'Sweet Magnolias' was filmed in the South, not South Carolina

The fourth protagonist of Netflix's romantic drama "Sweet Magnolias" (opens in new tab) is the fictional town of Serenity, South Carolina (opens in new tab), which is as central to the show's DNA as Stars Hollow in "Gilmore Girls." Of course, Serenity doesn't exist outside of the book series by Cheryl Woods, on which the Netflix show is based. (Open in new tab) But fans wonder: where is the idyllic small town where "Sweet Magnolias" was filmed? Does it exist?

I mean, it's not in South Carolina, but it's still in the South. (I will be floored every time someone on this show says "Bless your heart.") Covington is a city of 13,000 people in Georgia, known as the "Hollywood of the South," according to Explore Georgia (opens in new tab). (opens in new tab)

It is...

Clearly, there is something going on in Covington. That's because multiple hit shows have been filmed here (the city's Instagram bio also mentions it (opens in new tab)). Before Sweet Magnolias, dozens of hit shows and movies were filmed here, including The Dukes of Hazzard, In the Heat of the Night, and Legacies.

The city is most famous as a location for "The Vampire Diaries," attracting tourists to the "Vampire Diaries Tour" (open in new tab), which takes enthusiastic fans to locations featured in the series.

In the preface to Stealing Home, a book in the Sweet Magnolias series, Woods wrote that Serenity is modeled on the town of Sumter, South Carolina. Of the people of this town, Woods writes: (opens in new tab) "Thank you for the warm welcome, the laughter, the good food, and the inspiration for this new community."

Sumter has a population of 40,000 according to the census, so it is considerably larger than Covington. Sumter is known as "Gamecock City."

The city's tourism website (opens in new tab) states, "The beautiful and quaint downtown area is the perfect backdrop for this new romance drama premiering on Netflix: ...... The romantic drama comes alive when you walk through the square and picture three friends sitting on a bench, laughing and talking like only best friends do. This setting is perfect for the romantic turn of events told in Sweet Magnolias."

It may be a product of troubled times, but fans of "Sweet Magnolias" love the tight-knit town of Serenity.

That's good news.

In the series, Dana Sue Sullivan, played by Brooke Elliott, runs Sullivan's Restaurant and serves as head chef. The real-life Sullivan's Restaurant is called Mystic Grill and can be visited. The reviews on TripAdvisor are glowing (opens in new tab): "This place was amazing. The decor is comfortable and the service is exceptional. Attention to detail. Not only was the food we had delicious, but the presentation was impressive as well."

"The food was delicious and the service was excellent.