Lights, Camera, Action!

Our charismatic county has been the backdrop for more than 100 small-screen and blockbuster titles, ranging from horror to heartfelt. When production wraps, the fans roll in to experience all their favorite on-screen moments in real life (zombies optional). So, join us as we tour some of film and television’s most memorable sets​,​ and you’ll discover how curiously camera-ready we are.

Don’t let the size of this town deceive you. Grantville may be a small stop off Highway 29, but it takes its leading roles very seriously. As you walk through downtown, you might begin to catch glimpses of the undead. That is, scenes from The Walking Dead. Home to several key sets, including Rick’s fictional hometown and Morgan’s season three apartment, Grantville is prominently featured throughout the series. Remnants of filming can still be seen at 18 Church St., where “Away With You” is scrawled on the brick wall.  

In 2023, the community was given new life when filming began for The Color Purple. Four decades after Georgia native Alice Walker wrote ​The Color Purple​ and Steven Spielberg adapted it into a major motion picture, the beloved story takes to the screen again, with Grantville setting the scene. Throughout downtown, building facades were decorated to reflect the aesthetics of the late 19th-century. Not one to be typecast, Grantville can transform itself for the past, present and the post-apocalyptic.

Doll house or haunted house? It depends on the role. But one thing is for certain: The Parrott-Camp-Soucy House is one of Newnan’s most iconic addresses. And Hollywood has noticed it, too. Its most famous part was playing the house in The House With The Clock In Its Walls (2018) and is featured front and center on the film’s poster. We cannot confirm or deny if there are actual clocks in any of the walls, but some Newnan residents have reported mysterious ticking sounds from time to time. Other appearances include The Odd Life of Timothy Green (2012) and HBO’s Lovecraft Country series (2018). 

Head further into downtown Newnan and Michael Keaton fans will notice some uncanny similarities to scenes from The Founder (2016). Despite being set in 1950s San Bernardino, California, production had to find an alternative place to shoot because modern San Bernardino doesn’t look like it did back in the 1950s. Well, Newnan doesn’t look quite like 1950s San Bernardino either, so the crew got to work. A recreation of the very first octagonal McDonald Brothers restaurant was built in the Coweta County Administration Building’s employee parking lot. It no longer stands today–people have to park, after all–but the short-lived structure was seen as a generally accurate reproduction of the original McDonald’s.  

Today, downtown Newnan is far more vibrant than what you’ll see in the film, but don’t be fooled. These very streets were transformed from a charming Southern town into a zombie wasteland for 2009’s Zombieland. Retrace Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson’s steps with a walk down Greenville Street. Their characters scurry southbound from the Broad St. intersection and stop in front of the real-life Newnan Mercantile and Bold Soul Originals, where Woody Harrelson’s character, Tallahassee, blows off some steam by smashing a van’s windows with a baseball bat.

Although we like it just as it is, Senoia excels at playing the part of “somewhere else.” Despite taking place in Alabama, Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) was filmed right here in our backyard. Two settings pivotal to the movie’s plot, The Threadgoode house and the iconic railroad bridge​,​ can be seen throughout the film. Located at 204 Bridge Street, the Travis-McDaniel house and the railroad bridge sit right across the street from one another. The home is privately owned, but fans can enjoy it from the street as they walk or drive by to visit another Senoia sensation. 

Just two blocks away sits Nic & Norman’s, a laid-back classic pub owned by The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus, who plays fan-favorite Daryl Dixon, and prosthetic artist/director Greg Nicotero. It’s no mystery why they chose Senoia as their flagship location: the city was featured throughout the series and was Woodbury, the home of notorious villain, The Governor. 

Speaking of famous folks… We don’t need six degrees to get to Kevin Bacon. Two will do just fine. Kevin famously starred as Ren in the original Footloose (1984). The iconic bus race scenes for the 2011 adaptation of Footloose were filmed at the Senoia Raceway. Let’s just say, we’re pretty well connected. (Bonus points: Julianne Hough, who played the part of Ariel in the 2011 version, worked with Kevin in Step Into… The Movies with Derek and Julianne Hough. 

Just 6.5 miles south of Senoia sits Esco Feed Mills in Haralson. Walking Dead fans will know this one as it was the setting for several key scenes (no spoilers!)​.​

The former feed mill, or The Silo as it’s known in the series, made its debut in season three and was featured in the opening credits onward.  

Disclaimer: Esco Feed Mill is private property.