Where was The Waltons filmed? (2024)

FAQs

Where was The Waltons actually filmed? ›

The TV series The Waltons tells the story of a family from the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia during the 1930s and 1940s. Warner Bros. Studios' rear lot served as The Waltons' primary film set, but additional scenes came to life around other locations in California and Virginia.

The Hamner House (Earl's childhood home) was sold on January 12, 2023. It is now a private residence and no longer included in the tour of the B&B. Admission is $15 per person over 12 years of age.

The James River and Rivanna River are real rivers you can visit and just a few miles from Schuyler. Waynesboro and Richmond are frequently mentioned in the television show and are near at hand. You will find another familiar Walton's locale just a few miles from Schuyler – the town of Charlottesville.

The show aired from 1971-1981 and won an Emmy in 1974. The original house that served as the backdrop to Hamner's childhood was built in the early 20th century in the village of Schuyler in Nelson County, where it still stands today.

The love stories carried over behind the scenes. Ma and Pa Walton — Ralph Waite and Michael Learned — quietly fell on love on set. And remember Jason and Toni, who we just mentioned in the prior paragraph? Well, actors Jon Walmsley and Lisa Harrison tied the knot in real life in 1979!

Setting. The main story is set in Walton's Mountain, a fictional mountain community in the fictitious Jefferson County, Virginia. The real place upon which the stories are based is the community of Schuyler in Nelson County, Virginia.

In addition to the Walton characters, other roles, such as the “recipe-making” Baldwin sisters and General Store owner, Ike Godsey were also inspired by real people.

In real life, John-Boy was indeed Hamner, creator and narrator of the show as well as author of Spencer's Mountain. Now he is gone. He was 92, a veteran of World War II, one of America's best-loved writers and, as the narrator of The Waltons, a much-loved voice.

The new owners, Carole Johnson of Ukiah, California, Ray Castro of New Jersey, and Kirstin DeMaio of Michigan, plan to open it up for tours. The Waltons Hamner House opens Friday and tickets will be available at the Walton Mountain Museum across the street.

All of the Waltons were based on real people — Hamner's family, his grandfather and grandmother, his father and mother, and his brothers and sisters, of whom there were seven in the show but eight in real life.

How many of The Waltons are still alive? ›

Although three of the older family members — Grandma Walton (Ellen Corby), Grandpa Walton (Will Geer) and dad John (Ralph Waite) — have passed away in real life, the seven Walton children are alive and well, and even grandparents themselves!

Deep in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the legend of television's Walton family lives on in the tiny town of Schuyler, Va.

As the oldest son of Olivia and John Walton, John-Boy was an integral part of the Depression-era family drama. But after spending much of his early 20s portraying the bookish would-be writer, Thomas felt it was time to do something different. “In the infinite wisdom of a 26-year-old I decided it was time to move on,...

Curt leaves the town when called up to service in the years preceding World War 2. Mary Ellen is planning to head to Hawaii to be with Curt when the attack by the Japanese occurs in December 1941. Declared a military casualty in the attack, he later shows up alive, played by Scott Hylands.

Although Becker appeared in eight episodes of The Waltons and came back for the reunion movies, Drew and Elizabeth never tied the knot on the series.

Earl Hamner Jr., creator of the hit CBS-TV series The Waltons, attended Richmond College during Boatwright's tenure, and named the fictional Boatwright University where the character of John-Boy Walton attended college after him.

The Baldwin Sisters, for example - those mischievous ladies who liked to nip from a bottle hidden in a purse - were taken from real life. In Schuyler, they were really a mother and a daughter whose fondness for their own homemade ``recipe'' - moonshine - was well known.

The Rifleman Locations

The make-believe town of North Fork was vividly realized on a CBS sound stage. However, most outdoor sequences were shot at the 20th Century Fox Ranch in Malibu Creek State Park and Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, Los Angeles.