For devoted fans of Gilmore Girls, the idyllic, quirky, and coffee-fueled world of Stars Hollow feels like a real place you could visit today, December 10, 2025. The cozy town square, Luke's Diner, and the charming houses of Lorelai and Sookie are etched into the minds of viewers, leading to one of the most frequently asked questions in television history: "Where exactly was Gilmore Girls filmed?" The answer is a fascinating blend of Hollywood magic, a secret Canadian location, and a handful of charming New England towns that inspired the entire series.

The truth is, while the show is famously set in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut, the vast majority of the show was shot thousands of miles away on a studio lot in California. This article breaks down every major filming location, revealing the surprising history behind the show's iconic backdrop and the real-life places you can visit to get a taste of the Gilmore world.

The Heart of the Magic: Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, California

The single most important location in the history of Gilmore Girls is not in Connecticut, but on the sprawling Warner Bros. Studios lot in Burbank, California. This is where the magic happened for all seven seasons of the original run and the 2016 revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.

The Iconic Midwest Street Backlot: Stars Hollow's Exterior

The charming, New England-style town square of Stars Hollow is a permanent outdoor set located on the Midwest Street Backlot at Warner Bros. This backlot is a versatile set that has been used for countless other films and TV shows, but for *Gilmore Girls* fans, it is instantly recognizable as the town where Lorelai and Rory spent their lives. Key exterior locations filmed here include:

• Luke's Diner: The exterior of the beloved diner is part of the backlot.
• Stars Hollow High School: The town gazebo is the centerpiece of the backlot, used for countless town meetings, festivals, and romantic moments.
• Miss Patty's Dance Studio: The building used for Miss Patty’s studio is another structure on the backlot.
• Taylor Doose's Old-Fashioned Soda Shoppe: All the exterior shots of Taylor's various establishments were filmed here.

The beauty of the backlot is its adaptability. The production team could easily transform the set to reflect the changing seasons, a crucial element of the show's aesthetic, from the vibrant foliage of fall to the snowy charm of winter.

The Soundstages: Inside the Gilmore World

While the exteriors were on the backlot, the interiors of the main locations were shot on massive soundstages within the Warner Bros. lot. These sets were meticulously designed to bring the characters' homes and workplaces to life:

• Lorelai and Rory's House: The cozy, slightly cluttered interior of the Gilmore home was a detailed set built on a soundstage.
• Luke's Diner Interior: The inside of Luke's—where so many iconic coffee-fueled conversations took place—was a separate set, not physically connected to the exterior on the backlot.
• The Independence Inn/Dragonfly Inn: Sookie St. James's famous kitchens and the inn's charming common areas were also built on soundstages.
• The Gilmore Mansion: Emily and Richard Gilmore's opulent Hartford home, with its formal dining room and intimidating living spaces, was a key soundstage set.

Fans can often visit the Midwest Street Backlot as part of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, which frequently features special *Gilmore Girls*-themed events, especially around the holidays.

The Secret History: The Pilot Episode’s Canadian Location

Before the show found its permanent home at Warner Bros. in California, the very first episode—the pilot—was filmed in a completely different location: Unionville, Ontario, Canada.

This is a fascinating piece of trivia that even many die-hard fans miss. The production team chose this charming town outside of Toronto to stand in for Stars Hollow before the series was officially picked up and the permanent set was built in California. If you watch the pilot closely, you can spot subtle differences in the town square and architecture compared to the rest of the series. Unionville's Main Street provided the perfect small-town atmosphere the creators were looking for, making it the original, albeit brief, Stars Hollow.

The Real-Life Inspiration for Stars Hollow: Washington Depot, Connecticut

While the show was filmed in California and Canada, the entire concept of Stars Hollow was born in Washington Depot, Connecticut.

Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Daniel Palladino, took a trip to Connecticut and stayed at the historic Mayflower Inn (now known as The Mayflower Grace) in Washington. It was during this trip that Amy was completely captivated by the quaint, close-knit, and quirky atmosphere of the New England towns. She was reportedly so inspired by the local characters, the town meetings, and the charming architecture that she immediately began to write the pilot script, sketching out the world of Lorelai and Rory.

Washington Depot and the surrounding towns like New Milford and Kent are considered the true, spiritual home of Stars Hollow. While you won't find a Luke's Diner with a grumpy proprietor named Luke Danes, you will find the quintessential New England charm, independent bookstores, antique shops, and the kind of idyllic, small-town life that Stars Hollow perfectly emulated. Visiting Washington Depot is the closest a fan can get to walking through the "real" Stars Hollow.

Other Key Filming Locations: Chilton and Yale

The Gilmore Girls' journey took them from Stars Hollow to the elite halls of academia, requiring a few more specific filming locations for Chilton Preparatory School and Yale University.

• Chilton Preparatory School: The exterior shots of Rory's prestigious high school were mostly filmed on the Warner Bros. lot, utilizing the same versatile architecture as the Stars Hollow set. However, some scenes likely used stock footage or a different part of the studio lot to create the exclusive, collegiate atmosphere.
• Yale University: Rory’s college years at Yale, while set in New Haven, Connecticut, were primarily filmed on the Warner Bros. lot. The production team used clever camera work, set dressing, and perhaps some establishing shots of the real Yale campus to give the impression of being at the university. This is a common practice in television production to keep costs down and maintain a consistent shooting schedule without having to travel to the East Coast. Emily and Richard Gilmore’s home in Hartford, Connecticut, was also a set in Burbank.

The enduring popularity of *Gilmore Girls* proves that the physical location is secondary to the feeling the show evokes. Whether it was the snowy backlot of Burbank, the temporary streets of Unionville, or the inspirational charm of Washington Depot, the combination of these places created a world that millions of fans still love to revisit.