Stranger Things season 5 was primarily filmed in and around Atlanta, Georgia, with the fictional town of Hawkins once again brought to life using several real towns across the state. Much of the Upside Down and key interior sets were shot on soundstages in the Atlanta area.

Main filming locations

  • Hawkins, Indiana (town scenes) – Filmed mainly in Jackson, Georgia, whose downtown streets and civic buildings stand in for the core Hawkins locations. This includes many of the familiar storefronts and street exteriors seen throughout the season.
  • Neighborhood houses (Wheeler, Byers, etc.) – Suburban exteriors are filmed in residential areas around East Point and other Atlanta suburbs, which continue the established look from earlier seasons.
  • Creel House and other key homes – The Creel House and Turnbow Mansion–style locations are shot in and around Rome and Stone Mountain, Georgia, giving the season its gothic, haunted-house feel.

Notable season 5 sets

  • “The Squawk” radio station – A purpose-built set near Chattahoochee Hills, southwest of Atlanta, used for the WSQK 94.5 FM station that features prominently in season 5.
  • College / campus scenes – University scenes (such as Dustin’s college storyline) were filmed at Oglethorpe University in Brookhaven, whose stone buildings provide a more academic, fortress-like backdrop.
  • Cemeteries and rural outskirts – Cemetery scenes, farms, and edge‑of‑town landscapes were filmed around Stone Mountain and rural Brooks, Georgia, to create the eerie, small‑town‑meets‑cosmic‑horror atmosphere.

Studio work and Upside Down

  • Many interior locations and Upside Down environments were filmed on soundstages in the Atlanta area (including major studio complexes previously used in past seasons).
  • These controlled sets allow heavy visual effects, explosions, and supernatural sequences that would be difficult to stage on location, especially for the final‑season scale of season 5.

Quick HTML table of key spots

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Show location</th>
      <th>Real-world location</th>
      <th>Region</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Hawkins town center</td>
      <td>Jackson, Georgia[web:1][web:3][web:7]</td>
      <td>Metro Atlanta area[web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Neighborhood houses</td>
      <td>East Point & suburbs[web:1][web:8]</td>
      <td>Atlanta metro[web:1][web:8]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Creel House / mansions</td>
      <td>Rome & Stone Mountain, Georgia[web:1][web:3]</td>
      <td>North Georgia[web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>“The Squawk” radio station</td>
      <td>Purpose-built set near Chattahoochee Hills[web:1][web:3]</td>
      <td>Southwest of Atlanta[web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>College / campus</td>
      <td>Oglethorpe University, Brookhaven[web:1][web:3]</td>
      <td>North Atlanta[web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Cemetery & outskirts</td>
      <td>Stone Mountain, Georgia[web:1][web:3]</td>
      <td>East of Atlanta[web:1][web:3]</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Trending and fan chatter

  • In late 2025, fan forums and social posts frequently shared behind‑the‑scenes photos of Jackson’s downtown dressed as Hawkins and reports of production around Mountain Park, malls, and quarries in the Atlanta region.
  • Creator and cast interviews consistently frame season 5 as a “return to Hawkins,” which matches the heavy reuse of Georgia locations from earlier seasons rather than a major geographic shift to new states or countries.

TL;DR: Stranger Things season 5 was filmed mainly in Georgia—especially Jackson (for Hawkins), multiple Atlanta suburbs, Stone Mountain, Chattahoochee Hills, and Atlanta soundstages for the Upside Down and interiors.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.