Plot Twist: ‘Outer Banks’ Was Not Actually Filmed in the Outer Banks
I feel like I blinked and all of a sudden Netflix’s thirsty adventure show Outer Banks is on season 3. I guess that’s what I get for binge-watching it in a single day back in 2020 for obvious reasons related to HELP, I’M STUCK IN MY HOUSE AND BOREDDDDD. Feels like yesterday but was actually forever ago, because Outer Banks has filmed two more seasons since.
As you might have guessed based on the title of the show, Outer Banks takes place in the Outer Banks—OBX if you’re nasty—a 200-mile stretch of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. It’s a gorgeous region with a billion lighthouses where you can literally find wild horses roaming the beach (I’ve seen them, they’re amazing!) or sled down a sand dune, but here’s the thing: Outer Banks was not actually filmed in the Outer Banks.
The show was shot not too far away in Charleston, South Carolina, a geographical area *so* similar, most people wouldn’t be able to tell it apart from the real Outer Banks—unless you’re a local, in which case the show probably isn’t cutting it. At least, according to an OBX surf shop owner, who told Esquire that Outer Banks “should have been called South Carolina Beaches or something.”
Savage burn and totally fair, buuut…
There’s (Unfortunately) a Good Reason They Ditched North Carolina
Netflix rightfully objected to the state’s controversial House Bill 2 (aka the “bathroom bill”), an anti-LGBTQ+ piece of legislation from 2016 that discriminates against the transgender community. The bill was partially repealed, BTW, but a lingering clause (HB142) was enough to keep Netflix out in the early seasons. Apparently, the next best filming location was across the border in South Carolina—and for what it’s worth, creator Josh Pate agreed with Netflix’s decision, telling Wilmington Star News, “When we wrote [Outer Banks], it was 100 percent Wilmington in our heads. We wanted to film it here. But Netflix made the right decision to insist on inclusivity and we completely agree with them.”
That HB142 clause actually expired in 2020, ending a painful era for progressives in North Carolina. But filming for Outer Banks remained in Charleston for season 3. (For what it’s worth, Hollywood had been pulling out of North Carolina for a while before Outer Banks was a thing. In 2014, Governor Pat McCrory, the same Republican who signed the delightful bathroom bill, decided to end tax incentives for film productions. Pardon my *sarcastic voice*, but isn’t that a fun fact? That’s one of the reasons it feels like everything is filmed in Atlanta now. Or in the case of Outer Banks, the lesser South Carolina.)
The IRL Locations Are So Gorgeous
If you find yourself in South Carolina, here’s a helpful list of places where the Outer Banks cast filmed: the Old Village in Mount Pleasant, James Island, Johns Island, Kiawah Island, Charleston Harbor, Hunting Island, and the Morris Island Lighthouse. Look familiar?
Also, fun fact: You know how Kiara’s fam owns and operates The Wreck? It’s fully a real place in Shem Creek, South Carolina:
There actually isn’t even a real Kildare County in North Carolina. The name of the fictional county where OBX takes place is a combination of Dare County and Kill Devil Hills. And don’t get me started on the ferry they take from the OBX to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in season 1. The college town is more than 100 miles inland—that would be a bumpy, dry ride.
Outer Banks also filmed in Barbados, NBD
Now there’s a fantasy vacation. Much of season 2 took place in the Bahamas but was filmed (much) farther south in Barbados. (And without spoiling anything, part of season 3 might take place in actual Barbados.) “Poguelandia” can be found in a fishing village called Bathsheba, according to Entertainment Weekly. The fancy Cameron home on the show is called the Cove Springs House IRL and is technically available to rent, but typically, royals and celebs have it booked.
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