Dexter Filming Locations: Santa's Land (murder scene)

             

The location: Santa's Land (crime scene).


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

    A. A temporary Christmas village called "Santas Land" (set at an outdoor shopping center).


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

    A. In Miami.


Q. When did we see it on the show?

    A. In Episode 11 (of Season 1), "Truth Be Told".

    It's a Santa's Village at a shopping center, with a North Pole setting, complete little people dressed as elves, and fake snow falling amidst the "Miami" palm trees.

    It becomes a roped-off crime scene when the "Ice Truck Killer" leaves the body parts of another of his victims there, this time as presents under the Christmas tree.

    He also leaves behind a video tape of the terrified victim reading a message while hanging upside down.

    And he sets a nearby clock to 1:03 - a clue for Dexter.


Q. What is it actually in real life?

    A. A shopping/dining village - but not in Miami.


Q. Where can I find it in real life?

    A. The scene was filmed at Shoreline Village, a charming, nautical-themed shopping & dining village in Long Beach, CA.

    Built around the Shoreline marina, it's boardwalk offered the producers the kind of tropical Miami ambiance they were looking for.

    (The "Santa's Land" isn't really there, of course... that was just a Christmas few props added for the scene.)

    You'll find Shoreline Village just past the southern end of the Long Beach (710) freeway, at 429 Shoreline Village Drive, in Long Beach, CA. (That's on the south side of Shoreline Drive, just east of the new Aquarium of the Pacific.)

    They put up the "Santa's Land" set in an open patio space between buildings near the middle of the village, near both the "Off-Boardwalk Stage" and a shop called "Ice Cream & Yogurt on the Boardwalk" (which can be seen in the background of the scene).

    Click here for a map of Shoreline Village's shops, with a red X marking the filming location..

    In real life, the Village offers a fine view of the Queen Mary across the blue Long Beach bay, intriguing restaurants like Parker's Lighthouse, and it is within walking distance of both the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific and the new Pike at Rainbow Harbor development.

    Here's an aerial photo with the exact location marked. And here is a map link.

    Below are two photos of Shoreline Village that I shot back in 2006.


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

    A. I've been to Shoreline Village numerous times, and I immediately  recognized it. I easily pinpointed the exact location in the Village, since a sign for the Boardwalk Yogurt shop is visible in the scene. And for more evidence, in the background, across the marina, you can spot the round, gazebo-like entrance to the pedestrian bridge which leads from the Village, across Shoreline Drive, to the Long Beach Convention Center.



 
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