casting call — it’s a real-life guide to where the Hallmark holiday magic is made. Hallmark Christmas movies are a staple of the holiday season, with their picture-perfect towns and expertly-decorated houses all strung up in twinkle lights. And as it turns out, it’s not all too good to be true!
While some of the movies may feature fictional towns, many have been shot in real-life locations that are just as charming as they seem on TV — and would make for the perfect destination to ring in the holidays for true Hallmark lovers. Below, we’ve made a list (and checked it twice!) of which towns and cities are featured in some of your favorite Hallmark Christmas classics.
Christmas In Evergreen: Tidings of Joy, 2019 (Burnaby, B.C.)
Think towns that unabashedly love Christmas only exist in movies? Think again! Like Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy’s Katie (played by Maggie Lawson), perhaps you’re skeptical about towns that go all out during the holiday season. But just as picturesque Evergreen is full of cheerful traditions and residents who help Katie, a writer on assignment, lean in to the most wonderful time of the year, the 2019 movie’s real-life location — Burnaby, British Columbia — can help you to do the same. Burnaby is a city bordering Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and is home to Burnaby Village Museum, a quaint street featured in the film that transports you back to the 1920s with its old-fashioned storefronts (including a blacksmith shop and a general store) and annual Heritage Christmas market.
Christmas Cookies, 2016 (Squamish, B.C.)
Nestled in the mountains north of Vancouver sits Squamish, B.C., where 2016’s Christmas Cookies was filmed. While the movie sees businesswoman Hannah (Jill Wagner) reluctantly warm up to the locals while looking to acquire Aunt Sally’s Christmas Cookie Company, the real-life location is home to several charming attractions, including a scenic gondola ride that offers views over the sound and nearby waterfalls.
The Christmas Card, 2006 (Nevada City, CA)
After being touched by an anonymous holiday card while serving in Afghanistan, soldier Cody (John Newton) tracks down the sender in Nevada City, California, upon his return to the U.S. — and, in classic Hallmark fashion, promptly falls in love with her. Outside of the movie’s heart-warming plotline, there’s certainly cause for love at first sight in Nevada City, a hamlet outside of Sacramento that was first settled in 1849 as a mining camp and has retained much of its original charm. Victorian-era buildings line the town’s historic district, which is now home to antique shops, restaurants, gift shops and a railroad museum.
A Christmas Melody, 2015 (Cincinnati, OH)
2015’s star-studded A Christmas Melody saw former high school rivals Kristin and Melissa (played by Lacey Chabert and Mariah Carey) face off upon Kristin’s return to their home town in Ohio after she had to close her trendy clothing boutique in Manhattan. The movie was actually filmed in Cincinnati, a city on the Ohio River that’s famous for its 19th-century architecture and historic downtown.
Check Inn to Christmas, 2019 (Near Farmington, UT)
The picture-perfect family-run inns at the center of 2019’s Check Inn For Christmas are what bring the N.Y.C.-based lawyer Julia (Rachel Boston) and her family’s competitor Ryan (Wes Brown) together in their cozy hometown near the Rocky Mountains. The movie was filmed in various locations around Farmington, Utah, where you’re sure to find a scenic inn nearby with views of the surrounding mountain range.
Christmas Made to Order, 2018 (Near Farmington, UT)
2018’s Christmas Made to Order was also filmed around Farmington, UT, following along as Gretchen (Alexa PenaVega) pursues her side job and true passion as a decorator through her company Holidays Made to Order — and winds up creating her own love story with architect Steven (Mean Girls‘ Jonathan Bennett) in addition to some Christmas cheer.
Christmas at Dollywood, 2019 (Dollywood, TN)
This one should come as no surprise: 2019’s Christmas at Dollywood was filmed at actual Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The famed amusement park dedicated to country crooner Dolly Parton is at the center of the movie, as New York City-based event planner Rachel Davis (Danica McKellar) is tasked with organizing Dollywood’s 30th Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration. The annual Christmas celebration isn’t just part of the movie — it’s part of the park’s real-life charm as well. Plan a visit to take in the 50-foot Christmas tree, twinkling lights and holiday musical productions.
Our Christmas Love Song, 2019 (Grand Ole Opry, TN)
In addition to filming at Dollywood, Hallmark featured yet another country music staple in this year’s Our Christmas Love Song — The Grand Ole Opry! Just as the movie kicks off with rising country star Melody Jones (Alicia Witt) debuting her new Christmas song at the historic venue, the actual concert hall welcomes up-and-comers as well as hall-of-famers on a weekly basis and is not to be missed during a trip to Nashville.
