By James Hibbs

Published: Tuesday, 02 August 2022 at 12:00 am


Stranger Things has typically been a show set in a small town in America, but season 4 saw that notion busted wide open as it became a far more expansive, globe-trotting adventure.

The Netflix hit’s enormous cast of characters was split up this season, with some remaining in different parts of America and some sent further afield.

With plenty of time also spent in the Upside Down, it’s perhaps unsurprising that this was the longest and most epic season yet, with the finale clocking in at over two hours long.

But just where is the series set, and which locations were used for filming throughout this fourth season? Read on for everything you need to know about the filming locations for Stranger Things.

Where is Stranger Things set?

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Steve, Robin, Max and Dustin in Stranger Things
Netflix

Up until season 4, almost the entirety of Stranger Things was set in Hawkins, a fictional town in the real US state of Indiana.

However, this most recent season changed things up, with much of the action set elsewhere. There was still a group we followed in Hawkins, but there were also groups in California and Russia.

Where are the Hawkins scenes filmed?

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The cast of Stranger Things season 4
Netflix

Since the very start of the series, scenes set in Hawkins have been filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, which is home to numerous studios and productions. Marvel films are often shot there, as are shows including The Walking Dead and Atlanta.

Specific locations used for filming in the Atlanta area include Emory University, which doubles as the Hawkins Nation Laboratory, old school building Patrick Henry High School, which is used for both the show’s middle school and high school, and 45 Pray Street in Douglasville, which is used for the Hawkins police station.

Where were the Russia scenes filmed?

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The Stranger Things cast.
Tina Rowden/Netflix

For Hopper, Joyce and Murray’s season 4 scenes in Russia, filming actually took place in Lithuania, including in the centuries old Lukiškės Prison in Vilnius, which doubled as the prison Hopper was kept in.

The location has now been converted into an Airbnb for fans of the show to stay in, so if you fancy a spell in Hopper’s wintry jail cell (and why wouldn’t you?) you can check in now. The rest of the snowy scenes for the season were also shot in and around Vilnius.

Where were the California scenes filmed?

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Will, Jonathan, Mike and Argyle in Stranger Things season 4.
Netflix

Season 4 also saw a storyline play out in California as Eleven, Will, Jonathan and Joyce moved there and Mike came to visit.

These scenes were reportedly filmed in Albuquerque in New Mexico, with Eldorado High School doubling as the fictional Californian Lenora Hills High School.

A particularly memorable scene set in a roller skating rink was filmed at Roller King, a skating rink in Albuquerque, while further California scenes were filmed around Los Lunas, a village in New Mexico’s Valencia County.

Stranger Things seasons 1-4 are available to stream on Netflix now.

Check out our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on NetflixIf you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.

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