Stranger Things Season 5 Filming Locations: Where Is It Shot? Is the Hawkins Lab Real?

With the news of Stranger Things Season 5 beginning filming, fans are eagerly anticipating its release. Many are curious about the filming locations for Stranger Things Season 5 and whether Hawkins Laboratory is a real place.

Here’s all the information about Stranger Things Season 5 filming locations and their real-life existence.

Where is Stranger Things Season 5 filmed?

As per Collider, Stranger Things Season 5 primarily films in and around Atlanta, Georgia, using various locations to bring the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, to life.

The production primarily shoots scenes on location and in studios across the Atlanta area. Key filming spots include the Bellwood Quarry, Patrick Henry High School, and Stone Mountain Park. Hopper’s cabin at Sleepy Hollow Farm in Georgia stands out as another notable location. It offers fans a distinctive interactive experience through its use as an escape room, even though interior scenes are filmed in a studio.

For Season 3, the production team transformed the Gwinnett Place Mall in Duluth, near Atlanta, into the Starcourt Mall, a central setting for major events of the season. This deserted mall provided the perfect backdrop for the intense confrontation with the Mind Flayer.

Season 4 expanded its filming to include New Mexico for scenes set in California, such as Rink O’Mania filmed at Skate O’Mania in Albuquerque. Furthermore, the production team shot the Kamchatka prison scenes at the historic Lukiškės Prison in Vilnius, Lithuania. These diverse locations highlight the production team’s meticulous efforts to create an immersive world for Stranger Things fans.

Does Stranger Things’ Hawkins laboratory exist in the real world?

Yes, Hawkins lab from Stranger Things is based on a real place.

According to CinemaBlend, the building used for its exterior is the Georgia Mental Health Institute in Atlanta, which operated from 1965 to 1997. Following its closure, filmmakers repurposed the institute before demolishing it in 2022.

The Duffer Brothers chose this location for its eerie and secretive appearance, perfectly suiting the tone of their show. They filmed many interior scenes to depict the lab’s mysterious and dangerous experiments. They used studio sets for additional shots to complete the lab’s portrayal. Despite its demolition, the Georgia Mental Health Institute continues to be an iconic part of Stranger Things and has significantly influenced popular culture.