As soon as the thermometer outside dips into single digits for the first time and the leaves on the trees catch those perfect rust tones, I get an irresistible urge to pull out the thickest wool blanket and brew a giant mug of drip coffee. Lukáš and I return to the series with clockwork regularity. It’s the only one I’ve seen more than ten times, and Lorelai and Rory simply belong to fall.
Then, with my mug in hand, as I watch another wild town meeting, I often wonder where Gilmore Girls was filmed. And what would it be like to take a trip and explore Stars Hollow with my own eyes? In 2026, it’s quite a timely topic, because October 16–18, 2026, a big fan festival is taking place in Guilford, Connecticut, ten years since its first edition.
I haven’t been to any of these places myself, so everything is based on official websites, local media, and advice from fans on Reddit, but hopefully you’ll forgive me 😅. I’ll show you right away what still exists from those famous places and what time has unfortunately taken away. In the article, you’ll learn where Gilmore Girls was filmed, what Stars Hollow looks like today, and where to go for the festival.
TL;DR
- Studios in California: Most of the series was filmed in Burbank at Warner Bros. studios on the Midwest Street set, which has stood there since 1939. A regular studio tour doesn’t guarantee you’ll visit Stars Hollow, though.
- Canadian pilot: The first episode was filmed in the town of Unionville near Toronto, where you can still find Lorelai’s house today, which is private, and also the building that was Luke’s Diner, though there’s no diner there anymore.
- Real-life inspiration: The series creator found her model mainly in Washington Depot (and loosely in West Hartford and New Milford), where you can go for that authentic fall atmosphere.
- Fan festivals: In Guilford, Connecticut, the big event The Firelight Event begins October 16, 2026, and Warner Bros. studio hosts special Gilmore Girls Holidays winter tours.
- Lost locations: You won’t see the original Dragonfly Inn anymore: the house on the Warner Bros. ranch was demolished in October 2023.
The full destination guide: USA Travel Guide — guide and what to see
Does Stars Hollow Really Exist?
The answer is a bit disappointing, because the town of Stars Hollow in Connecticut is pure fiction, and according to station WSHU, not a single episode of the original series was filmed in Connecticut.
But the story behind its creation is quite romantic. Series creator Amy Sherman-Palladino took a fall vacation to Connecticut because she wanted to see writer Mark Twain’s house. During the trip, she stayed at a charming historic inn in a small town where everyone knew each other and there was a pumpkin patch across the street. In the local café, people even poured their own coffee, which captivated her. In her own words, it looked so beautifully idyllic there in October, as if the whole place had been cut out of a movie.
That inn was, according to CT Public station, the Mayflower Inn in Washington, which became the model for the series’ Independence Inn. Stars Hollow itself was then loosely based on the towns of Washington Depot, West Hartford, and New Milford, according to Wikipedia. Filming began in Unionville, Canada (the pilot episode), and the rest was created mainly in Warner Bros. studios in California.
Where Gilmore Girls Was Filmed: 8 Stars Hollow Locations Then and Now
If you’re looking for the actual filming location, we’re heading to Warner Bros. studios in Burbank. The outdoor set here called Midwest Street is a television legend, because it was built in 1939 for the film Four Wives and also appeared in the 1962 musical The Music Man. Series fans might also recognize it as the town of Rosewood from Pretty Little Liars or Bluebell from Hart of Dixie. For most locations, I’ll show you a shot from the series and what it looks like today.
1. The Gazebo and Stars Hollow Town Square
The centerpiece of the entire fictional town is the iconic gazebo with the Welcome to Stars Hollow sign, which stands in the middle of a grassy square. Directly across from it you’ll find Doose’s Market, and this entire space is the heart of the Midwest Street set. The gazebo moves around as different productions need it (the same square also played Bluebell in Hart of Dixie).
If we went on a regular tour here, we might be a bit surprised. Fans on Reddit in 2022 wrote that without decorations it looks quite sterile. You can see the square’s true fall appearance beautifully in, for example, the seventh episode of the first season called Kiss and Tell.
What’s different from the series: The square without film decorations looks a bit empty, and the gazebo might not always be there because it moves for other productions too.
2. The Church and Snowy Town Square
On the Midwest Street set also stands Stars Hollow Church. In the series we saw plenty of snow here, with the first snowfall in the eighth episode of the first season, Love and War and Snow (aired in December 2000). That’s also where the famous battle for Stars Hollow took place.
In the opening shot of the pilot, which was filmed in Canada, you can see a different red brick church. That one stands at 150 Main Street in Unionville.
What’s different from the series: In the series it was covered in snow (probably artificial in California), today it’s a set without decorations.
3. Lorelai and Rory’s House
The cozy house with a porch stands on a street called Midwest Residential Street. It’s just a facade. From the other side, the same house was filmed as Sookie’s home and later Lane’s.
According to the blog Kessler Elsewhere (updated in September 2026), the house’s exterior looks almost exactly like in the series. But the house from the pilot was different and stands at 31 Victoria Ave in Unionville, Canada.
What’s different from the series: There’s nothing inside, because the house interiors were filmed in a sound stage.
4. Luke’s Diner
The place where Lorelai got her main supply of coffee is a corner building on Midwest Street that still bears the Williams Hardware sign in memory of the former hardware store.
Don’t expect a diner here outside of studio events. Fans on Reddit in 2022 reported that the building had been converted into a bakery for another production. It returns to its series appearance only during special Warner Bros. events, like Gilmore Girls Holidays in 2026. Actor Scott Patterson has his own coffee brand, Scotty P’s Big Mug Coffee, which the studio served right in Luke’s Diner during the 2024 holiday event.
What’s different from the series: The building serves other series too and transforms into Luke’s Diner only during special studio fan events.
5. Miss Patty’s Dance School
In the continuation A Year in the Life, the Miss Patty’s dance school building stood on a street called French Street. According to one blogger, the original building on French Street no longer stands. Miss Patty’s dance school is still part of the Gilmore Girls Holidays 2026 event, though.
In the pilot episode, Miss Patty’s was played by the old train station building at 7 Station Lane in Unionville, Canada.
What’s different from the series: According to one blogger, the original building on French Street no longer stands, while the pilot’s train station building in Unionville still stands and has been renovated.
6. Doose’s Market
The small supermarket stands right across from the gazebo on Midwest Street, and it was in this store (the interior) that Rory got her first kiss in the seventh episode of the first season, Kiss and Tell.
In Connecticut, you’ll find a store that resembles Doose’s: Washington Food Market.
What’s different from the series: The outdoor set is just a facade, you can’t go inside.
7. Chilton: Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills
Chilton’s exterior wasn’t filmed in Burbank, but at Greystone Mansion at 905 Loma Vista Drive in Beverly Hills, about 14 km from the studios. In the series, we first see it in the second episode of the first season.
This is one of the places you can visit quite easily, because the park around the mansion is publicly accessible. The school cafeteria and dances were filmed at the private Wilshire Ebell Club in Los Angeles, and for the Harvard scenes in the fourth episode of the second season, UCLA served the purpose.
What’s different from the series: Today Chilton is a historic mansion with a publicly accessible park, and you won’t find any school desks here.
8. Dragonfly Inn (No Longer Standing)
Lorelai and Sookie’s dream hotel originally stood on the Warner Bros. ranch in Burbank, and the exterior was formed by a house from the old series The Waltons.
The ranch’s outdoor sets were demolished, with demolition completed on October 26, 2023. During events, the studio presents a different, disguised house on Midwest Street as the inn, which is not the original.
What’s different from the series: The original house from filming no longer stands, the ranch’s outdoor sets were demolished in 2023.
Pilot Episode: Canadian Unionville, Where It All Began
Before the entire ensemble moved to California, the pilot episode was filmed in April 2000, directed by Lesli Linka Glatter. The producers chose the real Canadian town of Unionville, located just outside Toronto. This is where those first scenes were created, and one fan on Reddit wrote that the pilot felt more authentic thanks to the real houses, while the California backlot already looked perhaps a bit too much like a backlot. The town of Markham, which Unionville belongs to, now offers an official self-guided tour of the filming locations.
Main Street Unionville Today
A walk down Main Street in Unionville offers several familiar spots. At 150 Main Street stands the aforementioned church, and a bit further at 156 Main Street you’ll find the exterior and, according to the fan wiki, the interior of the original Luke’s Diner. Most recently, Gratie Medical Spa was located here, which according to Google Places is permanently closed as of October 15, 2026. The official tourism website warns that the location no longer looks like it did in the show. Interesting fact: the Stars Hollow sign in the pilot covered the original Unionville Planing Mill sign.
Another attraction is the original Lorelai house at 31 Victoria Ave. It’s a historic building from 1875 that you can only view from the street, as it’s private property that was listed for sale in 2026 for 3.88 million Canadian dollars (approximately €2.4 million).
What’s different from the show: Luke’s Diner is no longer in the building, and the gazebo that stands in Unionville never appeared in the series.
The Real Stars Hollow: Washington Depot and Autumn in Connecticut
Although no filming took place in Connecticut, Amy Sherman-Palladino found inspiration in the Litchfield Hills area, specifically in the town of Washington and its village of Washington Depot. About four thousand people live here (reports from 2025). According to CT Public, the town’s tourism blog gets nearly five times more traffic for Gilmore-related content than for anything else.
Mayflower Inn
This is the place where it all started and which became the inspiration for the show’s Independence Inn. Today it’s called Mayflower Inn & Spa, belongs to the Auberge Collection, and sits on a massive 58-acre (about 23 hectares) property that also includes The Retreat spa and Café Boulud restaurant. Around 2016, the hotel was still called Mayflower Grace.
The hotel’s official website doesn’t mention Gilmore Girls at all. But the hotel is still a luxurious oasis. Room rates here range from approximately $609 to $1,067 per night before taxes (2025/26), and some suites according to Islands.com (2025) cost over two thousand dollars 😅. Regular tourists can’t just pop inside, as access is limited to hotel guests, spa members, or people with restaurant reservations.
Washington Depot and Hickory Stick Bookshop
Fans on Reddit recommend the center of Washington Depot itself as a great day trip, as people here are apparently very friendly. If we went to Washington Depot, we’d definitely head to Hickory Stick Bookshop at 2 Green Hill Rd. They have a special shelf dedicated to the series, the Rory Reads book list, and a guest book for fans.
Right next door you’ll find Marty’s Cafe at 4 Green Hill Rd, which fans like to call the local Luke’s, although according to Islands.com it didn’t actually inspire Luke’s. A bit further stands Washington Food Market at 5 Bryan Hall Plaza, which recalls Doose’s, and co-owner Lisa Stein proudly declared that this is simply Stars Hollow. Washington Supply Company at 2 Calhoun St, according to Roadtrippers magazine, resembles Williams Hardware. All these locations were operating normally as of October 15, 2026, according to Google Places. If you need internet here, there’s free Wi-Fi via QR code at the parking lot by Washington Food Market, according to the WSHU guide.
Kent and Kent Falls
Near Washington lie other picturesque towns. One of them is Kent, which offers Kent Falls State Park with waterfalls and a covered bridge. At the Fife ‘n Drum inn during the fan festival in 2019, Liz Torres, the actress who played Miss Patty, sang at the piano. You might also be interested in New Milford, where they have a bandstand on the town green that fans call the gazebo like the one in the show, although locals reportedly ask people not to call it that. Local guides advise keeping your trip route compact, as some itineraries can be unrealistically spread out.
If you want to come here for peak fall foliage, in Litchfield Hills it’s usually from early to mid-October. For 2026, according to CT Public from September 17, 2026, the peak is expected slightly later, in the northern part of the state between October 14 and 20. Most of the area’s fall festivals in 2026 have already taken place (for example, Bethlehem Garlic & Harvest Festival October 10-11, according to NBC Connecticut’s list). We didn’t find any dedicated fall festival for Washington, Kent, or Litchfield in 2026.
Gilmore Girls Festival and Fan Events in 2026
The love for this show is so strong that even twenty-six years after its premiere, fans continue to gather at various events. By the end of 2026, you can still attend two major events: in Guilford and in Burbank.
The Firelight Event in Guilford
The original Gilmore Girls Fan Fest was founded by Jennie and Marcus Whitaker from Austin, Texas, and it’s an event not affiliated with Warner Bros. Studios or Netflix. Since 2021, the festival has been organized by The Fan Fest Society, and since 2024 the event has been called The Firelight Event and takes place in Guilford, Connecticut. The 2026 edition marks ten years since the first festival in Washington Depot. It’s held at 111 Lovers Ln at the Guilford Fair & Fairgrounds and runs from October 16 to 18, 2026.
A weekend ticket for 2026 costs $420 USD plus a 3.155% fee, and single-day tickets are not available. The price includes over forty activities, panels with actors, and meet & greets with stars. In 2026, guests include Emily Kuroda (Mrs. Kim), Aris Alvarado (Caesar), Shelly Cole (Madeline), Rini Bell (Lulu), Nick Holmes (Robert), and Grant-Lee Phillips (the town troubadour, concert on October 17). Fans advise buying tickets early, as guests are added based on sales.
Gilmore Girls Holidays at Warner Bros.
If you’d rather see the actual sets, you can head to Los Angeles, where the studio is holding the Gilmore Girls Holidays event from December 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027 (closed December 25). It’s open from 10 AM to 8 PM. The event is being sold for the first time as a standalone ticket starting at $79 USD, or with the regular tour from $124 USD. Previous holiday events Holidays Made Here (2024/25 and 2025/26) were included with regular admission, but 2026 is the first time it’s different. You can find details on pricing and hours in the studio’s FAQ.
You’ll see Lorelai’s house, Luke’s Diner, the Dragonfly Inn, Miss Patty’s, and for the first time Luke’s apartment on Stage 13, the Chilton courtyard, and Rory’s Basket Auction. You can also purchase add-ons like the Stars Hollow Food Passport, Friday Night Dinner at the Dragonfly Inn, or tea with Emily and at the Dragonfly. The event is cashless and accessible from age five. Fans on Reddit from 2025 warned about lines: at Luke’s and in Lorelai’s house you queued through a virtual line and waited up to two hours, so they advise arriving right at ten and going to Luke’s first. 💡 Tip: According to fans from the 2025 edition, the food was mediocre and expensive, so bring your own snacks. In 2025, fans recommended the restrooms at Central Perk (with wristband), and in the rain the tour cart was wet and the square muddy, so waterproof shoes are useful.
For the regular studio tour at 3400 Warner Blvd in Burbank, you’ll pay from $79 USD (2026), it lasts about three hours, and parking costs $20 USD. Stars Hollow is not guaranteed on the regular tour. It depends on filming schedules and the guide. The studio states that the Gilmore Girls Holidays event is not included in the regular ticket, and the Kessler Elsewhere blog claims that the regular tour no longer goes to Stars Hollow; fans on Reddit (2026) conversely advise telling your guide right at the beginning.
How It Started: From Washington Depot Through Kent
The history of these events is colorful. The first edition was organized by the Whitakers in 2016 in Washington Depot. Tickets cost $175 USD (VIP up to $250 USD) and sold out in a single day, with one of the founders reportedly wondering at the time if they’d sell even two hundred tickets. Subsequently in 2017 through 2019, the festival was held in Kent, and in 2019 also in Unionville. In 2017, about 1,750 people came. In 2020 it was online, and in 2023 it was held in Ogunquit, Maine. That’s where Luke wanted to go fishing with April in the show, and Lorelai suggested Barnacle Billy’s. Since 2024, the festival has been held in Guilford.
Even before the festival, on October 5, 2016, to celebrate the sixteenth anniversary of the premiere, over two hundred cafés in the US and Canada transformed into Luke’s Diner and from seven AM to noon gave away free coffee. The cafés received aprons, T-shirts, and cup sleeves with quotes from the show, which served as promotion for Netflix and its new revival A Year in the Life.
Best Autumn Episodes to Watch
The episodes with the strongest autumn vibes that Lukáš and I love revisiting start with the pilot (S1E01), which is said to show Stars Hollow beautifully glowing with fall foliage colors. I also recommend the seventh episode of season one, Kiss and Tell, which features the Autumn Festival with pumpkins everywhere, Rory getting her first kiss at Doose’s, Luke refusing to decorate the diner for Thanksgiving, and Lorelai ending up at Mrs. Kim’s house.
Another guaranteed choice is the episode A Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving from season three (S3E09), because four different dinners, the Autumn Festival, and Kirk sleeping in the gazebo are pure comedy. Then there’s The Festival of Living Art from season four (S4E07), and of course the knitting marathon to repair the bridge over Old Muddy River from episode nine of season seven, Knit, People, Knit (S7E09). And if you want to wrap up autumn, you can watch the final episode of the 2016 revival A Year in the Life from November 25, which bears the fitting title Fall. For the locations mentioned in this article, also watch S1E02 (Chilton) and S2E04 (Harvard).
The creators managed to confuse us nicely with all that autumn atmosphere, because the cozy Firelight Festival actually takes place in February in the series, so it’s a bit of a fun trap.
Where to Stay in Litchfield Hills (+ Guilford)
Fans on Reddit in June 2026 wrote that finding accommodation in the small towns is quite difficult because there are few guesthouses, hotels are far away, and the Mayflower is beyond budget. If you’re drawn to the Stars Hollow atmosphere in general, they recommend alternative towns as well, such as Woodstock in Vermont, Rhinebeck, Stockbridge, Lenox, Exeter in New Hampshire, or Doylestown in Pennsylvania (though these are outside Connecticut, in neighboring states).
Ratings are according to Google as of October 15, 2026. If you still want to stay in Connecticut, the most famous place is Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington with a 4.5-star rating from 417 people. A pleasant choice could also be the historic The Hopkins Inn with a restaurant in Warren by Lake Waramaug, which holds a 4.4 rating from 453 visitors. If I were looking for accommodation in Kent, I’d check out Fife ‘n Drum Restaurant & Inn with a 4.4 rating from 507 guests, where in 2019 Liz Torres, Miss Patty from the series, performed. By a fun coincidence, you’ll also find in Kent at 88 N Main St The Firefly Inn with a perfect 5-star rating from 82 people, whose name strikingly recalls the series’ Dragonfly.
In New Milford, you can stay at the bed and breakfast Homestead Inn, which has a 4.7 rating from 187 guests. Also highly rated is The Litchfield Inn with an average of 4.6 from 572 people. If you’re heading to The Firelight Event festival in Guilford, nearby you’ll find Westbrook Inn Bed and Breakfast in Westbrook, about a 15-minute drive from Guilford, with a 4.9 rating from 646 reviews.
Practical Tips: How to Get There and What It Costs
From New York to Washington Depot, it’s 144 kilometers and about 121 minutes of driving without traffic. From Washington to Hartford, you’ll drive 71 kilometers in about 66 minutes, to Guilford it’s 81 kilometers in 84 minutes, and to Yale in New Haven it’s 59 kilometers in 65 minutes. The towns in Litchfield Hills are then close to each other. From Washington to Litchfield it’s 19 kilometers (18 minutes), to Woodbury 17 kilometers (20 minutes), and to New Preston just 5 kilometers (6 minutes).
There’s no train service to Washington Depot. From New York, take Metro-North to Wingdale or Dover Plains and then a taxi or Uber, with Wingdale to Washington being 40 kilometers and about 39 minutes of driving. All times mentioned are estimates without traffic.
For the Canadian pilot episode, you need to go to Ontario, where there’s also a Unionville GO train station on the Stouffville line. From Toronto’s Union Station to Unionville it’s 32 kilometers and 31 minutes of driving, and from Pearson Airport it’s 47 kilometers and 45 minutes.
In Los Angeles, it’s 41 kilometers and 37 minutes from LAX airport to Warner Bros. studios, and from the Hollywood & Highland Boulevard it’s 7 kilometers and about ten minutes’ drive.
💡 Tip: Washington Depot is best suited for a day trip from New York (about a two-hour drive). Accommodation there is expensive and scarce, so for a longer stay it’s better to overnight in Kent or New Milford.
Where to Go Next
If you enjoy discovering places you know from the silver screen or television, you can explore more film locations we’ve mapped out. You might also be interested in tips on what to see in Los Angeles when you head to the studios in Burbank. For East Coast lovers, we’ve compiled a guide on what to see in New York, which is about a two-hour drive from Washington Depot.
If you’re more drawn to Canadian Unionville, check out our selection of what to see in Toronto, which is just a short distance from Unionville. And if you have a weakness for exceptional accommodations with film history, don’t miss our selection of the most interesting hotels from movies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stars Hollow really exist?
No, the town of Stars Hollow is fictional and not a single episode of the original series was filmed in Connecticut. Creator Amy Sherman-Palladino made it up after spending a vacation in Connecticut (and according to CT Public, she stayed at the Mayflower Inn in Washington) and drew inspiration from the local atmosphere.
Where was Gilmore Girls filmed?
The first pilot episode was filmed in the real town of Unionville in Canada near Toronto. The other episodes were made mainly in the Warner Bros. studios in Burbank (Stars Hollow on the Midwest Street backlot), with some exteriors around Los Angeles, for example Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills.
Can you visit the town set in Burbank (Los Angeles)?
Yes, you can visit the Warner Bros. studios, but the regular tour doesn’t guarantee you’ll see Stars Hollow. You’re only guaranteed access during the special winter Gilmore Girls Holidays event, which focuses on locations from this series.
When is the best time to visit Connecticut for fall foliage?
Peak fall colors in the Litchfield Hills area usually occur in the first half to mid-October. However, in 2026 a slight delay is expected and the best colors in the northern part of the state should be visible between October 14 and 20.
Who organizes the festival and is it connected with Warner Bros.?
Jennie and Marcus Whitaker from Austin, Texas. The event is not connected with Warner Bros. or Netflix. Since 2021 it has been organized by The Fan Fest Society, and since 2024 it’s been called The Firelight Event.
How much do tickets for The Firelight Event 2026 cost?
A weekend ticket for the festival costs €390 plus 3.155% fee. The organizers only sell these full weekend passes and single-day tickets are not available.
Where to stay and how to get to Washington Depot?
The luxurious Mayflower Inn is located right on site, but accommodation in small towns is reportedly difficult and the Mayflower is expensive, so it’s worth looking for inns in the surrounding area (Hopkins Inn, Homestead Inn, Fife ‘n Drum). From New York you can drive here in about two hours, or you can take the Metro-North train to Wingdale station and complete the journey by taxi.
Tips and Tricks for Your Vacation
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