Raise your hand if you watched the new series “Sweet Magnolias” on Netflix and wanted to move to the charming Southern town of Serenity, South Carolina. Not only am I ready to pack my bags, but I also decided I need to start hosting Margarita Nights each week with my friends like Maddie, Helen, and Dana Sue do!
There are some great houses and sets on this show, so I had to find out more about them.
Alas, Serenity is only fictional, and not in SC. The show was filmed in Covington, Georgia, outside Atlanta.
If some of the houses and shots of the town square look familiar, it may be because so many other TV shows and movies have been filmed there, including “Vampire Diaries” and “In the Heat of the Night.”
Let’s take a look at the historic Greek Revival-style mansion the three friends renovate on “Sweet Magnolias,” as well as the houses the women live in.
Note: There are Amazon affiliate links in this post that may earn some commission.
The Houses on “Sweet Magnolias”
The series is based on the series of novels written by Sherryl Woods,
starting with Stealing Home (Amazon affiliate links):
I’m reading Stealing Home right now. It’s always fun to compare shows like this to the books they’re based on.
If you enjoy Hallmark movies and the popular series “Chesapeake Shores,” which was also based on books by Sherryl Woods, you’ll probably like “Sweet Magnolias,” too.
The show tells stories of love and friendship that take place in a small Southern town where the characters go to church and pray together in a crisis.
They live in the fictional small town of Serenity, South Carolina.
It was filmed in and around Covington, Georgia, outside Atlanta.
Author Sherryl Woods says she based the town of Serenity in her novels on Sumter, South Carolina, a town she visited often.
Lifelong friends Helen, Dana Sue, and Maddie are renovating an old mansion.
They’re turning it into a health center and spa for the women of the town:
After it opens, Maddie runs the Corner Spa, while Helen works as a local attorney.
Dana Sue owns a popular restaurant called Sullivan’s:
According to Go Covington, they used a local restaurant called Mystic Grill.
You may remember seeing in “The Vampire Diaries,” as well.
The Corner Spa on “Sweet Magnolias”
Other sites are reporting that they filmed the exterior scenes for Serenity’s Corner Spa at the historic Greek Revival mansion known as the Lee-Porter House in Covington, Georgia.
However, I believe that is incorrect.
You can see it looks a little different on Google Streetview.
I then found this at Newsweek: “The Corner Spa is actually partly a law office on the town’s College Avenue. The office provided the exteriors for the spa, but its interiors were actually a soundstage.”
After searching for law offices in Covington, I found a photo of it on the website for Craig Law.
Streetview confirmed the house at 1144 College Avenue looks like the Corner Spa.
So that’s where I believe it was actually filmed.
The Corner Spa During Its Renovation:
The Finished Entry Hall with Front Desk:
Jamie Lynn Spears plays Noreen, the woman Maddie’s husband leaves her for.
This is her first acting role since “Zoey 101” over a decade ago.
The wall color looks similar to Sherwin Williams Sea Salt.
Joanna Garcia Swisher plays Maddie Townsend, a recently divorced mom of three struggling to navigate her newly single life after her husband leaves her for another woman.
Luckily, her son’s baseball coach Cal (Justin Bruening) is there for her, though. In more ways than one!
Dana Sue’s House on “Sweet Magnolias”
Single-mom Dana Sue Sullivan and her daughter Annie live in this cozy blue house.
It’s located in Covington, Georgia, and was built in 1920.
Based on the 2017 real estate listing, the rooms look different on the show.
However, it looks as if they may have filmed inside the same (remodeled) house.
The doors and windows are in the same place, as is the fireplace:
You may remember Brooke Elliott, who plays Dana Sue, as Jane Bingum on “Drop Dead Diva.”
Dana Sue’s kitchen is less about aesthetics than the ones her friends have. It looks like it’s built to work hard. It’s filled with open shelves crammed with everything a busy chef could possibly need.
Helen’s House on “Sweet Magnolias”
I struggled to find a full exterior shot of Helen’s charming blue house. A big shout-out to a reader named Jacob who tracked it down for me at the end of Episode 9 because I missed it!
We didn’t see Helen’s house until late in the season, so it was a nice surprise when they finally introduced these sets.
Update: Thanks to a reader named Mary, I have learned that they filmed on location inside the same house. These are not sets but the real interiors.
Helen’s house is located in Atlanta and is worth about a million dollars, according to Realtor.com.
It has 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, and 3,000 square feet.
You can see the interiors in its former listing photos.
Her kitchen has pale blue-gray cabinets, shiplap backsplash, and a large marble island.
The family room is moodier with dark teal grasscloth wallpaper:
Maddie’s House on “Sweet Magnolias”
The real house is in Covington, Georgia.
It was built in 1910 and hasn’t been on the market since the 1990s.
Maddie’s porch is the real showstopper of this house for me.
It looks bigger than my first apartment was!
Fridays are Margarita Nights, where they meet in each other’s homes and “pour it out,” sharing all of their struggles and successes from the week.
Get the recipe for Helen’s Lethal Margaritas on JoAnna Garcia Swisher’s blog The Happy Place.
Maddie’s Kitchen:
I hit “Pause” every time her gorgeous gas range with this tile came onscreen, just to get a better look at it:
Chris Klein plays Bill Townsend, Maddie’s ex-husband:
Klein played Dusty Dinkleman in the 2005 comedy “Just Friends.” (Amazon affiliate link.) Every time I see it on TV I have to stop and watch because it makes me laugh.
Maddie’s Family Room:
Most, but not all locations were shot in Covington, Georgia.
Serenity High School was filmed in the nearby town of McDonough, in what was once a Middle School.
Serenity’s Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is actually Oakhurst Presbyterian in Decatur.
Learn more about the “Sweet Magnolias” filming locations at Go Covington and Southern Living.
Have you been watching?
The final episode ended on a cliffhanger that had me crying, “Noooo!” when I realized we weren’t going to find out what happened.
Luckily, Netflix has already renewed “Sweet Magnolias” for a second season.
February 2022 Update: Season Two of “Sweet Magnolias” is now streaming on Netflix.
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Visit my TV & Movie Houses page to see others I’ve featured,
including the houses from Gilmore Girls!
The Houses from Stars Hollow in “Gilmore Girls”
The Haunted House in the Sitcom “Ghosts”
See Inside the Real “Golden Girls” House
The Magical Family Home in “Locke & Key”
