Charleston Movie Sites

Thanks to Charleston’s rich history and emphasis on preservation, several movies and TV shows have been filmed here…too numerous to mention all.

Two movies (fairly recent) in particular seem to strike a note with people on my tours. These are The Patriot and The Notebook. Early in The Patriot, Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson, brings his family to Charles Town so he can participate in a meeting of The Assembly. Martin’s family enters the city along a narrow street. This is supposed to be East Bay St., but is actually filmed on the second block of Tradd Street. Later in the movie, the Mel Gibson character drops his children off at Aunt Charlotte’s house, which is actually the Poyas-Mordecai House at 69 Meeting St. (I’ve actually heard some carriage tour guides refer to it as “Aunt Charlotte’s house”). Aunt Charlotte greets the Martin family on the upper piazza. Soon after, a crowd burns 2 effigies — one of King George III. This was filmed directly across the street from “Aunt Charlotte’s” at South Carolina Society Hall. The meeting of The Assembly where the levy is debated is filmed at Harrison-Randolph Hall on the campus of College of Charleston.

The Notebook, starring Ryan Gosling (as Noah Calhoun) and Rachel McAdams (as Allie Hamilton), has several scenes shot in Charleston. Early in the movie, Noah meets Allie at the American Theater at 446 King Street and afterwards they lie in the middle of King St. at the intersection of Mary and King. We don’t recommend trying this yourself…too much traffic. Other scenes were filmed at Boone Hall Plantation in Mt. Pleasant and the Old Village of Mt. Pleasant, just across the Cooper River from Charleston. The indoor scenes of Allie’s family home was filmed inside the Calhoun Mansion at 16 Meeting Street (other films have been shot there, also). These scenes dramatically emphasize the social gap between Allie and Noah. Also there’s a scene where Noah sees Allie as he is riding on a bus through downtown Charleston. He sees Allie walking up the street and jumps off the bus to chase after her. This was filmed on Broad Street between St. Michael’s Episcopal Church and the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon (where we start our tours!), both visible in the background.