Dawson's Creek/ One Tree Hill
Trip Start
Jun 07, 2008
1
18
25
Trip End
Sep 10, 2008
Wilmington, North Carolina, United States
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sorry its been awhile. Its hard to find computers that have a USB port so i can upload pictures. Right now i'm in Virginia at the Dirty Dancing hotel-but you can read all about it later :) Right now i'm talking about Wilmington, North Carolina aka Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill. I have dreamed for so long of going to this town and it was so beautiful a place once I got there. There was a seedy part to it but i didn't venture into that! When i arrived at Wilmington airport it was raining but i was just so excited to be there i didn't care. It was about 5pm. The airport was used in both shows so as soon as i got off the plane i was in heaven. I got a taxi from the airport and got to my hotel. It was a really nice hotel, i like best western plus i got complimentary breakfast to my room each morning so it was really nice.
I quickly settled in and unpacked since i was staying for 4 nights. Then i went along the river that my hotel is on and walked a few streets along to where the main part of town is, with all the restaurants and shops
another closeup
. I was so excited walking along that because although i'd never been there before i felt like i knew it so well from the endless hours of watching my 2 favourite shows! It was so cool!So i walked around for a bit, i was tired so i just wanted to eat, i found the village market that was used in Dawson's so got some snacks, and then a coffee place called House of Java and they had wraps and stuff there so i got a chicken ceaser wrap. I walked back to my hotel and watched tv as i ate. It was the best wrap i have ever eaten. They toasted it, and i even got a packet of chips with it so that was nice too. It was just delicious!
The next day i awoke to sunshine, so i was happy. My hotel was right near the Cape fear Community College which One Tree use as their highschool so i was so excited to be standing right there where they all have. It was awesome. I then walked along the river and took some pictures of that, and a fountain that was used in Dawson's countless times. So my location trek had offically begun! I saw a few of the restaurants that Dawson's used including the one his family owned in the show. I also saw some filming going on at a cafe but i didn't recognise anyone so i don't think it was One Tree Hill.
I decided to go up near where the mall was. When i got near there i found the road Dan's house was on in One Tree so walked along there and found it, i didn't know the number so i did well. It was surreal standing right there since they have used this house alot. But i noticed they had the basketball hoop in their backyard so it was nice to see that, cos it made the house like it really was Dan's house.
I then went to the mall, and saw the carousel One Tree used, it was a small shopping centre so it was funny they had this huge Carousel in it
another creek view
. I then decided that since i was up there i should try to find Dawson's house. The one location i cared most about seeing. I had to walk for ages but i found it. I have never been more excited in my life.The house we see in the show faces the creek so i had to make sure it was the right one, i had the address so i knew what i was looking for. I knocked on the door, but nobody was there so i ran around and took in the sight of Dawson's house, the pier,(which i sat on), Jen's house next door all of it. It was a dream come true.
I went back around to the front and the owners were pulling up, they were elderly and so lovely. The lady told me all about filming and the furniture they kept from the filming. So their house still looked like Dawson's did back then. I went onto the porch they used alot and was just in shock that i was standing in my favourite tv shows house. It was beautiful, and looked exactly as it did on the show 10 years ago. I was in heaven. I just took everything in, it was amazing.
I got back to my hotel and just relaxed and was in disbelief that i had actually been to the house. It probably sounds stupid to you but for a true fan of the show it was amazing.
The next day i took the bus to University of North Carolina which was the highschool in Dawson's Creek
another view of cinema
. I found the part they used, and just felt like i'd been here before, it was so weird. But i was thilled to see it for myself. It was a beautiful campus really. I then saw the apartments Haley and Nathan lived in in One Tree so that was cool. Then when i got back to the main part of Wilmington i went into Thalian Hall, a beautiful theatre from the old old days that Dawson's used as their cinema. I sat in there, and took it all in yet again...it was all so surreal. I also found Joey's wall which any fan of Dawson's would know, and then hung around the main street for awhile. They were having a street party with a band and all that so it was fun to experience that.
The next morning i woke up excited because i was going to the Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington where Dawson's and One Tree were filmed. Since One Tree is still around i knew i'd be seeing sets from season 5 and 6. It was really awesome. You couldn't take pictures but i saw so much it was fantastic. First we went into Nathan and Haley's house, so i made sure i sat on their couch and touched their bench and the door (i'm a nerd), then we went into the locker room, Haley's classroom, and the corridor of the school. It was so cool to see sets from day one. Then we saw Peyton's office and Brooke's Apartment. I made sure i sat in every chair and touched all the walls and stuff so i got a real feel for the sets and knew that next time they were sitting there on that chair i had been there
another view of dawson's
. I also saw with 2 other dawson's fans Pacey's boat. So that was cool too. I was talking to an irish man and his daughter who loved One tree aswell and i said i was going to see some of the houses from the show after the tour, so they asked if they could come along. We walked from the studio to the houses of Haley and Peyton (which were right next door to each other) and the church used in Season 5 and then Lucas's which is for sale. Who would want to sell that house??? Anyway it was good to share it with other fans and not be on my own too. So i really enjoyed meeting them. I went to the rivercourt in One Tree Hill after that via the ferry and there were alot of fans from the show there too. It was so cool to be standing there. The writing from season 5 was still on there, so i loved seeing that. I was talking to a couple from Iowa there too and they came from there to see One tree locations like me. So they were lovely too. I also saw Karen's Cafe/Brooke's shop from One Tree, and the video store which is now a nail salon that Dawson and pacey worked at, so that was cool too.
I bought a One Tree and Dawson's top and then went to Hells' Kitchen which was built for dawson's and they kept it as a real pub/restaurant. So i went in there and ate dinner so it was nice to experience that aswell. Seeing the town lit up at night was also great so i really enjoyed it all.
I had a really great time seeing my tv show locations so it was really a dream come true. Hope this blog entertains the fans of the show and even those who don't. It was well worth the trip down there.
That's all for know, love Toni xoxo
Comments
i love one tree hill so much it is awsome i watch it all the time wowoooooooooohoooooooooooooooo