Calling all Gilmore Girls Fans! For those of you who don’t know, I am a huge Gilmore Girls fan. Not only did I watch the series when it originally aired many years ago, but I also watch the full series once a year (maybe not all of the episodes, but many of my favorites).
If you are not familiar with Gilmore Girls, the fast-talking mother/daughter series is set in the fictional New England town of Stars Hollow, presumably near Hartford, CT. On more than one occasion, I’ve thought about what it would be like to actually visit the town that Stars Hollow was based on or maybe even visit some of the places featured in the show. After doing some research, I learned that, although Stars Hollow is loosely based on several small communities around Hartford, there really is no one single place that represents Stars Hollow.
But little did I know that on my recent trip to Southern California, I was about to be transported right to the middle of that very quaint town, where Lorelei and Rory would walk arm in arm, chattering at light speed as they headed to Luke’s Diner for coffee.
If you’ve read my previous posts, you know that I just recently returned from Southern California where I took the Warner Brothers Studio Tour for the first time. I can say, without question, that if you have an affinity for all things Gilmore Girls, taking the WB studio tour should be on your GG bucket list!
From the moment we entered the main studio street, I knew that I had arrived in Stars Hollow. The famous Stars Hollow town gazebo – which is vital to the town’s charm and a key identifier in the series – was impossible to miss as was the huge smile on my face! I just couldn’t resist snapping a picture of me on the famous steps, but what Gilmore Girls fan could? And, my dear friends, the gazebo was just the start. The tour took us to several places around the town where the guide would stop and talk about the various scenes that were filmed there and other interesting facts about the show and its sets.
And, not only did we walk past many of the notable Stars Hollow locations, but we were also allowed to step inside a few – which made the experience much more fun and real! I mean, how many people can say they’ve actually been in Lorelei’s house or Luke’s Diner?
But something you won’t find on the tour are the actual internal sets used in the series. Most, if not all, of the buildings we toured were empty inside, but it was still easy to imagine Lorelei standing on her front porch or customers walking in and out of the very familiar diner door to take a cell phone call (we all know, no cell phones allowed in Luke’s Diner!)
Overall, the tour included 9 Gilmore Girls buildings or set pieces including:
- The Town Gazebo
- Luke’s Diner
- Lorelei’s and Rory’s House
- Sookie’s house – Fun fact – Lorelei’s house and Sookie’s house are connected on the set so when you walk all the way through Lorelei’s house to the other side, you actually come out of Sookie’s house!
- Doose’s Market
- Kim’s Antique’s
- The Church
- Christopher’s House
- Mitchum Huntzberger’s office building
My only disappointment was not seeing either of the famous Inns featured in the show – the Independence Inn or the Dragonfly. (I think they are featured on some tours, but not others). But, there’s always next time!
So if you’re looking to relive your Gilmore Girls years, the Warner Brothers Studio Tour is a must do!
Happy Travels Everyone!
Jennifer
