As many "One Tree Hill" fans are aware, Wilmington, North Carolina is home to many of the locations at which the show was filmed. This summer, I set out on a road trip to see some of my favorite "One Tree Hill" spots. This included Brooke Davis's House, Peyton Sawyer's house, the bridge from the opening, Karen's Cafe, and the table at which the famous "don't say I never gave you anything" line was filmed. Wilmington is a strange town for "One Tree Hill" fans, and each of these sites came with a unique experience.
1. Brooke Davis's House
This house is located at 2341 Tattersalls Drive. The home is in an extremely nice neighborhood that is fairly easy to navigate, and it still has its red door intact. The current owners have posted a sign in the yard asking fans to stay off of the front porch, so clearly people taking pictures in front of their home is a common occurrence. We even got the pleasure of running into the owners as they pulled in the driveway, only to swiftly leave in one of their many vehicles. Clearly, they are living a life that Brooke Davis would approve of.
2. Peyton Sawyer's House
Peyton's house can be found at 1901 Chestnut Street. While the front door has been recently painted, it was pretty obvious we were at the right house considering there were at least 6 other One Tree Hill fans doing exactly the same as me. Peyton's house is located on a fairly busy street, and the locals tend to laugh at the fans as they pass by.
3. The Bridge
The famous bridge from the opening credits can be found at North 6th Street and Hanover Street. It is often called the 6th Street bridge, and it is covered with "One Tree Hill" quotes, so you can't miss it. Locals are continuously walking across the bridge and it can be difficult to park and take pictures, to say the least. Yet again, we were not the only fans at this location, but I think we were the only fans that locals chased down the street.
4. Karen's Cafe
Despite being located in the middle of downtown Wilmington, Karen's Cafe was the most difficult location to find. In fact, it wasn't entirely clear if the cafe was located at 300 North Front Street or 272 North Front Street. We chose to believe that it was at 300 North Front, since this spot is still currently a coffee shop. We later found out that Karen's Cafe is at 272 North Front, which is now an outdoors store. Obviously, we stopped inside to look around, but the coffee shop was much more exciting so I think I'm still telling myself that Port City Java was truly Karen's Cafe.
5. The Cracker Jack Table
Among the River Walk in downtown Wilmington, there are many tables that look like the table from "One Tree Hill." Unfortunately, this area is currently under construction, so it's impossible to sit down at the table that Haley and Nathan once sat at, but it's still exciting to see it up close and personal. Since the table is confined within a fence for construction, it was not uncommon to see fans pressing their faces between the wires.
Overall, being a "One Tree Hill" fan in Wilmington is strange. Many tourists here are in the same position as the rest of us, so it feels much less strange to take pictures at your favorite locations. There are t-shirts and souvenirs from the show all throughout the town, so the locals are well aware of how much we all love the show. Even so, they still love to laugh at us as we excitedly admire the locations. Despite that, it's easy to feel at home in "Tree Hill."
