True Blood Filming Locations


Southern California Locations - Louisiana Locations - Clickable Map of All Locations






Q. What is it supposed to be on the show?
    A. A Southern mansion.

Q. Where is it supposed to be on the show?

    A. In 1885 Bon Temps, Louisiana.

Q. When did we see it on the show?

    A. In Episode 7, of Season 7, "May Be the Last Time".

    In an earlier flashback scene to the Civil War days, Bill's father tells him that he must marry a women he has never seen, named Caroline Shelby.

    Because his father used the word "comely" to describe her, Bill fears the worst.

    In this scene, set at a party at the Shelby estate, he meets his future wife for the first time, and is relieved to discover that she is, in fact, a beautiful young woman.

Q. What is it actually, in real life?

    A. An actual mansion, but not in the South.

Q. Where can I find it in real life?
    A. This colonial mansion is the former home of the legendary actor/writer/director Orson Welles, who gave the world "Citizen Kane".

    You'll find it at 1717 N. Stanley Avenue, in the Hollywood Hills.

    Mr. Welles died in this house, and it's said that, to this day, the spot on the floor where he fell is still outlined in tape.


The location: The Shelby Estate



Here is a photo of the mansion:


   Here's a Google StreetView of the house (due to the trees & foliage, not much is visible from the street).

   Here is an aerial photo of the house.  And here is a map link.

[ Warning: This is a private home.  Do not trespass on their property,
knock on their door, or do anything else that might disturb the residents. ]

As you can see from this photo of the home's front lawn:


...it appears to show a front lawn that is much smaller than the sweeping lawn seen in the
opening shot of a party being held in front of the mansion.  Aerial photos of the house seem
to confirm that.   So, I have to assume that we are looking at a bit of CGI magic at work.

( If I had to guess, I'd wager that they may have filmed the lawn scene at the Arboretum,
where they filmed the stable scene, and then used CGI to blend the two locations.
But that is just a guess. )


Q. How the heck did you figure out where it was?

A.  This one surprised me, when it popped up on the show, but I knew it looked familiar.  I was almost fooled by the apparently huge front lawn, but I finally recognized it as Orson Welles' old mansion, and I realized that they must have faked the shot with the big lawn.







True Blood Filming Locations

Southern California Locations - Louisiana Locations - Clickable Map of All Locations

The True Blood screenshots from the show & all related characters & elements are trademarks of and © HBO.
All other photos & text are Copyright © 1999-2024-Gary Wayne and may not be used without written permission.


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