TWD Scavenger Hunt: Grantville

Spring Break this year was quite an adventure, as my mom, my 13 year-old son and I hit the road for Georgia, and an epic scavenger hunt for former filming locations of The Walking Dead.  I’ve posted previously about the road trip down as well as our first official touring day stop in Newnan, GA.   

We left Newnan mid-morning and made our way to Grantville.  I had heard from a friend about an amazing tour there in Grantville that included Morgan’s apartment from the well-known episode “Clear,” (Season 3 Episode 12).  Through her recommendation, I connected with Rebecca, the tour guide, via their Facebook page, and found out the days/times for tours.

When we arrived in Grantville, it was easy to recognize some of the filming locations, as the entire main street had been used in that episode!  We parked in front of Grantville Dead Walking Tour building, but found it locked.  Much to our surprise, a truck pulled over and asked us if we were waiting for a tour with Rebecca.  Turns out the gentleman in the truck was Mayor Jim, the former Mayor of Grantville and owner of the building housing Morgan’s apartment!  He used to do some of the tours himself, and my good friend Suzie speaks very highly of him.  He was so sweet and quickly called Rebecca from his cell phone.  She was on her way, so we just enjoyed ambling around, looking at the buildings nearby.

 

Once she arrived, we paid for our 30 minute tour and the fun began!  Rebecca was so sweet and incredibly knowledgeable about the filming industry in Grantville.  She spent a lot of time telling stories about The Walking Dead as well as the many movies that had filmed in the town.  It was clear that she takes great pride in Grantville and is a true TWD fan.  Because we were on the 30 minute tour, the focus was primarily on “Clear” and how the street was used, along with the apartment.  It was so exciting to see the Welcome mat and to head up those treacherous stairs to the apartment!  Rebecca shared with us that after filming was complete, the crew removed all traces of the writing on the walls or any hints that they had even been there.  It was a team of people in Grantville who painstakingly recreated everything on the walls.  She admitted that a few things were changed, as this was a family tour, so some of the language needed to be tweaked for that purpose.  The apartment has a guest book that we were able to sign as we went in.  The episode primarily showed just one large room, so it was interesting to see the rest of the space as we moved through.  What they were able to recreate was just incredible, and it felt like we were a part of the story, walking around, reading Morgan’s writing on the walls and checking out his supplies.  The views from the apartment were amazing, and Rebecca took the time to point out some other filming locations which we visited after the tour on our own.  We had such a great time on the tour, and my mom, who you know (if you read the first post about this trip) is not a TWD fan, spent so much time visiting with Rebecca that I had to keep reminding her we had other places to visit and Rebecca might have other things to tell us! 

As we left the apartment, ending our (very) extended 30 minute tour, it started to rain, so even though other sites were within walking distance, we opted to drive around.  We saw the baby store where Carl said he wanted to pick up a crib for Judith, Kings County Café where he and Michonne retrieve a Grimes family photo and a paper mache’ cat, and the “Away With You” wall behind which Morgan would burn the walkers he killed (all from “Clear,” season 3 episode 12).  While the words were removed from the outer portion of the wall, they were recreated inside for visitors to get the full effect.  Unfortunately, tourists have come by and taken bricks out of the wall as souvenirs, causing a lot of damage that needs to be repaired.  So as a reminder, please just take pictures and be respectful of the property you visit, or it may not be there and available to you next time.  This is why we can’t have nice things kids!

Three other stops we drove by while in Grantville were the Old Grantville Mill, where Andrea ran from the Governor as she tried to get back to the prison, and the funeral home and cemetery where Daryl and Beth rest and where they are later separated and Beth is kidnapped.  We only saw the back of the mill area, as the gates were closed and we couldn’t walk down to see the front of the buildings.  The funeral home is actually a gorgeous private residence that was for sale at the time of our visit!  From the pictures on Facebook, you can see some of the areas used for filming.  What’s interesting is that the home is not on the cemetery property at all.  We drove past the cemetery as we were leaving town and making our way on to Sharpsburg and Senoia!

Now for a few tips/recommendations based on what we learned from this part of the trip:

1.  1.  Map out your route:  If your time is limited, and you want to see as much as you can, take the time to look at a map and put together an itinerary that will work for you.  I think the only reason we were able to see so much was because we did our best not to back-track if at all possible.  Again, I highly recommend using The Walking Dead Locations google map as a resource, as well as The Location Press Book:  Locations of T.W.D. (which I picked up when we visited Senoia, but you can also order online through https://www.facebook.com/TheLocationPress or www.thewoodburyshoppe.net .

2.      

          2.   Grantville Dead Walking Tour:  Have I raved enough about Rebecca and the tour yet?  NO!  It was truly a fabulous tour and Rebecca made us feel her energy for Grantville, its movie and TV history, and what she’s hoping for in the future.  The only things that could’ve even possibly made our time better would’ve been if it hadn’t rained, and if the apartment next door had been available on Airbnb, lol!!  (It is now, and by golly, I’m going to stay there someday!!  https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/12981348 )  Anyway, I know that one of the Atlanta Movie Tours: Big Zombie Tours is now visiting Grantville, but please take advantage of having this local tour available, because it’s well worth it!  And the price is fantastic!  You can learn more about the tour at https://www.facebook.com/grantvillewalkingdead and be sure to visit Rebecca’s other page at https://www.facebook.com/ZisforzombieLLC .