One Tree Hill is a show that premiered on the CW in 2003, but I had not seen it until it came out on Netflix years after the show had already ended. A lot of people in my generation created a resurgence of love for the show and if you haven't seen it this is my suggestion you should. It is a great show with love, drama, and fun. I really truly think this show is fantastically made. Sometimes the drama that happens in the show is crazy and probably unlikely, but it is TV! What do you expect?!? The first time I watched it was with my friend Sarah. We randomly choose it on Netflix and immediately fell in love. We binged it together and ever since then we've loved it. Our names in each other's phones are even characters haha. Ever since we watched it in high school, we've wanted to go visit all the sites where the show was filmed. All of the outside locations you see in the show are actual places you can visit in Wilmington, North Carolina. So, after years, we finally did it. Here are my tips and tricks and details on all things One Tree Hill tour.
Here are the spots we visited and my suggestions if you are planning to visit them as well:
Spot one: Tree Hill High
411 N Front St.
Tree Hill High is not a real high school even though we all wish it was. Those scenes were actually filmed at Cape Fear Community College. This was located right by our hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Ballast, which in my opinion was a great place to stay because it was close to everything we wanted to do. We tried to get into the building to explore, but it was closed. If you want to walk the halls, maybe look up times the school is open. It was still awesome to see the school in person, I mean so many intense scenes happened there!!
Spot two: Karen's Cafe
300 North Front St
We all know Karen's Cafe right?! It is where Lucas hung out and Haley worked. Not to forget, Lucas' mom Karen and all her advice she gave right in those very doors! Also, it is once where clothes over bros stood and then when Brooke revived the cafe. SO much happened in that building. We were super excited to see where the magic was made, but unfortunately it is not Karen's Cafe anymore. It is not an outdoor equipment store. It was still cool to be standing on the street where the store used to be. Although, it wasn't Karen's Cafe we knew in our hearts it was and that was enough. Definitely cool to visit!
Stop three: The Dixie Grill
116 Market St
The next day we decided to eat lunch at the Dixie Grill! This is the diner where Sam, Brooke's foster kid, hung out all the time. Many scenes in the show were filmed in here including characters of Brooke and Julian! It was really cool to visit because it is still a running diner and that is where we ate lunch. They had really good food and so much OTH art on the wall. Cool atmosphere and definitely high on the list to visit if you plan on coming to Wilmington!
Spot four: Naley Bench
Along the Riverwalk
"Don't say I never gave you anything?" Remember that famous line Nathan says to Haley in season one? Well I do and I remember where they sat too. That is where we visited. It was along the Riverwalk in downtown and it was such a cool view! It was such a cool thing to visit because a ton of OTH fans wrote sayings and phrases all over the bench. If you plan on stopping by, don't forget a sharpie so you can add some sayings too! Also, the burning boat episode was filmed right near by, so make sure to stop and look at the view!
Spot 4: Shopping
Black Cat Shoppe: 8 Market St
Poodles Island Wear: 18 South Water St Suite 3
Krazy Mike'z: 1 North Front St
There are a couple of shops in downtown Wilmington that sell OTH merchandise. One of the shops is called Black Cat Shoppe. This is the same building that was the "CD Alley" where Chris Keller worked at early in the show. It was cool to walk in and see the layout, it was very recognizable. The other shop we visited was Poodles Island Wear. This was close to the riverwalk and had a few OTH things to choose from. However, our favorite shop was Krazy Mike'z. If you are looking for specifically OTH merchandise, I suggest this one. It had so many t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats and more for all your OTH needs. I bought a shirt and hat from here and my friend bought a hat. It was so much fun.
Spot 5: Peyton Sawyer's House
1901 Chestnut St
We started to go to all the houses in the show. I suggest that you drive to these locations because they are all about a 10 minute drive from each other except for Peyton and Haley's house, which are actually neighbors. Peyton's house was really cool. It looked like someone lived there with a bike sitting out front, but it was immediately recognizable. I could envision the fight between Brooke and Peyton that happen in that very front yard.
Spot 6: Haley Jame's House
1811 Chestnut St
Like I said Haley and Peyton are neighbors. That is a tip to know if you take this tour because we didn't know that and were driving around trying to find it, when it is right next door. Haley's house was really amazing to see because of the iconic scene where Haley and Nathan have their first kiss! I could see it right in front of my eyes, it was amazing! Cute little home that we think someone lived in as well, so just be aware when visiting the homes.
Spot 7: Brooke Davis' House
2314 Tattersalls Dr
Personally, Brooke Davis is my favorite character. Her house is a huge, rich house in a really nice neighborhood. When we arrived we saw a few people in the window, so be aware of people living there. The house was easily the most recognizable for me and it was HUGE! It was so cool to see it in person and be the girl in front of the red door. I was blown away and so excited. Definitely my favorite house out of the bunch that we saw.
Spot 8: Dan Scott's House
1621 Country Club Rd
We stumbled upon the Scott's residence to find a giant truck in the front, so somebody obviously lived there so we weren't not able to see the basketball hoop that Nathan used to play with. We could just see the archway that was visible in a lot of scenes. It was super fancy and big. Nice house to live in for sure. Cool place to visit, just respect the people who live there.
Spot 9: Dan Scott Motors
821 South College Rd
We don't like Dan Scott, but we loved seeing all the different OTH spots and one of those was the infamous Dan Scott Motors. It is where Deb burned Dan to the ground and many other exciting scenes happened there. Now when you visit it, it is a Honda dealership. Still cool to be at the building and know that once Dan worked there. However, Dan deserved the middle finger I gave him :)
Spot 10: Keith Scott Body Shop
19 Covil Ave
Keith Scott is the Scott brother we love and we love the body shop he had in the show. Ironically enough it is still a body shop, just not Keith Scott's. It was super cool that it was still a body shop and they are used to pictures, so definitely give this place a visit. It is a little tight when you pull into the parking lot, but worth it! One of Sarah's favorite things from the show!
Spot 11: Lucas Scott's House
1829 Wrightsville Ave
We were so excited to see Lucas' house and take pictures sitting on his porch, acting like we were getting advice of a lifetime. However, we strolled up to the house and found a private property sign on the window. There was a sign that read 'respect our privacy,' so if you are planning to visit his house just be respectful. We just got a few photos on the sidewalk in front and left. We did not want to disturb the people who lived in the house (how lucky are they though?!)
Spot 12: Peyton and Lucas' Wedding Spot
East Shore Lake Dr
Sorry SPOILER ALERT. If you didn't already know Lucas and Peyton got married in a beautiful scenic area which you can actually go visit. It is a beautifully little park where there is water, trees, and a gorgeous view. Definitely go see it and take some cute pics because it was worth it.
Spot 13: The Rivercourt
USS North Carolina Battleship
This was both Sarah and I's favorite spot of the day. Although, the actual basketball court is demolished the whole view was beautiful. The river was bright blue and running in the prettiest way. Plus they still had the picnic table where Mouth and his friends would run play by plays of the basketball games. It was super cool! Another awesome thing was that they had a big picnic area where a TON of OTH fans come from all over the world to write amazing sayings from the show. There was so many, we didn't even have time to read them all. That sharpie that you brought will come in handy here because adding some of the quotes that mean something you to is a really special feeling. Probably one of the best parts of the whole day for me.
N 6th Street
We all know the theme song to OTH by Gavin Degraw right? Well the iconic song plays over the bridge where Lucas dribbles a basketball. It is one of the most well known things from the show, even if you don't watch the entire show. It was amazing to see and a really sweet lady who lived next to it let us see it from her balcony. IT WAS THE BEST VIEW! She was super sweet and kind and took cute pictures of me and Sarah in front of the bridge. After that we walked further up while we blasted the theme song and danced around. We took a lot of pictures under the bridge that had millions of OTH themed things written on it. It was cool to be there, we wish we had a basketball. If you want to go and visit this, bring a basketball. It would be a perfect aesthetic! It also happened to be our last spot and it was the perfect way to end our OTH self-guided tour.
Here are some other spots you can visit, that we didn't make it to:
Haley and Nathan's Apartment: 4395 Birchwood Park Dr
Quinn and Clay's House: 650 New River Inlet Rd, North Topsail (outside of Wilmington and about 1 hour from the city)
Tric: 1121 South Front St (we believe this is just a brick building, no signs with Tric on it)
Naley Wedding Spot: Fort Fisher State Recreation Area (also far from downtown, about 45 minutes)
Brooke and Julian's Wedding: Grace United Methodist Church (also Lindsey and Lucas' almost wedding)
Brooke and Julian's Wedding Reception: 515 Nutt St
Brooke working at Carl's Crab Shack: 100 Front St (now Reel Cafe)
Platypus & Gnome: 9 S Front St (restaurant during season 5)
Jamie's Preschool: 25 S 3rd St
I hope you guys enjoyed this little different blog post! Definitely visit these spots if you can. 100% worth it if your a BIG One Tree Hill fan!
"Six billion souls in the world and sometimes all you need is one." - peyton sawyer
XOXO Haley
