Since the release of the Netflix original “Stranger Things” in 2016, the show has exponentially grown in popularity. The majority of the show was filmed in Atlanta and its surrounding towns, and filming locations around Georgia have become well-known due to their feature on the show. 

Atlanta residents have the opportunity to see the filming locations of the show around the state, and different businesses have jumped on the opportunity to profit from the show’s success. One example of this is the filming location for the Byers’ house, which has been turned into an Airbnb. Bret Neuman, a member of the company that bought the property, described their goal in its development. 

“Our biggest hope is that guests feel completely transported into the ‘Stranger Things’ world, Neuman said. “Whether they’re superfans recreating scenes from the show, snapping photos for social media, or just looking for a one-of-a-kind getaway, we want their stay to be unforgettable.”

With the show being filmed in Georgia, residents have a unique perspective when watching the show. Senior John Dunaway appreciates the connection that watchers in Atlanta have with the show.  

“The fact that the show was filmed in Atlanta, and that the cast lived in Atlanta for a while really gives us a different sort of connection to the show,” Dunaway said. “I know many friends who’ve just seen Sadie Sink and Gaten Matarazzo and other actors from the show just walking around Ponce or Inman Park. I think it’s really cool to have this sort of cultural phenomenon so close to home.”

Courtesy of Byers’ Airbnb The original filming location for the Byers family in “Stranger Things” has been transformed into an Airbnb for fans to stay in. The house is booked through April due to the new season.

Since the filming of “Stranger Things,” developers have bought the home used as Will Byers’ house and transformed it into an Airbnb for fans to stay in. The home is located in Fayetteville and served as the filming location for all of the scenes outside the Byers’ home. The team funded the project on Arrived, a platform that lets people invest in shares of rental homes and vacation rentals.

“The idea came from the team at Arrived, specifically our COO and Co-Founder, Alejandro Chouza, who saw a unique opportunity to blend pop culture and real estate investing,” Neuman said. “Since the house was featured in the early seasons of ‘Stranger Things,’ we jumped at the chance to buy it when it went on the market.”

Since then, the property has become an investment opportunity for “Stranger Things” fans across the country.   

“Investors can earn income from guest stays and potentially benefit if the home’s value increases over time,” Neuman said. “The Byers’ House is collectively owned by over 6,700 fans of the show, who purchased shares and receive proceeds from the property’s booking revenue.”

Since its purchase, the house has been transformed into an immersive “Stranger Things” experience. The entire home’s design is completely modeled after the show. 

“Guests can expect a unique and immersive experience that feels straight out of ‘Stranger Things,’” Neuman said. “The house is designed to look just like the Byers’ family home from Season 1, complete with vintage furniture, a Christmas light alphabet wall and all kinds of ’80s nostalgia and Easter eggs from the show throughout.”

Due to the show’s popularity, extra security measures have been taken to preserve the property. 

“Because of the property’s popularity, we’ve also had to introduce security measures to protect the guest experience,” Neuman said. “We kindly ask that fans and media help spread the word that public visits to the house are not allowed without a confirmed reservation. Keeping the space peaceful and safe for overnight guests is a top priority, and we genuinely appreciate everyone’s support in respecting that boundary.”

With the release of season five, the Airbnb has received a record number of bookings. The home is completely booked through April. 

“In the lead-up to the new season, interest in the house has reached an all-time high,” Neuman said. “We have seen a spike in bookings, media interest and social media engagement. Fans want to relive the story, and staying at the Byers’ House becomes part of that celebration.” 

In Atlanta, Hawkins Laboratory has become a recognizable location from the show. The building is the former Georgia Mental Health Institute at Emory. Some students have explored the abandoned building, such as senior James Baker*. 

“It was super cool,” Baker said. “It’s a huge building, like four stories tall, and it’s super ominous, and it really had the same vibe as it did in the show. I do think some of those interior scenes were shot there, I’m not too sure, but it did look super similar to it in the show, just a lot less fluorescent lighting.” 

Baker said he and his friends decided to explore the abandoned building in a spur-of-the-moment decision, but that he’s really glad they did. 

“I really enjoyed exploring on my own because it allowed me to see a side of that location I never would have seen, because they don’t really do tours,” Baker said.” “It was still really cool going around and seeing all the different angles they shot inside of it. The building has been abandoned since, I guess they don’t use it except for shooting, so there’s a lot of broken glass and broken windows and parts of it where the building was falling apart.”

Junior Ramona Muse stopped outside of the building to take photos with one of her friends before her soccer practice. 

“The route that I take to soccer every day passes by Hawkins lab,” Muse said. “Me and my best friend would carpool to soccer, and she was obsessed with Stranger Things. One day we were really early to soccer, so we just decided to pull into the Hawkins lab and take pictures there. And she was really excited about it, and talked about it for maybe two weeks.”

*designates a student who preferred to stay anonymous 

Downtown Jackson, a town an hour outside of Atlanta, served as the outdoors filming location for the majority of downtown Hawkins scenes. A service there offers tours to visitors highlighting all of the major filming sites. Muse also explored this town with her sister when the show came out. 

“My sister was about to take her driver’s test, since she was about to turn 16,” Muse said. “She wanted to get extra driving in, so she made a map of a bunch of ‘Stranger Things’ locations. And then one afternoon, we just went to a bunch of them.”

Muse visited the movie theatre shown in season one, as well as the different houses belonging to the main characters. 

“For the movie theater and the houses, you have to use your imagination,” Muse said. “For the movie theater, it’s interesting to think about how they would have to shut down that whole square to put things like 80s-style cars and everything like that into the area.”

While the homes weren’t identical to how they looked in the show, other locations, such as Hawkins Middle School, have stayed the same. 

“I was shocked that Hawkins Middle School still had Hawkins written on it,” Muse said. “Then there was a security guard there that let us inside, and inside had Hawkins posters and stuff, because the middle school is not in use. The gym is the same gym where they use the salt bath and stuff, so that was really cool.” 

“Stranger Things” is just one production of many that has shaped Atlanta’s culture into what it is today. 

“Atlanta is interesting because it’s such a hub of videography,” Muse said. “It’s gone down in the past five years, but it’s still interesting because you see sets and crafty trailers basically all over the city constantly. There are ‘Stranger Things’ Marvel sets being here a lot, ‘The Hunger Games’ were filmed here, and ‘The Walking Dead’ was filmed here. Those were really popular. The prime of all of those things really made Atlanta more popular.”