Where is 'Ginny & Georgia' Filmed? Is Wellsbury Real?

The second season of small-town dramedy Ginny & Georgia is hitting Netflix the first week of January after fans devoured the first season last year. Often referred to as a more shocking Gilmore Girls (even by the show itself when Georgia remarks, "We're just like the Gilmore Girls, but with bigger tits!"), the show has a lot in common with its predecessor.  Not only does Ginny & Georgia follow a mother-daughter pair who is only 15 years apart in age, but the town they live in and the rotating roster of residents become as much of a character as any cast member.  Gilmore Girls had Stars Hollow, a fictional small town in Connecticut where it seems to always be winter or fall, while Ginny & Georgia embraces the New England town of Wellsbury, Massachusetts. 

The series opens with Ginny Miller, the 15-year-old, driving her mother Georgia and her brother Austin in their convertible on their way to a new town with hopes to start over. As Georgia is attempting to run away from her messy and haunting past, Ginny is trying to make friends in a new place while dealing with drugs, mental health issues, sex and being an angsty teenager.

Though the adorable and endearing town of Wellsbury isn't a real place you can visit, most of the show was filmed in and around Cobourg, Ontario in Canada. The town even embraced having Georgia & Ginny there in 2019 when production filmed the first season by swapping a number of Canadian flags hung through downtown with American flags to make the setting more believable. The town of Cobourg tweeted about the process from its official account.

But if you still want a feel of Ginny and Georgia's New England lifestyle, here's a roundup of some of the iconic sets and locations you can visit in Canada to get your own taste of Wellsbury:

King Street, Downtown Cobourg

King Street runs through the main part of downtown Cobourg, which also poses as the charming and historic downtown Wellsbury. Around 60 miles east of Toronto, Cobourg borders Lake Ontario and provides the perfect small-town aesthetic for the show. 

In the first episode of Ginny & Georgia, the Miller family drives through downtown on the way to their home and Ginny remarks, "It looks like Paul Revere boned a pumpkin spice latte." 

While a few of the stores changed their signs and mailboxes to resemble a more American town, some store names were used in the show. Audrey's In Town Fashion is an actual store that kept its name for Ginny & Georgia. In one of the first episodes, Georgia tries to buy a purse at Audrey's, and her credit card declines. The shop is also where Ginny gets caught shoplifting with her friends. You can stop by the real store on King Street and buy some clothing. 

The famed Blue Farm Cafe, owned by the friendly and appealing Joe in the show, is also on King Street. In Ginny & Georgia, the entire town seems to frequent the cafe and Georgia even forces Ginny to get a job there early on in the first season.  

In reality, it's actually The El, a gasto pub with a number of favorites such as burgers and truffle fries with some surprises like lamb shanks. The El is a locally-owned business that showcases art, cozy furniture and live music nights. 

Further down King Street, you'll also find Wellsbury Savings from episode 9, which is actually the Bank of Montreal. Cynthia's office, GWL Realty, and the cannabis dispensary the town debates on the show, Green Gardens, sit right next door to each other on King Street, too.

Finally, historical Victoria Hall towers over the main drag on King Street, which doubles as the Wellsbury Town Hall on the show. Victoria Hall was originally built in 1856 as a concert hall. It still hosts concerts throughout the year for residents to enjoy as well as an art gallery and a council chamber. In Ginny & Georgia, the beautiful Wellsbury Town Hall is used as a backdrop for Wellbury's annual Halloween festival. 

Victoria Park, Cobourg

One of the final scenes of the first season was filmed just off King Street at Victoria Park in Cobourg. The 12-acre park holds a number of walking trails, beach access, picnic areas, a splash pad and a bandshell for local performances. This bandshell is where the mayoral party at the end of season one was filmed. The bandstand was built in 1934 and was one of the first of its kind in Ontario. 

Also inside Victoria Park is the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club, which is where the scene was filmed where Georgia takes Austin and Ginny on a fun day and "accidentally" runs into her boss, Mayor Paul. 

You may want to visit Victoria Park as well as Cobourg Beach, which is adjacent to the park, during one of the many festivals the town likes to host. The Waterfront Festival and the Sandcastle Festival are both popular events for locals. 

York, Toronto 

York is a large district in Toronto, Ontario in Canada that is made up of a number of smaller, electric neighborhoods. The Parkdale-High Park district holds the home used as the exterior to the Miller family's beautiful, two-story home.

In the show, Georgia worries about paying the mortgage on the home after buying it under the assumption she would soon gain access to a large amount of money. And you can see why Georgia would be disappointed to leave the home, with its huge kitchen, cute patios and vegetable gardens. 

The home is actually in one of the most picturesque and exclusive neighborhoods in Toronto. With Lake Ontario to the south and the Humber River to the west, this district is home to a little more than 100,000 residents. Maxine and Marcus's home actually sits across the street from the Millers' home. It's an English Cottage/Tudor-style mansion that was built in 1923.

Both homes are privately-owned, so you can't tour them or stay there. But, if you want the whole Ginny & Georgia experience, you can always rent a nearby home from Peerspace. 

Toronto

The Nelson A. Boylen Collegiate Institute in Toronto taught thousands of students from 1966 until 2016. That's when residents voted on how to best utilize the defunct space either by transforming it into a nursing home or into a community center. However, neither idea came to fruition, and instead, the campus was used as the fictional Wellsbury High School.

If you visited today, the school grounds and exterior of the building look similar to what you watched on the show. Production only added the large, yellow geometric sculpture outside the school just for the show. 

Lastly, the end of episode seven reveals Ginny's father, Zion, riding into Wellsbury on a motorcycle while crossing a beautiful, stone bridge over a mossy river. This arching, sturdy bridge is Old Mill Bridge in Etienne Brule Park, which was built in 1928 in the Colonial Revival style. The bridge was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, so it will be preserved for years to come. 

You can visit the bridge, the park's long hiking trails and charming picnic areas and even participate in the yearly salmon run, if you visit at the right time of year.

READ MORE: Who's Who in Wellsbury? A 'Ginny & Georgia' Season 2 Character Guide