{"id":6495,"date":"2019-07-03T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/news\/?p=6495"},"modified":"2022-07-14T23:08:06","modified_gmt":"2022-07-15T03:08:06","slug":"stranger-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/stranger-things","title":{"rendered":"6 Towns That Can Double for Hawkins, Indiana in Stranger Things"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

OMG. Tomorrow, season three of Stranger Things<\/em> will launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Stranger Things 2<\/em><\/a> season finale left many of us wondering about the Mind Flayer and what it now means that this thing<\/em> knows about Eleven?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OK. You haven’t watched Stranger Things<\/em>, the show written by the Duffer brothers that Rotten Tomatoes describes as a “love letter to the ’80s classics that captivated a generation.”? Not to worry. You can catch up on this story that starts off with the mysterious disappearance of a young boy from a small town known as Hawkins, Indiana. Binge-watch the entire season (or two if you haven’t watched the first season \u2014 along with 91 original Netflix series and 47 movies that Rotten Tomatoes’ editors<\/a> so graciously review \u2014 before July 4, 2019, when season 3 hits Netflix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yep, you heard it. Those waiting to find out whether or not this band of misfit friends, family and local police will get any answers as they continue to be drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments and terrifying supernatural forces comes to an end on July 4, 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But until that day, consider how these six Canadian towns could easily double for Hawkins, Indiana, the town that’s become the backdrop for this soon-to-be cult-classic show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to put together our list, we wanted to roll with towns that really borrowed from the pieces that make Hawkins that perfect midwestern sci-fi town \u2014 whether it’s the surrounding nature, the more mysterious buildings (like a laboratory), or simply the sweet charm of a small town. Here are the top six contenders for the Canadian town that could double for Stranger Things’ <\/em>town of Hawkins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. St. Marys (Ontario)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"St
The St Marys Independent<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

St. Mary<\/a>\u2019s is essentially the definition of a classic Canadian town. You have the quintessential main drag, not unlike Hawkins, but what really takes the cake is that this Canadian town has a quarry located just off its main strip. While the St. Mary’s quarry is not nearly as tense as the quarry in Stranger Things<\/em>, it’s still a cool place for kids (and adults) to cool off in the summer. (Word on the street is they even have a water trampoline!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Sauble Beach<\/a> (Ontario)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"10<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the most iconic things about Hawkins has to be the sign. The \u201cWelcome To Hawkins\u201d is bold, beautiful and screams 1980s kitsche. It\u2019s the perfect introduction to any small town and in Canada, the best example of this warm welcome is the “Welcome to Sauble Beach” sign. Often photographed, it’s hard to forget this charming beach town in Ontario<\/a> and part of the attraction is its memorable sign. While it might not look exactly the same as the Hawkins sign, it certainly remains an enduring symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Chalk River (Ontario)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Chalk<\/a>
National Research Council of Canada \/ Chalk River Laboratory security precautions, 1945<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve watched Stranger Things<\/em>, you know that the Hawkins National Laboratory is a major player in the story. M.A.J.O.R. player. So, we can’t go across Canada looking for a Hawkins stand-in without finding a town with a laboratory. Thankfully, Chalk River<\/a>, Ontario<\/a> doesn’t disappoint. Yes, there are differences. The Chalk River lab isn’t surrounded by forest and it played a huge role in Canadian military history, rather than privately-funded scientific research, but the history still lends itself to super-secrecy and cool cover-ups. (We joke!) Turns out the super small town of Chalk River in Northern Ontario actually housed a nuclear research facility during World War II, which is why the Chalk River lab exists \u2014 why photographs were once strictly prohibited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Okotoks (Alberta)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Okotoks
Family Fun Canada<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yes, Hawkins is close to a science lab and has a cool welcome sign, but the biggest factor is that the vibe truly encapsulates that great midwestern-American charm. But that doesn’t mean Canada doesn’t have towns with similar charm and neighbourly vibes. One of the best examples is Okotoks<\/a>, Alberta. Located just south of Calgary<\/a>, this town is a homey place that is both stunningly picturesque and super-friendly. The only difference? We\u2019re pretty sure nothing nefarious has ever gone down in Okotoks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Kelowna (British Columbia)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Lake
Trover<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lover\u2019s Lake just outside of Hawkins is a special spot and we had to search across Canada for a suitable comparison. While not quite the awesome shape of Lover’s Lake, we were still struck by the beauty of Kelowna’s Okanagan Lake. This B.C.<\/a> city offers both abundant green space, plenty of snow sports activities, as well as a beautiful lake. Kelowna<\/a>‘s lake has the charming look down pat plus it’s got that extra-oomph only charming Canadiana and the great outdoors can offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Ch\u00e9ticamp (Nova Scotia)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Cape
Cape Breton Highlands National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the most iconic factors of Hawkins is the huge forest right in their own backyard. Forest Hills Park plays a large role in the series and was actually inspired by the lush green spaces of North Carolina. For that reason, we just had to go with Ch\u00e9ticamp<\/a> in Nova Scotia<\/a>, which borders the Cape Breton<\/a> Highlands National Park. Known as where the mountains meet the ocean, we\u2019re pretty sure the views and the adventures that could happen here might even rival those in the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s our dive into the Canadian towns that could play body double to Hawkins in Stranger Things<\/em>. Do they have their own stories worth telling? That\u2019s going to be for you to find out! All we know is that they already have the look down perfectly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we wait for the release of Stranger Things season 3, we figured we’d find the best Canadian towns could double for Hawkins, Indiana, the iconic backdrop of this soon-to-be cult-classic show<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"guide":[],"class_list":["post-6495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"acf":[],"zolo_excerpt":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6495"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21683,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6495\/revisions\/21683"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6495"},{"taxonomy":"guide","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.zolo.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/guide?post=6495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}