USA TODAY International Edition
TOUR TV’S QUAINT TOWNS
TV has taken us to some memorable make- believe burgs over the decades: There’s Mayberry, N. C. ( The Andy Griffith Show), Cabot Cove, Maine ( Murder, She Wrote), Cicely, Alaska ( Northern Exposure), and Pawnee, Ind. ( Parks and Recreation). USA TODAY’s Jayme Deerwester hits some newer spots on the TV map of the USA, starting with the newest: CW’s Riverdale ( in New York).
RIVERDALE, N. Y. ( RIVERDALE, CW, THURSDAYS, 9 ET/ PT) ACTUAL LOCATION: Vancouver
WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO: Pop Tate’s Chocklit Shoppe because, apparently, if you’re a character in a small town on TV, you eat the majority of your meals at the local diner or malt shop. And once you have a full belly, you can catch a set by Josie and the Pussycats or go looking for former teen stars including Luke Perry and Molly Ringwald. QUIRKY NEIGHBORS: Jughead ( The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’s Cole Spouse) has gotten an emo makeover and traded the comic- book character’s crown for a pointed knit beanie. Riverdale also has its very own Mary Kay Letourneau: music teacher Mrs. Grundy, who has an affair with Archie ( KJ Apa). CROSSOVER ALERT: Keep your eyes peeled for actors from other shows on this list ( Stranger Things’ Shannon Purser and Mädchen Amick, who passed through both Twin Peaks and Gilmore Girls.)
HAWKINS, IND. ( STRANGER THINGS, NETFLIX) ACTUAL LOCATION: Jackson, Ga., about an hour south of Atlanta
WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO: Just escaped being experimented on at the nefarious Hawkins National Laboratory and feeling hungry? Grab a bite at Benny’s Burgers — they’ll feed you even if you show up in a hospital gown. And if you’re worried your kids aren’t getting enough exercise, send them off with the local children on an unsupervised nightly bike ride.
QUIRKY NEIGHBORS: You don’t get much quirkier than Eleven ( breakout star Millie Bobby Brown), a preteen girl with a buzz cut and psychokinetic powers developed at the local government lab. And in Season 2, Hawkins will get its very own conspiracy theorist ( Brett Gelman, who also appears in Twin Peaks).
TWIN PEAKS, WASH. ( TWIN PEAKS, SHOWTIME, MAY 21) ACTUAL LOCATION: Spread across the towns of Snoqualmie, North Bend and Fall City, Wash.
WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO:
You can get that damn fine cup of coffee and a slice of cherry pie at the Double R Diner, and bed down at the Great Northern Hotel. It’s where FBI agent Dale Cooper ( Kyle MacLachlan) bunked while in town to investigate the death of Laura Palmer in the original show. We’re sure there will be more quirky hot spots when the new series premieres this spring.
QUIRKY NEIGHBORS: Inhabiting spirit Mike ( Al Strobel), who cut off his own arm to rid himself of a tattoo; Margaret “Log Lady” Lanterman ( the late Catherine E. Coulson), who shared a psychic connection with the piece of wood she liked to carry around.