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Check out this list of North Carolina Triangle Filming Locations and find out which films used the Triangle as part of their production.
In less than two weeks the 92nd Academy Awards show will be airing. It’s become quite the event for us over the past few years. Some friends of ours hold an annual Oscar party that we love to attend. We dress up in formalwear and enjoy cocktails and appetizers while watching the show.
Did you know that the movie industry once had a significant impact on my home state of North Carolina? This is thanks to very large tax breaks that were offered up until a few years ago to encourage movie production companies to film here.
Many movies and television shows were filmed in North Carolina over the years. Although the majority of them were filmed in Wilmington and its surrounding areas the Triangle does have a few films to claim. Check out this list of North Carolina Triangle Filming Locations.
Bull Durham
I had to start with my current hometown’s claim to fame, Bull Durham, which features our very own Durham Bulls baseball team. Here in Durham, there are actually two baseball fields. The Durham Bulls Athletic Park is where the current team plays and is part of the American Tobacco Campus. As you know Derek and I try to catch as many games there as we possibly can during baseball season. Although the spirit of the film is alive and well at the DBAP it is not the ballpark that is featured in the film. That honor belongs to the Historic Durham Athletic Park.
The Historic Durham Athletic Park is where the Bulls played from 1926 until 1994. Much of the film was filmed here at the end of the Bull’s 1987 season. It is still standing and put to much use for special events and is the home venue for North Carolina Central University’s baseball team. One of our favorite Durham spots is the Boxcar Arcade which is located behind this ballpark and has an incredible view of it, especially from their outdoor patio. If you would like to read more about the amazing history of this ballpark and its impact on the city of Durham, I came across this interesting article that you might enjoy!
Other filming locations include The James Manning House on Mangum Street which is Annie Savoy’s House in the film. Anyone that enters The Green Room on Broad Street will recognize it as the billiard hall where Nuke LaLoosh finds Crash after finding out he’s going to the show. And finally, Mitch’s Tavern in Raleigh is the bar where Annie, Crash, and Nuke all meet up for the first time at the beginning of the film.
Fun Fact!
Did you know that Kevin Costner’s character, Crash Davis was based on a real professional baseball player that grew up in North Carolina? He played for the Philadelphia Athletics for three seasons before being drafted for World War II. Before that, he attended Duke University and played for their baseball team. After being discharged from the Navy in 1946 he returned to Durham for graduate school where he became a player for the Durham Bulls!
Kiss the Girls
The film based on the first book in James Patterson’s Alex Cross series of the same name was set in Durham. Although most of the film was filmed in Hollywood there were some wonderful scenes shot locally and included many of the areas popular sites. These include Duke University and its Chapel Tower plus the University of North Carolina’s Keenan Stadium, Wilson Library Dome, and Bell Tower in Chapel Hill. Filming also took place outside a Chapel Hill residence and the Durham police station in the film was actually shot in a downtown Durham warehouse.
Iron Man 3
The third installment of the Iron Man series had quite a few different filming locations and North Carolina was definitely a part of it. Not only did they do some filming in Wilmington and Oak Island but also Cary. Epic Games headquarters in Cary was turned into Stark Industries Headquarters for the film.
The filming actually began about a year after Derek and I moved to the area. I even remember the morning news mentioning a Gwyneth Paltrow sighting at Poole’s Diner in Raleigh.
Brainstorm
This 1983 movie was filmed all throughout North Carolina including Pinehurst in the Sandhills and the Outer Banks not to mention the Wright Brothers Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. The film also features the Burroughs Welcome Pharmaceutical Corporation Headquarters in Research Triangle Park, Duke University, and Raleigh.
This happens to be the film that Natalie Wood was filming at the same time as her mysterious death. Her sister, Lana, filled in for her in some shots to help finish the film.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
The late 90’s horror film was filmed in one of my favorite North Carolina coastal towns, Southport. There was also some filming done here in Durham at Duke University.
The Handmaid’s Tale
I know that many people instantly think of the popular series on Hulu but a 1990 film was also made based on Margaret Atwood’s book. It starred some big-name stars including Natasha Richardson, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, and Aiden Quinn. Filming locations include Duke University, Durham’s James Adams Buchanan House, and Raleigh.
Patch Adams
I grew up loving many of Robin Williams’s films and Patch Adams is definitely one of my favorites. The movie was filmed in California and North Carolina. The Campus exteriors and library scenes were filmed at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Other scenes were filmed in Asheville including the Biltmore.
I hope you found this list of North Carolina Triangle Filming Locations interesting. I find that they make touring the area a little more fun. You may add a few of them to your sightseeing list the next time you’re visiting the Triangle!
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