Season 5 of Virgin River has officially arrived, and it delivers everything fans love: heartfelt romance, emotional twists, and the signature small-town charm. Beyond the electric connection between Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and Jack (Martin Henderson), viewers are treated to stunning landscapes — from towering redwoods and scenic mountains to familiar town favorites like Jack’s Bar and Doc Mullins’ clinic. The cozy visuals may leave fans wondering if they can step into the world of Virgin River themselves.
So, is Virgin River a real place?
Before the show first premiered in 2019, Robyn Carr — the author of the Virgin River book series that inspired the show — made it clear that the town is purely fictional. In a 2018 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she explained, “It’s idealized, it’s utopian, it’s the perfect small town. People always write and ask, ‘Where is it? I want to visit,’ and I have to remind them it only exists in our hearts and minds.”
Still, Carr believes the spirit of Virgin River can be recreated anywhere. “You can feel that sense of community in your own neighborhood, church group, school, or local organization,” she said. “It’s about making the effort to create it.” She even described Virgin River as a character in itself — a place where everyone supports one another.
Though the show is set in a fictional Northern California town of around 600 residents, Netflix chose to film it elsewhere. Most of Virgin River is shot in Vancouver and nearby locations across British Columbia, such as Snug Cove on Bowen Island, Burnaby, and Port Coquitlam, according to Country Living.
As for Jack’s Bar — the unofficial gathering place of the town — the exterior scenes are filmed at the Watershed Grill in Brackendale, which sits along the Squamish River, just north of Vancouver. The inside shots, however, are filmed on a studio set.
Other notable locations, like Doc’s clinic, Mel’s cozy cabin, and Paige’s bakery, are scattered across the Vancouver area. Doc’s clinic, for example, is filmed in a real house located in the historic Queen’s Park neighborhood of New Westminster — a home that was recently listed for $2.3 million.
Interestingly, there is a real Virgin River — it’s a small tributary of the Colorado River in the United States. So while fans
