The Originals filmed mainly in four Georgia towns, Conyers, Madison, Macon, and Rome, not New Orleans.
The show is set in the French Quarter, but Georgia locations doubled for most of those iconic streets, bars, and mansions across all five seasons.
New Orleans was used for select exterior and atmosphere shots. The rest was Georgia, pulled off so convincingly that most viewers never noticed.
This guide covers every real filming location, how to visit each one, and exactly how the production made Georgia look like New Orleans.
Why New Orleans Worked as the Show's Setting
New Orleans gave The Originals something no other American city could match.
The city's centuries-old architecture, iron-railed balconies, and candlelit courtyards created a backdrop that felt genuinely ancient.
For a show about a thousand-year-old vampire family, that mattered.
The narrow French Quarter streets and Gothic Garden District mansions signaled old power without a single line of dialogue.
Location shapes tone. The Mikaelson family needed a city that looked like it had secrets.
New Orleans delivered that from the first episode, and it pushed the story forward rather than just sitting behind it.
What Was Actually Filmed in New Orleans
New Orleans handled exterior shots, key landmarks, and atmosphere sequences throughout the series.
French Quarter Streets and Landmarks
Jackson Square, Royal Street, and the St. Louis Cathedral all appear on screen. The camera used these locations for wide establishing shots and crowd scenes.
Local residents were hired as extras on New Orleans shoot days, which gave street scenes a texture that professional casting couldn't fully replicate.
The production avoided the most touristy blocks on Bourbon Street. That kept the visual tone grounded and dark rather than festive.
The Mikaelson Compound Exterior
The exterior of the Mikaelson compound is the Buckner Mansion at 1410 Jackson Avenue in New Orleans' Garden District.
Built in the 1850s, it fits the Mikaelson family's age and wealth perfectly. The production rented it for exterior shots only.
The interior scenes were filmed separately across Georgia locations. The mansion is privately owned and not open to the public, but you can view it from the street.
Other New Orleans Spots
City Park, the Preservation Hall area, and various Magazine Street locations appear throughout the series.
These spots gave individual scenes a lived-in, local feel that stage sets can't produce.
Where in Georgia Was The Originals Filmed?
Georgia handled the bulk of production across all five seasons. Four towns each played a specific role.
Conyers served as the primary French Quarter stand-in. Madison's town park doubled as Jackson Square.
Hay House in Macon appeared as the Mikaelson ancestral home. Rome's riverside trails supplied the outdoor and bayou scenes.
Georgia's film tax incentives made the state a practical choice.
But the towns also had the right look:ornate brickwork, iron railings, and 19th-century storefronts that photographed convincingly as the French Quarter.
Conyers, Georgia: The Main Filming Base
Olde Town Conyers was the primary production home for The Originals across all five seasons.
Commercial Street and Center Street stood in as the New Orleans French Quarter for Mardi Gras parades, street festivals, and funeral processions.
Real local businesses were converted into show locations:
- The Sandwich Factory (903 Commercial St) became Rousseau's Bar
- Simply Naked Candle Co. (906 Center St) appeared as the Jardin Gris Voodoo Shop
- Celtic Tavern Irish Pub & Restaurant (918 Commercial St) was filmed as Gillespie's Pub
- Lewis Vaughn Botanical Gardens (adjacent to Celtic Tavern) was the site of the Elijah vs. Klaus fight scene
The production crew used a green screen along Center Street to add a New Orleans skyline. Period lighting and props did the rest.
The iron-railed buildings and brick-lined storefronts in Olde Town mirrored the French Quarter so closely that most viewers never questioned it.
How to Visit Conyers Filming Locations
The Conyers Welcome Center at 901 Railroad Street offers a printed self-guided film tour brochure (open Monday through Friday, 8am–5pm).
You can also download it at visitconyersga.com or use the free Guide to Conyers mobile app, which includes the full film tour under the Tour section.
Bicycles are available to rent from C Town Bikes, directly across from the Welcome Center.
Most key spots sit within easy walking distance on Commercial and Center Streets. Celtic Tavern is still open for food and drinks.
For a guided experience, Filmed in the South runs one- to two-hour walking tours departing from 920 Center Street. Their guides were on-site during filming.
Madison, Georgia: Standing in for Jackson Square
Madison Town Park doubled as New Orleans' Jackson Square in several episodes.
The park's bandstand was designed to replicate the Victorian bandstand that once stood on the site.
Its open, manicured layout photographs as a classic Southern civic square, the same visual quality that makes the real Jackson Square recognizable.
The swap required minimal modification. Madison Town Park is fully public and free to visit.
Macon, Georgia: The Mikaelson Ancestral Home
Hay House at 934 Georgia Avenue in Macon appeared in two episodes as the Mikaelson family's ancestral home.
Built in 1855, it's an Italian Renaissance Revival mansion with 18,000 square feet across 24 rooms.
The interior features Italian Carrara marble fireplaces, trompe l'oeil finishes, 24-karat gold leafing in the plasterwork, and a 30-foot clerestory ceiling in the music room.
It's a National Historic Landmark.
For a family that's been accumulating wealth and power for a thousand years, this house made complete sense on screen.
Hay House Tour Information
Guided tours run Wednesday through Sunday, 10am to 3pm (no noon tour on Wednesdays or Thursdays). Reservations are recommended.
A behind-the-scenes tour also covers the wine cellar, secret room, balcony, and attic, rooms not included on the standard tour.
Rome, Georgia: Outdoor and Bayou Scenes
Parts of Rome's Kingfisher Trail and Silver Creek Trail were closed during filming for outdoor confrontation scenes.
The Bob Moore Bridge on the Silver Creek Trail appeared in a key Season 3 scene featuring Klaus, Marcel, and Elijah.
These paved multiuse paths are part of Rome's ECO Greenway, which runs through downtown along the Etowah River.
The wooded river setting gave the production team natural depth and tree coverage, the kind of environment that's difficult to recreate on a stage.
The trails are public and free to walk or bike. Parking is available at the northern end of the Kingfisher Trail on Branham Avenue.
How Georgia Locations Passed as New Orleans
The swap worked because of architecture, camera framing, and production design.
Olde Town Conyers has cast-iron balconies, 19th-century commercial buildings, and brick-lined streets that photograph almost identically to the French Quarter.
The iron gatework on Commercial and Center Streets mirrors the ornamental ironwork New Orleans is known for.
A green screen along Center Street added a New Orleans skyline to lock in the illusion.
Madison's open town park reads as a Southern civic square from any camera angle, the same quality the real Jackson Square has. No significant modifications were needed.
Hay House required no convincing at all.
An 1855 Italian Renaissance Revival mansion with gold-leafed plasterwork and marble fireplaces is exactly what the Mikaelson ancestral home should look like.
Rome's river trails gave outdoor scenes genuine environmental depth. Dense tree coverage and a moving river are both things that matter on camera and are nearly impossible to fake on a set.
Filming Locations at a Glance
Let’s have a look at the table:
| Scene in the Show | Real Location | City | Visitable? |
| French Quarter streets | Commercial St & Center St, Olde Town | Conyers, GA | Yes |
| Rousseau's Bar | The Sandwich Factory, 903 Commercial St | Conyers, GA | Yes |
| Jardin Gris Voodoo Shop | Simply Naked Candle Co., 906 Center St | Conyers, GA | Yes |
| Gillespie's Pub | Celtic Tavern, 918 Commercial St | Conyers, GA | Yes |
| Elijah vs. Klaus fight scene | Lewis Vaughn Botanical Gardens | Conyers, GA | Yes |
| New Orleans Jackson Square | Madison Town Park | Madison, GA | Yes |
| Mikaelson ancestral home | Hay House, 934 Georgia Ave | Macon, GA | Yes (Wed–Sun) |
| Outdoor confrontation scenes | Kingfisher & Silver Creek Trails | Rome, GA | Yes – free |
| Klaus–Marcel–Elijah bridge scene (S3) | Bob Moore Bridge, Silver Creek Trail | Rome, GA | Yes – free |
| Mikaelson compound exterior | Buckner Mansion, 1410 Jackson Ave | New Orleans, LA | Exterior only |
| French Quarter atmosphere shots | Jackson Square, Royal St, St. Louis Cathedral | New Orleans, LA | Yes |
Behind-the-Scenes Facts Most Fans Don't Know
Production details that don't make it into most coverage:
- The Buckner Mansion was rented for exterior shots only. Interior scenes were never filmed there.
- Some night scenes were shot during daylight hours. Lighting rigs and post-production color grading converted the footage to look like night.
- Joseph Morgan mentioned in interviews that filming on real New Orleans streets influenced his performance as Klaus in ways he hadn't expected.
- The Conyers crew could build and completely strike a full Mardi Gras street scene within a few hours, letting local businesses reopen the same day.
How to Plan a Visit to The Originals Locations
All major filming locations are either free or low-cost, and most are within driving distance of each other in Georgia.
Conyers is the best single stop. Pick up the self-guided brochure at the Welcome Center (901 Railroad St, weekdays 8am–5pm) or download it at visitconyersga.com.
Walk Commercial and Center Streets, then stop at Celtic Tavern for a drink in what used to be Gillespie's Pub.
Macon adds Hay House, open Wednesday through Sunday for guided tours. The address is 934 Georgia Ave. Book ahead, reservations are recommended.
Madison requires almost no planning. Madison Town Park is open and free every day.
Rome's ECO Greenway is free to walk or bike. Park at the northern end of Kingfisher Trail on Branham Avenue.
New Orleans works well as a separate trip. The Buckner Mansion exterior is viewable from 1410 Jackson Avenue. Jackson Square, the French Quarter, and the St. Louis Cathedral are all public.
Conclusion
Honestly, where was The Originals filmed is one of those questions with a genuinely great answer.
New Orleans wasn't just a backdrop. It was a deliberate, smart choice that made the whole show feel alive.
I remember pausing on street shots just to figure out exactly where they were standing. If you're a fan and you ever get the chance, the Garden District and French Quarter are worth visiting.
You'll feel it the second you step onto those streets.
Drop a comment below if you've visited any of these spots. Share this post with a fellow fan who'd love to know. More content like this is on the way.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was The Originals primarily filmed?
The show filmed mainly across four Georgia towns: Conyers, Madison, Macon, and Rome. New Orleans was used for exterior shots, key landmarks, and atmosphere sequences throughout all five seasons.
Is the Mikaelson mansion a real house?
Two real properties served as Mikaelson homes. The compound exterior is the Buckner Mansion at 1410 Jackson Avenue in New Orleans. The ancestral home is Hay House at 934 Georgia Avenue in Macon, which is open for public tours Wednesday through Sunday.
Why did The Originals film in Georgia instead of New Orleans?
Georgia's film and TV tax incentives made the state cost-effective for a multi-season production. Towns like Conyers also had the ornate iron-railed architecture and historic storefronts that could double as the French Quarter on camera.
Did the main cast film on location in New Orleans?
Yes. The main cast worked in New Orleans for exterior and atmosphere scenes. The French Quarter, Jackson Square, and the Buckner Mansion exterior were all shot on-site. Most interior and street scenes were filmed in Conyers, Madison, Macon, and Rome.
