It would probably be an understatement to say that I’m a “Gilmore Girls” fan.
I became obsessed with the show last year and ended up buying the entire 7-season DVD set so I can return to Stars Hollow whenever the mood strikes.
There are a lot of fun sets on this show, so let’s start by taking a look at the Dragonfly Inn run by Lorelai and her best friend Sookie.
UPDATE: You’ll find better photos and more information here: Stars Hollow and the Sets from “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life.”
Gilmore Girls: Dragonfly Inn
It was originally used as The Waltons’ family home:
UPDATE: Steve tells me: “This house was not the original Waltons house (which burned down in late 1991) but a reconstruction on the Warner Ranch (the first one had been on the Burbank backlot), and was used for the three 1990s Waltons reunion movies. One of the few shows to use the Waltons house (after TW had ended) was “Dukes of Hazzard” in 1985 – after all the house was ‘typecast’ by then!” Thanks, Steve!
The Inn Before They Bought It Looked Like This:
The Dragonfly Inn after Lorelai and Sookie fixed it up:
Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator, writer and co-producer of “Gilmore Girls,” had the idea for the show after visiting a small town in Connecticut called Washington Depot.
She says she and her husband Daniel (who co-produced and wrote the show with her) visited a coffee shop at Washington Depot where everyone knew each other and they saw customers going behind the counter to pour their own coffee. It inspired her to start jotting down dialogue for what would become “Gilmore Girls.”
The Front Desk at the Inn:
Alexis Bledel, was in college at NYU when she was cast as Rory.
I wish I could eat all the junk food that Lorelai and Rory wolf down on the show and still look as great as they do. Lauren Graham mentioned in an interview that people ask her all the time if they really eat like that. Her answer: “Um, no.”
The Dragonfly Living Room:
There’s a jukebox in the otherwise-traditional living room:
A photo of the Dragonfly living room set behind the scenes:
The Dining Room:
A photo of the Dragonfly dining room set behind the scenes:
The Library:
Sookie’s Kitchen:
Sookie was originally played by Alex Borstein in a pilot that never aired. They had to recast the role because Borstein couldn’t get out of another contract, but she ended up playing some smaller parts in the show now and then, like the harp-playing Drella at the Independence Inn.
In this shot you can see the message board, shelves lined with cookbooks, and the pantry:
In the DVD Special Features, Melissa McCarthy (Sookie) gives a tour of the sets:
One of the Guest Rooms:
Scenes from the Town of Stars Hollow:
The pilot for “Gilmore Girls” was shot in a small town in Toronto (Historic Unionville). When the show was picked up, they reproduced the look of the interiors from the pilot on soundstages in Burbank, California.
For the exteriors, they filmed on a Warner Bros. backlot that had been built decades earlier for movies like The Music Man and used by shows like “The Dukes of Hazzard” (Stars Hollow High School, for instance, was once the Hazzard County Courthouse).
Luke’s Diner was actually a hardware store in Canada. They left the hardware sign up and wrote it into the story (that Luke’s dad had run a hardware store in that spot).
Luke was originally written as a woman named Daisy who ran the diner. Because there were so many female characters in the script, they decided to cast a man (Scott Patterson) instead.
They had no intentions of pairing him with Lorelai, but viewers clamored for it.
When they finally did, ratings soared.
Remember when Luke’s troubled nephew Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) traveled to California to meet his estranged dad? It was supposed to become a spin-off called “Windward Circle,” but the WB didn’t pick it up.
The Independence Inn:
The exterior for the Independence Inn was also used in the movie Monster-in-Law as Jane Fonda’s country home.
Yanic Truesdale, who played Michel, is Canadian. He doesn’t really have that heavy French accent.
The Independence Inn was much more traditional and masculine looking than the Dragonfly Inn.
The Dining Room (during the Mother-Daughter fashion show for Chilton):
Kim’s Antiques:
Rory’s best friend was Lane Kim (played by Keiko Agena), who lived in the town’s antiques store with her mother. Lane was based on Amy Sherman’s real-life best friend Helen, who had a similar upbringing.
Sookie’s House:
Sookie’s house is warm and colorful, which seems to suit her.
It’s Filmed There features a page devoted to the show with additional information.
Amy Sherman said this about the small Connecticut town that inspired Stars Hollow:
“Now, I’ve never been there in winter, when you’re snowed in and you can’t go anywhere, and you and your husband want to kill each other because you can’t go to a movie. But at the time I was there, it was beautiful, it was magical, and it was feeling of warmth and small-town camaraderie. There was a longing for that in my own life, and I thought — that’s something that I would really love to put out there.”
*Be sure to pick up a “Gilmore Girls” souvenir before you leave!*
(Note: The following includes Amazon affiliate links that may earn me commission.)
Can’t wait to read Lauren Graham’s new book, Talking as Fast as I Can.
There’s even an Eat Like a Gilmore Cookbook (but will I look like them if I do??)
This Lorelai action figure made me smile. (There’s a cute Rory one, too!)
I refer to my Gilmore Girls Companion all the time — it’s got the scoop on every ep!
I enjoyed this book of essays about the show
called Coffee at Luke’s: An Unauthorized Gabfest
I own every season on DVD, and they have tons of special features.
I also wrote about Lorelai’s house, the Gilmore mansion, and Rory’s pool house.
Update: I have better photos in a post about “A Year in the Life” now!
Yay!!!!!! I am a HUGE Gilmore Girls fan. In fact, I was watching it when I looked at my Google Reader and found this post. Man, you had to go through a lot of DVDs for these posts – thank you! I love Stars Hollow and can’t wait to visit Washington Depot sometime. I can’t wait for the post next week with one of my favorite homes on TV. I love this show!
.-= Sarah @ Dream In Domestic´s last blog ..Quirky Art for Quirky People =-.
I love Gilmore Girls. I thought I knew alot about the show…but you topped me! LOL!! I collected all mine while the show was on air. I think the new complete editions must have more DVD extras because I missed the one where your taken behind the scenes.
This is the best! I can’t wait for the next installment.
.-= Susan @ pinkportugueseroses´s last blog ..Photo fun… =-.
Oh my goodness Julia, I can’t even imagine how long this post took you! I am a HUGE fan of GG. I started watching it I think Season 4 so I had to get caught up and used to watch it every single day on the Family Channel! I wish they would bring it back. I loved Lorelai’s mother and Sookie. I just loved the whole cast. I am going back now and look at all your photos. So sad it’s not on anymore:(
I loved the Dragonfly Inn too.
xo
LeAnn
.-= LeAnn´s last blog ..A day full of surprises! =-.
Neat tour! My mother-in-law really liked the GG, but I never watched it. Love the green chairs in the dining room! Hope you had a great weekend. 🙂
.-= Amanda @ Serenity Now´s last blog ..::Weekend Bloggy Reading and More:: =-.
Hi Julia
Well I’m a Gilmore Girls Nut!! I have every series on DVD and can’t tell you how many times I have re-watched the entire set whoa to go!! Like having an extra family just waiting to be popped on when the need arrives.. hahaha
Love all the houses and sets in the shows and I’m going to have to re-read this again and again to enjoy all the little details you have provided… thanks for the post .. will be back for the next edition. xx Julie
.-= Julie´s last blog ..Saying Thank You With Roses [Giveaway] =-.
Such a well-researched post! I didn’t know the pilot was filmed in Unionville, Ontario (beautiful town.) Can’t say I’m a huge fan of the show though.
.-= Vanessa´s last blog ..From Frumpy to Fabulous: Stylish First Home =-.
I just LOVE Gilmore Girls… and cycle through the DVDs every so often. Thank you for putting so much work into this post! It’s wonderful!
I remember back in the fall watching the pilot episode of Eastwick, and thinking that they shot on the old Gilmore Girls set. So strange to see it back on TV, and without Lorelai toting around a cup of coffee!
.-= Sarah´s last blog ..happy weekend =-.
Do you know I forgot about the show Started watching on E4 resently The decoration on the sets must of cost a fortune Do people actually live there
I would love to live in the town its soo homely
I’m a huge fan and late tot he party as well. I started watching the re-runs a couple of years ago and watched the whole series. Great post!
.-= Nichole´s last blog ..Scaredy Cats! (Whoops, I mean dogs!) =-.
This post made my day. I miss this show so much. Looking forwarding to Monday’s post!
.-= Allison´s last blog ..Charismatic Dogs Blog =-.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Julia!!!! I LOVE Gilmore Girls so much. My husband just gave me the complete dvd set for my b-day and I can’t wait to watch all the extra features. The sets are so beautiful. I love to watch the shows over and over. Can’t wait until next Monday.
Oh my gosh, I’m so happy you took the time to post about the Gilmore Girls sets! My mom, myself and my two sisters are huge fans of the series! Looking forward to seeing Lorelei and Rory’s place!
Great post, I love it! I never got into the show much for some reason, but I always loved the look of that Inn. Sigh. Now I want to move to a small town full of eccentric, loveable people who will all be my friends.
.-= The Weekend Island´s last blog ..Brigitte =-.
Love the set decorator for the Dragonfly Inn:) I remember when the Inn first appeared on Gilmore Girls I recognized the house from somewhere . . .. when I saw the barn, that was it! The Dragonfly Inn used to be the Walton’s family home:) WONDERFUL job on the pictures, as usual!
very fun~ I HEART Gilmore Girls! 🙂
.-= heidi @ wonder woman wannabe´s last blog ..Re-Ignite Date Night {#38} =-.
OMG. I. LOVE. GILMORE. GIRLS!!!! Every Friday I watch a season just because I miss it so much! I have seen it gazillion times. Thanks for bringing back great memories!
.-= Angie C.´s last blog ..La Lavande =-.
This is an amazing post!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you! My 19 year old daughter and I (in my upper 50’s 😉 OFTEN watch Gilmore Girls DVDs when we want to hang out together. (We watched the show, the reruns, and DVDs for years.) And we have talked about forming a GG trivia team with two of my DILs. 🙂 Yeah, I’d say we are fans.
But added a layer of trivia (such as the Walton house & the Monster in Law house) that I had no clue! I can’t imagine how long this post took to create and resource!
I am emailing my daughter this link right now and we will be waiting anxiously, and with great joy, your next GG post!
Linda C
.-= Linda C´s last blog ..Wordless Wednesday – Grammy’s Indoor "Slide" =-.
That was fun, Julia! Thanks!
A friend of mine owns all the dvd’s. I might have to borrow them now for a Gilmore Girls nostalgia fest and to get a look at those behind the scenes segments.
.-= Tracy @ Comfort&Luxury´s last blog ..Books and Chairs : Two Great Things that Look Great Together =-.
GG was a favorite show of mine for years! What a great post!
.-= the Blah Blah Blahger´s last blog ..TAP TAP TAP, IS THIS THING ON? =-.
OMG!! I love this post! I stumbled on this site last week – getting inspiration for my oasis and what a surprise to see this and with Madness playing in the background (it’s the song Lane did when she was a cheerleader) I’m such a GG fan and I’m glad to know there are others. I blog about them (not as much as I want – I’m trying to tone my love down LOL) I make medical id bracelets for my diabetic daughter and each one has a dragonfly on them and when I began making them – I started seeing dragonflies everywhere (I live in the dessert and its rare) and one even landed on my finger (hence the name of the blogspot) I’m still in a losing battle with changing the dog’s name to Paula Anka (since the dog is a girl) ; D I even tagged about a “virtual” gg site that takes the girls through season 10. Yup – just a little bit obsessive. LOL ;D
.-= Roxanna´s last blog ..Face Facts =-.
I was the Gilmore Girls biggest fan! I was soooooo upset when the cancelled the show but Bleidel didn’t want to continue and she hasn’t done all that much since. I don’t get it. The girl who plays Sookie was pregnant in real life at least twice on the show, I believe.
YES! Gilmore Girls is my all-time favorite show and this has to be my favorite post of yours. 🙂 I love getting to see the shots of behind-the-scenes sets and the extra information on the cast.
So cool! Can’t wait until next week.
I watched a couple episodes of Gilmore girls, but never really got into the show for some reason. I do however, love the sets of the show. Especially that inn. These town sets actually remind me alot of Ghost Whisperer, but I know they aren’t the same. I would love to live in a small town like that, where people are so friendly, and you can walk to the store, or market.
Don’t feel bad for just getting into the show. There are some old shows that I barely discovered, and love to watch.
Actually, after the Ghost Whisperer set caught fire, they began filming on the WB lot (in the same town as the Gilmore Girls set) for a while. It was around the last season or so.
I must have been under a rock 🙂 I will have to get this from Netflix! Lauren Graham is GREAT in my new favorite show-Parenthood!
.-= Susan´s last blog ..Refeathering the Nest =-.
That was such a fun show! Love that you pulled together all those details and pics! I always loved that lil town! 🙂
.-= Jess @ Frugal with a Flourish´s last blog ..Weekend Thrifty Finds – New in Package! =-.
I love the Gilmore Girls. I have all the DVD’s….and have watched them numerous times. I even went through a period of having the shows theme song as my cell ringtone. Go figure. I wish there was a place like Star’s Hollow. Wouldn’t that be cool? Anyway, thanks for the pictures. I love your blog–because I too am house obsessed. Keep all the pictures coming!!!
.-= Dawn´s last blog ..Aahhh…Contentment =-.
thanks so much julia!!! one of my all time favorite shows (always loved all of the homes in it too)…i keep waiting for a gilmore girls reunion t.v. movie…
nanne in columbus, indiana
There’s not a day that goes by that I wish I lived in a place like Stars Hollow….someday I’m going to find that place! Thanks for posting, I can’t wait to see the pictures you have for Loralie’s house!
.-= Sharon´s last blog ..Moms and Money – A letter to my children…. =-.
Thank-you once again for this post, I can not even imagine all the hours you put in. It really shows! It sounds from the comments that we would have more then enough people to start our own Stars Hollow! What a creative town that would be! Can’t wait for the next one! <3 Donna
YAY! Wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
.-= MissCaron´s last blog ..Friday I’m in love… =-.
I was SUCH a Gilmore Girls fan in high school and college. The town was so cute and magical, and I always thought Rory and I would be the best of friends 🙂 Thanks for this post!
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Where O Where Have You Been? =-.
Thanks Julia, I miss the Gilmore Girls. Thanks for the pictures of the Dragonfly Inn…did anyone notice that the Waltons/run down Dragonfly only had 3 dormers and after it had 4? I loved the interior, but don’t remember seeing that much of it in the show. It was as charming and quirky as Sookie and Lorelei. Do you watch Parenthood? Love Lauren Graham in that show too.
.-= Janet´s last blog ..SIMPLY =-.
Thank you for this post! I love gilmore girls and i love your blog as well =) Can’t wait until next week you post Lorelais house, because just last week i tried to google if somebody had made a post about Lorelais house, but there was none, nowhere, so thank you!
Oh my God, you have made me so happy today!!!! I am a HUGE Gilmore Girls fan, watched it from the beginning and am slowly collecting all the season DVD’s so I can watch it forever now that it is over. I love everything about the sets, so I won’t even try to cram it all into this comment. Except to say that the sets were second only to the dialogue in reasons why I loved the show. Absolutely can’t wait for next Monday, I adore Lorelei’s house so much!!!!
.-= hip hip gin gin´s last blog ..Time =-.
My all-time favorite show!!! Thanks so much for such a great post. I can’t count how many times I tell my husband that I want to live in “Stars Hollow.” Wouldn’t that be such a dream!?!
YAY!!! Thank you!!!! I have a serious addiction to this show!
.-= Gina W.´s last blog ..My Purple Princess! =-.
I am one of the biggest fans of the famous Gilmore Girls, so much so that my husband and I are planning to build Lorelai’s House on a 5 acre property in Australia. I currently live in England and your blog is a guilty pleasure that I indulge in every week. I cannot wait til next week to see what you have on my favourite house, Thank you Thank you Thank you
How very cool the exteriors of Luke’s diner were from Canada! I adored Gilmore Girls – well, I guess I still do. 🙂 Thanks for doing this, seeing all the sets again is so nice.
.-= Danica´s last blog ..One more layer =-.
Thank you so much for sharing. I love Gilmore Girls…there is something so fascinating about that show. Keep the pictures coming.
Thanks Julia, I have been waiting for this post, since the first time I found your net!!
Great job, I enjoyed the pictures of the set when, as you told, cameras are not rolling!!I love this show, but unfortunately it isn`t available on WB Latin America.
Thanks again, for share
Hi Julia 🙂
I never knew what the big deal was with that show, but something tells me it was the sets! They’re really enchanting.
Have you seen the movie ‘son-in-law’? It’s stupid funny, but the farmhouse is darling.
rue
.-= rue´s last blog ..Enough of that dribble… =-.
I have never seen that show but I love her on the new Parenthood! You should do a post on that house. WOW! It is so quirky and they have the best outdoor space.
.-= Melanie´s last blog ..A Teenagers Bedroom =-.
Love it! still watch re runs sometimes!! I love Sookie’s kitchen always filled with wonderful and colorful food!!
.-= Helena´s last blog ..Obsessions 5: Schumacher bird wallpaper =-.
I can’t wait to see the pics of Rory’s pool house – I always loved that and have watched some of those scenes countless times to figure it all out!
I did the WB tour years ago, when Rory was still in high school (we saw way more of Chilton than I wanted!), and I was amazed at how small everything seemed. And Lorelai and Sookie’s houses are actually connected! We all thought that was so cool! I wish I could have gone back to see the Dragonfly!
Gilmore Girls was one of my all time favorite shows. It really was all about the relationships, just like another quirky show, Northern Exposure. The writing was smart, the dialogue witty, and it never felt phony. It really did seem like a small town full of nutty/lovable folks.
I’m glad you’ve joined the fan club! Thanks for the look inside the sets.
Oh, me, oh, my! I LOVED this show! Loved all the characters. It was the perfect cast! I kind of think (wink, wink) that we (your readers) would have figured out how much you are hooked on this show! I was quite surprised to learn that the Inn was the Walton home! Loved that show too.
Wow, how you ever got all this posted, I’ll never know! Thank you for this exhaustive post, Julia.
Wow, Julia…a lot of work went into this post. My daughters and I all loved the show. We loved the snarky attitudes and twists and turns it took. We live in a small, historic town that is somewhat similar to Stars Hollow, so we could identify with the characters.
.-= Black Eyed Susans Kitchen´s last blog ..ULTIMATE YARD SALES AND WHY YOU SHOULD GO WITH THE FLOW =-.
WOOHOO! TerRIFFIC post from good old Gilmore Girls! And, you’re not the only one who was behind on watching the series…when I was in the final weeks of my pregnancy with our first child, and I had already quit my job, I stayed at home during the days. On a whim of boredom, I decided to rent Season 1 from our local teeny tiny movie rental shop. I gobbled it up so much that my husband (who swore he would never get hooked on the show, and yet did in fact get hooked) and I convinced the rental shop owners to purchase the last two seasons for us to rent out, because we were too cheap to buy them on our own.
I lovelovelove the Dragonfly Inn. The Inn, Lorelei’s house, and scenes shot around the town were my favorite parts of the show. So wonderful. Thanks for posting all of those pictures, they’re fabulous and officially are going in my “dream home ideas” folder.
Thanks for this! I think I will never tire of The Gilmore Girls!
Thanks for the tour! I always loved the setting of this show. The Dragonfly Inn makes a good argument for wallpaper. Sure makes the place look cozy.
Thank you SO much for this post!! I love love love Gilmore Girls and have always been curious about the homes and locations on the show. I learned so much from this post too! I thought that episode that Jess went to California was totally bizarre, but now it makes sense! And I couldn’t figure out why the woman that played Jess’s father’s girlfriend later became Anna, but now I get it! I absolutely cannot wait for the next Girlmore post!!
.-= Sara´s last blog ..Jackson and Prince =-.
Yes!!! I was a huge GG fan too…in fact because of the Dragonfly Inn, I’ve always dreamed about opening my own B&B ala GG style. Cool to share pix of the inn, it looks smaller when you see the cameras set in the background.
-marie
.-= Marie´s last blog ..Madrid and Spain Giveaway Winner =-.
I always loved the kitchen that the Dragonfly Inn had! What a fun place to work in!
.-= Hailey Erickson´s last blog ..Events =-.
Oh my gracious! I looove this post. I am a HUGE Gilmore Girls fan! Loove Lorelei! It’s so cool to get to see the soundstage lights, etc. above them and I had NO IDEA the Dragonfly was the Waltons house. Fascinating! Can’t wait until next Monday! Thanks for sharing!!!
Thank you so much for this wonderful post! I was also late to the Gilmore Girls party and I discovered it in it’s last season. I went out and purchased all the seasons on DVD and my 13 yr. old daughter and I often have a “Gilmore Girls Marathon” in our pj’s. We love the witty dialogue, the small town atmosphere and the characters. It was brilliantly written and each cash member played their character with such panache! We love all the characters….Kirk and Paris make us laugh so hard. I was so upset that Amy Sherman-Palladino’s contact was not renewed for the 7th season. We will never really know what she had in mind for the final story lines of the characters she grew over 6 seasons.
.-= Angie ´s last blog ..menu planning for the week… =-.
I love Gilmore Girls! I used to watch it on ABC Family after school growing up – I stopped watching when Rory went away to college though, maybe in hindsight because I didn’t get to see those fabulicious Stars Hollows sets anymore! Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s post 🙂
.-= Kate (Little Beach Bum)´s last blog ..Quote of the Day =-.
Wow, you weren’t joking when you said you were working on a monster GG post! Thanks! I think we are kindred spirits, aside from the house obsession thing, I too found GG about 2 years ago and then sought out the DVDs and watched every episode. Love it. Looking forward to the next post (and thanks in advance for including the pool house. It features my favorite interiors)! You will need a vacation after all the work on this one! 🙂
Love this post! The pics are great love how we get to see behind the scenes too!
.-= desiree´s last blog ..Los Gatos Victorian =-.
I’m a huge GG fan. I can’t even Imagine Drella as Sookie…or anyone else for that matter. I love the town, the houses and the crazy town people. This is a great post for all those that are Gilmore Girls obsessed 🙂
.-= Amy´s last blog ..Quickly =-.
WOW! You out did yourself! What a GREAT post! I LOVED Gilmore Girls. Thank you for all of the information!! =)
.-= Vicki @ In The Sandbox Comic Strip´s last blog ..1 Year Anniversary! =-.
This is probably my favourite show. I’ve loved other shows but I still miss this one even after it’s been off the air for years. I might have to watch the seasons again. Woot. lol.
Um… You don’t know how much I L.O.V.E. this show! I was an avid watcher from the very beginning, now own the whole collection and still tune in when it comes on the abcfamily channel! I am super excited to see that people are still falling for this wonderful show. I am so impressed by your post and the trivia you managed to incorporate into it. Kudos!
Thank you! I love GG – i aslo was a late starter, mostly because I don’t have TV. So had to wait for the DVDs to come out and tell my friends not to discuss plots in my presence : ). I didn’t know about the Unionville link – I’m from Toronto so I’ll have to go up sometime and check it out. Love your blog, I tune in every Monday for my favorite part – can’t wait till next week!!!
Love me some Gilmore Girls…every time I hear the song…which for some reason I heard someone sing recently…I get the warm fuzzies. I miss that show, and I recall the Autumn I got addicted to it. It was my Tuesday night “thing”!
~angela @ peonypatch
.-= Angela @ PeonyPatch´s last blog ..~~ Cottage Charm Giveway ~~ =-.
I love the Gilmore Girls. I have seasons 1-6. It beat my basic cable package! Thanks for the post.
I wish I could watch a new Gilmore Girls episode every day for the rest of my life! I feel like all the Stars Hollow residents are REAL people and as if their lives are continuing–but that I don’t know what’s happening to them!
Julia, love the post, I had watched The Waltons for many years and enjoyed seeing what happened to the old house. I haven’t seen the Gilmore Girls and from the sounds of it should. Maybe I can get my daughter to sit down and watch it with me.
There was a comment, from Janet, about 4 dormers on GG house vs 3 on W house. If you notice the Walton house had 2 story section to right of front door and 1 story section, gramma and grampa section, to left of front door. Gilmore Girl house is all 2 storys in front. The 2nd floor was extended to the left and dormer added. In GG house the staircase is in a front entry hall instead of to the back of the house opening into the kitchen.
I spend too much time figuring out the floor plans of the houses I see on tv.
Rick
Before I even saw your post about the Waltons house I knew it was theirs….I watched this show on video growing up with my 10 younger siblings probably when everyone else was watching Gilmore Girls. We thought we WERE the Waltons!
I also came to the Gilmore Girls late. Don’t know where I was, but I love it now. I’d only seen a few episodes when I decided I wanted the series on DVD. So that’s what I asked my husband for this year as my Christmas present. I must say it’s given me more pleasure than any other present I can think of. I am savoring each episode and slowing working my way through them. I’m now on season 6 and hate to think of it ending. But the best part is that when I watched them all, I can just start over. That’s what’s so nice about owning the set. I was so pleased to hear the Dragonfly was the Walton house. I should have guessed. It was one of my favorite shows for years. Can’t wait to see your next post with more about the Gilmore Girls homes.
Thanks so much for this post. Gilmore Girls is still my all-time favourite show and I loved seeing the behind the scenes sets. I always dreamed of having the same kind of mother-daughter relationship as Laurelei and Rory.
I’m sooooo glad that you did a post about this. I have always loved Stars Hollow and if there was anywhere in the world that I could chose to live (real or fiction), I’d pick there.
I’m actually live not that far from Unionville and took some photos while I was there over the Christmas break. Its one of my favorite areas near me.
https://smallhomebigstart.blogspot.com/2010/02/unionville.html
Thank you so much for the fantastic photos!! I’m a huge Gilmore Girls fan and would live in Stars Hollow if I could. Can’t wait for the upcoming photos of Lorelei’s house. Love your site…it just continues to inspire me in my own home. 🙂
I too would really love to eat like the Gilmore girls and still look like they do…they also eat out for like every meal! lol How does that work on the budget? And their snacks for movie nights? Had to cost a fortune! lol But I loved the Dragon fly, and the town…just such a fun place! I’m glad they made Luke a man! I loved their relationship throughout!
.-= Jen @ After The Alter´s last blog ..My Maternity Store Experience =-.
I’m very curious as to the name/design of the china they serve on at the Dragonfly Inn. Does anyone know?
Sorry, Melanie, I don’t know anything about the china. I can’t remember ever getting a good look at the dishes on the tables. Based on the the decorating in that room and all the different plates on the walls, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a mix-and-match kind of thing with different patterns. -Julia
I’m so glad to find someone else asking that same question! I’ve been dying to find out where to get the china mugs that Lorelai and Sookie use at the dragonfly since Season 5 aired (In the images above, Lorelai is pouring coffee into the exact mugs I want). I wonder if there is a WB prop person or set designer that could be contacted for these type of questions that worked on season 5??
I found this page by googling the china pattern too! I would love to know what it was. I first noticed it in the Dragonfly scene where Lorelai was pouring old used coffee into her own cup – after the first snow in their new inn! haha there is a photo above with her holding the mug. Then, there was another episode where they showed the mugs (spring or summer), and it renewed my interest. This is a fabulous post, thank you!! I too have watched all of the seasons and episodes over and over and over…will never go out of style, AND I have converted a few friends too! haha
I absolutely LOVE Gilmore Girls! I was also late getting into the show but I watch the reruns on t.v. all the time. I always tell my husband I want to live in Stars Hollow! Thank you for posting these pictures; I love the cozy feeling of Lorelai and Rory’s house.
OMG
I want those wing backs!
.-= Juju at Tales of Whimsy.com´s last blog ..Contest- Superhero Needed =-.
I would love a resource guide to the stuff on set. Has anyone seen similar wallpaper like in the dragonfly’s dining room?
I’m not sure where you could find information like that, but it would be nice if they listed it somewhere! -Julia
I just found your web site and this page re Gilmore Girls. Thanks for the attention to detail and providing us with info. Brava!
Awesome post. Thanks for bringing back the memories. This was my favorite show. We turned off the phones every Tuesday night at 8:00 and invited all Gilmore Girls fans over to watch. The only rule was NO TALKING during the show! LOL. Patricia
I found this site that has virtual tours of the Walton/Gilmore Girl house. This is the exterior location on the Warner lot.
https://www2.warnerbros.com/wbsf/virtualtour.html?virtualtour=waltonhouse
Oh, wow, that is very cool. Thanks, Rick!! -Julia
Great blog posts (just came across them trolling for Gilmore Girls trivia on the web … a favourite pastime when I have a couple of minutes); it seems that you have struck a chord with all the Gilmore Girls fans out there. Thank God for DVDs – I, too, have the whole collection (although it is with great reluctance that I watch Season 7 – and usually spend the whole time imagining what Amy Sherman-Palladino had in mind … she was quoted as saying very early on that she knew what the last four words spoken on Gilmore Girls was going to be. Perhaps someday she’ll let us know …)
It’s great looking at the details of the various sets and locations; I am fortunate enough to live in Toronto and have visited Unionville many times (where the pilot episode was shot), and dream of someday owning the building that served as the original “Luke’s”. Am now inspired to track down what house they used for the exterior (and interior, too, apparently) of Richard and Emily’s house for the pilot – true GG geeks will be able to tell you about all the changes that took place on the various sets from the pilot episode to the rest of the series. Luke’s Diner was a single-width storefront hardware emporium in the middle of a block, and morphed into a corner property adjacent to Star’s Hollow High School and the town square during the run of the series.
Also, I recall that Amy Sherman-Palladino talked about the inn near Washington Depot that she and her husband, Daniel, stayed in which was the inspiration for the Independence Inn … it’s called The Mayflower Inn (https://www.mayflowerinn.com/) and seems much grander than the Independence Inn ever was. An incredibly beautiful place, though. I’d love to go for a weekend!
Thanks for bringing back such great memories of this incredible series which will live on in my heart forever …
Great blog, Julia (I’ve bookmarked it for many return visits!)
Cheers, Mary Frances
I hadn’t heard about the Mayflower Inn influence. Very interesting–thanks!
I just started watching the series again from the beginning and I’m noticing all kinds of things I missed the first time around. Like you mentioned, I’m seeing how different some of the sets were in the beginning than they were by the end of the 7 seasons.
I found the green faux bamboo chairs that they have at the Dragonfly Inn. The bad part is that they are $650 each.The same ones without the arm rests are $495. Makes no difference to my budget unfortunately.
https://www.jonathanadler.com/Chippendale-Arm-Chair/?cat=
I can’t even afford one. Oh well.
Thanks for the link!
Those chairs, the bamboo chippendale style, I’ve seen them on ebay and at antique shows. If you spray paint them and upholster your own seat covers, you can save a lot of money!
Thanks for this wonderfule site! I´m so sad that the show didn´t go on. But I can watch it again and again and again….