While I consider myself a city girl, I love road tripping through small towns and backroads that the South is known for. Within 45 minutes of driving out of Atlanta in any direction, I can be in actual farmlands, cows and all. Last month I finally made it to a town I’d been wanting to visit for a long time. Fans of The Walking Dead may know it as Woodbury, but Georgians know it as Senoia.
Located about two hours south of the city, Senoia was little more than a small town less than 20 years ago. But the film and television industry changed all of that. A few made-for-TV movies were filmed here, but the first major feature was Fried Green Tomatoes in 1991. Then came Pet Sematary II, The Fighting Temptations and the Footloose reboot. Then came the dead: The Walking Dead, that is. In the third season, filming moved entirely to the town.
The downtown might have become like dozens of small towns around it, withering away, had it not been for Raleigh Studios setting up nearby and the Southern Living Idea House coming here twice. Now shops and restaurants line the main street.
On any given day, you’ll find The Walking Dead fans (or “walker stalkers”) roaming the streets, pointing out backdrops from memorable scenes from over the years. Some days, you might even see the show being filmed, as it does during the week.
My parents and I spent a Sunday afternoon wandering the area, first checking out the shops and restaurants of Senoia and then hopping on the Big Zombie 2 tour with Atlanta Movie Tours. I’d previously taken their tour in the city that visits additional The Walking Dead locations.
And while I didn’t see any of my favorite actors from the show (I’m looking at you, Norman Reedus), I loved visiting Senoia and the small towns around it that have become everyone’s favorite post-apocalyptic show.
The next time you visit Atlanta, I recommend renting a car and exploring the small towns or hopping on board one of the Atlanta Movie Tours.
For more information on visiting Senoia and going on the Big Zombie 2 tour with Atlanta Movie Tours, read my post on This Is My South.
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