Confession: I have a Trekky-level obsession with Gilmore Girls and the fictional town of Stars Hollow. I’ve watched every episode countless times – even the much-hated season 7. I got into Gilmore Girls around 2005 and have been an avid fan of the show since.
Needless to say, I was thrilled when news broke about the Gilmore Girls revival on Netflix. In the meantime, I got my fix by watching reruns. I also visited Unionville, Ontario where the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls was filmed!
Real Life Stars Hollow AKA Unionville, Ontario
A huge draw of Gilmore Girls is the fictional town of Stars Hollow. The town, and the series as a whole was inspired by Amy Sherman-Palladino’s visit to Washington Depot, Connecticut.
The pilot episode was filmed in Unionville, Ontario. Unionville is a historic town near Toronto, which was subsequently recreated on the Warner Bros lot.
The opening scene of the Gilmore Girls pilot episode takes place on Unionville’s Main Street. Lorelei crosses the street to Luke’s Diner and begs him for coffee, kicking off one of the most underrated tv shows in history.
Now if you’re a serious Gilmore Girls fan, Unionville has probably been on your list of places to visit. I googled Unionville and it was just as picturesque as Stars Hollow. With not one but two gazebos, a pond perfectly named Toogood Pond in Toogood Park, loads of adorable little shops occupying Main Street, and enough charming buildings to give you flashbacks of Stars Hollow.
My Visit to Stars Hollow AKA Unionville, Ontario: How It Happened
A month ago I was in Toronto, under some not-so-great circumstances. Sight-seeing or doing anything fun for that matter wasn’t on my agenda. At one point I mentioned to my parents that I’d like to come back at a later time and check out Unionville. My dad brought it up in front of my cousins, who insisted I tell them the name of the town. I refused. I just thought it was in poor taste to ask people to take me sight-seeing while they were mourning a loved one.
A few days later, my cousins and I piled into a car and hit up a Tim Horton’s drive-through. “So what was the name of that town you wanted to visit?” my cousin asked. We sparred over the fact that I wouldn’t tell him, until I finally relented after insisting that we wouldn’t go: “Unionville.” “Oh that’s like 15 minutes away from here. This is the perfect time to go.”
The timing was perfect. By the time we arrived, it had gotten dark, the twinkle lights were on, and the entire town looked straight out of a storybook.
Main Street Unionville, Ontario (AKA Stars Hollow)
On our way towards Main Street, we even passed a series of houses that looked similar to those occupied by the residents of Stars Hollow. This house we drove past bore a striking resemblance to Lorelai Gilmore’s House on the show…
Searching for Luke’s Diner and the Town Gazebo
My goal was to find the town gazebo and the building where Luke’s Diner was filmed. I pulled out my phone to look up their locations. The building standing in for Luke’s Diner was on 156 Main Street, while the gazebo was further down the street.
My cousin pulled over in the parking lot of what looked like a church, but turned out to be a TV and Stereo store. Oddly enough, there was an actual church two blocks down, which looked exactly like this one.
We walked towards Main Street and that’s when the 7-degree weather hit me and I began losing feeling in my hands and toes. We passed a cute little dress boutique called Paris Fashions and this quaint little shop, which turned out to be a Spanx store. What is a Spanx store doing in Stars Hollow?!?! Taylor Doose would not approve.
Taylor’s Olde Fashioned Soda Shoppe?
When we couldn’t find any buildings resembling Luke’s Diner, we walked into the Old Firehall Confectionery to ask for help. I had no doubt it was the inspiration for Taylor’s Olde Fashioned Soda Shoppe
I felt slightly stupid, pulling out my phone and showing the very nice cashier the building I was looking for. She said we’d passed it and told me it was two or three buildings down.
We followed her instructions and ended up at the Tucci Armadio Ladies Boutique, which looked similar to Luke’s Diner. Later, I found out I got it wrong once again. The Paris Fashions Dress boutique next door was actually the filming location of Luke’s Diner, not Tucci Armadio.
Luke’s Diner in Real-Life Stars Hollow, Unionville
We walked around a bit more and passed yet another corporate place – Starbucks! That would not fly with Taylor Doose. Or Lorelai. But then again, Luke’s Diner isn’t around anymore so where else is a girl supposed to get her coffee fix?
Sorry if this is all a little too inside baseball. You really need to watch the show to know what I’m talking about.
Kim’s Antiques in Real-Life Stars Hollow, Unionville
There was even a small home decor place called Isla Home that could have been a stand-in for Kim’s Antiques in Stars Hollow.
Snow in Stars Hollow AKA Unionville, Ontario
As we passed what I later realized was Luke’s Diner, the most Gilmore of moments happened: It started snowing. The kicker? The snow sparkled with what appeared to be flecks of glitter.
On Gilmore Girls, Lorelei had an obsession with snow. She considered it a magical time because every great thing that ever happened to her, happened while it snowed.
Having sparkling snow falling as we were making our way down the street where the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls was filmed (and just past the character’s favorite hangout spot) couldn’t have been more perfect.
Unionville’s town gazebo(s)
I took a lot of photos of cute little shops that resembled buildings around Stars Hollow. Then my cousin found the town gazebo. There are two and they are pretty much across the street from each another.
My hands and feet were frozen and my face felt like it had been injected with a Real Housewives dose of botox. I was wearing a knee-length dress with tights and a coat. I’m not used to wearing gloves, so I left those in the car. Man did I regret it at that moment!
Barely able to hold my phone, I stood across the street and snapped a picture of the gazebo. I literally couldn’t stand out there anymore (let alone cross the street), so I decided this snap was sufficient.
We headed back to the car and even though I was wearing 4-inch heels, I ran as best as I could. I grew up in Germany where it snowed every winter, but I have never experienced weather this cold before. We all hopped in the car, blasted the heater, and waited for our limbs to thaw before driving back home.
Final Thoughts on Visiting Stars Hollow AKA Unionville, Ontario
I loved my short but sweet visit to Unionville, Ontario. As a huge Gilmore Girls fan obsessed with Stars Hollow, it was awesome seeing the town where the show’s pilot episode was filmed.
If you’re a Gilmore Girls fan and want to relive the magic of the show and its fictional setting in Stars Hollow, a visit to Unionville is definitely in order.
Have you been to Unionville, Ontario or any of the other locations that inspired the show Gilmore Girls?
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