Crown Media
In 2018, Hallmark premiered a new Hall of Fame film before taking a nearly month-long hiatus from new movies. The movie, The Beach House, still airs encores in 2021, including at 6 p.m. Eastern on April 16. The movie is about a woman who has to return to Lowcountry to visit her mom, while she feels like her life is spinning out of control. But where was the movie actually filmed? Read on to learn all about where the movie was filmed and how you can visit some of the locations yourself.
The Movie Was Filmed in Georgia & South Carolina
Lowcountry, where The Beach House storyline takes place, is a region of South Carolina along the coast. The book by Mary Alice Monroe also takes place in the same region. But although the Hallmark movie’s story takes place in this area, the movie was actually filmed in a different location. Most of The Beach House was filmed on Georgia’s Tybee Island and the Isle of Hope Marina, Country Living reported. (This region was also where Love on the Shore was filmed.) But a few scenes were also filmed in the squares in Charleston, South Carolina.
The Isle of Hope Marina is in the scenic Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s located just outside Savannah on the Georgia coast.
The movie was filmed in mid-November 2017, the Jasper County Sun Times reported, but Hallmark was still able to create a paradise feel despite the chilly weather. The production crew decided to film in Georgia, rather than near Charleston where the storyline takes place, because they needed to find a beach house that was close to the water and could showcase loggerhead turtles. The beach house in Georgia was absolutely perfect, said producer Dan Wigutow. The locals in Tybee were so excited about the new film that Mermaid Cottages even offered a viewing party and let people rent beach houses on Tybee Island for watching the movie.
Savannah was used for some shots of characters coming to the beach house, but most of the scenes were filmed in Tybee. Extras were requested for a pier dream sequence on the Isle of Hope, and to play the role of hurricane evacuees.
Part of the Storyline Focused on Saving Sea Turtles
Part of The Beach House‘s storyline focuses on saving sea turtles from a devastating storm. Crown Media VP of Programming Michelle Vicary said in a press release: “We have an extraordinary cast and a gorgeous tapestry of a story that is particularly timely, given the recent devastation hurricanes have caused. These events have certainly had a horrific impact on both residents and wildlife, including the habitats of loggerhead sea turtles, featured in the film.”
Andie MacDowell, who stars in the movie, also appreciated that storyline. “I love the connection to nature, preservation, and saving turtles, and so I am grateful to Hallmark Channel…,” she told TV By the Numbers. “I have been to the beach many times to watch the loggerhead turtles hatch and it’s a powerful human-to-nature experience. I am thankful to be part of not only great storytelling, but also an advocate for nature.”
And the Georgia location was absolutely perfect for those precious turtle scenes. Students from SCAD came to help with the set and get hands-on experience, Jasper County Sun Times reported. You can see a behind-the-scenes video about filming the movie here.
Crown Media
Do you want to visit the Isle of Hope Marina or Tybee Island? Or maybe help save some sea turtles? You can learn more about helping sea turtles when you’re at the beach here. If the movie inspired you to step out and help, you can get more details about how to get involved here.
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