The characters of Once Upon a Time traveled between multiple fantastical worlds and stories, which were made visually possible through a number of filming locations. ABC’s hit fantasy drama show Once Upon a Time ended after seven seasons and drew inspiration for characters and storylines from classic and modern fairy tales ranging from Snow White to Frozen. Though the main story primarily took place in the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine, many magical realms were explored throughout the series. Once Upon a Time put a unique twist on characters, stories, and lands many viewers grew up with, and the show’s filming locations were integral to bringing them to life.
Once Upon a Time told its story in two timelines, with the past timeline following the fairy tale characters in the Enchanted Forest before the Evil Queen cursed them to the Land Without Magic where they lived their present lives in Storybrooke. This method allowed for shocking twists, revealing backstories, and the opportunity to delve deeper into the fairy tale world. This was only expanded in the latter seasons when the curse was lifted, and the many villains in Once Upon a Timecaused them to travel to other realms frequently. Here are the filming locations that became Storybrooke, the Enchanted Forest, and so much more.
Steveston, British Columbia
Much of the filming for Once Upon a Time took place in Steveston, a fishing village in Richmond, British Columbia. Steveston served as the main filming location for Storybrooke scenes with the small village being perfect for the fictional seaside town’s exterior and interior shots. The main street in Steveston, Moncton Street, became Once Upon a Time’s main street as well. Buildings used on Moncton Street for filming included the library and its clock tower and Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop.
The official tourism site for Richmond includes information about how Once Upon a Time viewers can visit Steveston’s filming locations. According to the site, from July to September, visitors can pick up a Once Upon a Time walking map and visit key places featured in the series like Cannery Café, which became Granny’s Diner, the hub of Storybrooke where characters like Ruby worked while Emma and others grabbed meals and planned schemes. Steveston’s location was significant to Once Upon a Time and the village has fully embraced the show in return, with various locations even selling Once Upon a Time-themed food and beverages.
North Vancouver, British Columbia
For all seven seasons, Once Upon a Time was filmed in British Columbia, according to Geek Trippers. The Canadian province offered a variety of different locations that were turned into sets, including some in North Vancouver. The Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve’s woodsy terrain was especially useful in the creation of the Enchanted Forest. The area also contains the Spur 4 Bridge, which served as the Once Upon a Time’s T(r)oll Bridge. Outside the forest of North Vancouver is the Haswell Residence, which was the filming location for Granny’s Bed and Breakfast, not to be confused with her diner in Steveston.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver was utilized in many ways on Once Upon a Time, but mainly as a stand-in for other real-world cities outside the fictional Storybrooke. Vancouver is a major film destination that’s often used to film scenes that are too expensive to film in cities like Los Angeles and New York. For Once Upon a Time, this included the pilot episode scenes with Emma in Boston and flashbacks to Emma and Neal’s backstory in Portland, with certain New York City scenes filmed in Gastown, a downtown neighborhood in Vancouver.
Outside these big city scenes, one location in Vancouver that was frequently used in Once Upon a Time was Kerrisdale Elementary School, which was used for the Storybrooke Schools where Henry attended and Mary Margaret taught. Additionally, exterior shots of Jefferson’s mansion were of a beautiful house in Vancouver, his character having helped to inspire the failed spinoff Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. In a rare instance for Vancouver, the location was also used when Neal and August met up in Vancouver at the Helijet Heliport in Once Upon a Time season 2.
New York City
Though some New York City scenes were filmed in Vancouver, the flashbacks of Neal in the Once Upon a Time season 2 opener were actually filmed on location in the Big Apple. Iconic New York City landmarks like Central Park can be seen in the flashbacks along with the Fifth Avenue–59th Street station. This made New York City the only Once Upon a Time location outside British Columbia to be used for filming.
New Westminster, British Columbia
One of the most expensive mid-size cities in Canada is New Westminster, which made it the perfect place for Regina and Mr. Gold’s lavish homes. Regina and Gold were not only two of the most powerful figures in Storybrooke and in Once Upon a Time in general, but two of the richest as well, as they took advantage of the curse to keep their power and luxury. Regina’s house was the colonial revival John H. McDonald House while Gold’s was the Queen Anne revival-style mansion Charles Murray Residence, both located in New Westminster.
Fort Langley, British Columbia
Mayor Mills/Evil Queen was undoubtedly the best Once Upon a Time villain in season 1 before her redemption arc, and while her castle in the Enchanted Forest was impressive, so was the town hall in which she ruled over Storybrooke. The Storybrooke Town Hall was actually the Fort Langley Community Hall in Fort Langley, British Columbia, and was featured mainly in the show’s earlier seasons. The distinct yellow building has also been shown in other major television series like Riverdale, which like Once Upon a Time took advantage of all British Columbia had to offer.
Burnaby, British Columbia
Burnaby might not be an instantly recognizable city name, but it’s the home of the famous Canadian film studio, The Bridge Studios. Once Upon a Time is part of a long list of projects previously filmed there, including Jumanji and another ABC action-adventure show, MacGyver. With its fantasy focus and magical elements, not all of Once Upon a Time could be filmed on location, hence the usage of the studios, where production could set up a green screen. The magic in Once Upon a Time may not always make sense, but it was thanks to the studios and the visual effects team that it could be brought to the screen.
Burnaby was used for some of Once Upon a Time’s actual on-location filming as well, with the Burnaby Village Museum having been transformed into the Convent of The Sisters of Saint Meissa for the series. In an interesting twist, all the fairies became nuns when Regina cast the First Curse, and the convent was where they stayed. Burnaby also provided some outside locations, with Deer Lake Park used for Aurora and Mulan’s camp scenes in Once Upon a Time season 2 and Central Park featured throughout, notably used to bring Camelot to life in season 5.
Sources: Visit Richmond BC, Geek Trippers
