23 New England Towns That Might as Well Be Stars Hollow

Visit these Gilmore Girls-style hamlets.

By: Kelly Smith Trimble

Now that breakout star Melissa McCarthy (AKA Sookie St. James) has confirmed her involvement and pics of the cast are being shared from the set, the much-anticipated "Gilmore Girls" reunion on Netflix is starting to feel real. A celebration of mother-daughter relationships, and all female friendships, the show also illuminates life in small-town New England. We don’t know where Rory will be living or what she’ll be doing when the new series opens (release date TBD), but we know without a doubt that her hometown, Stars Hollow, will play a starring role.

Gilmore Girls Thanksgiving

LOS ANGELES - OCTOBER 24: "Let The Games Begin" (l-r) Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore, Lauren Graham as Lorelai Gilmore. (Photo by Mitchell Haddad/CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images)

Photo by: MITCHELL HADDAD

MITCHELL HADDAD

Though fictitious, Stars Hollow was inspired by quaint, quirky hamlets across New England. Show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino has revealed that the town Washington Depot, CT, first inspired Stars Hollow for her. But "Gilmore Girls" super-fan Amy D., who started the site and Facebook feed Finding Stars Hollow to share her love of Stars Hollow and her quest for the real thing, visited Washington Depot as well as other towns in the area (check out her video of the experience) and felt differently. “The towns that were the most magical to me were Kent and Essex [CT],” Amy D. says. The California-based designer went to New England looking for landmarks like the town square gazebo, corner diner, holiday festivals and interesting characters.

She also went looking specifically for a replica of the Dragonfly Inn where character Lorelai works on the show. “The Bee & Thistle Inn located in Old Lyme is almost EXACTLY how I pictured The Dragonfly Inn to be,” says Amy D. “The Bee & Thistle Inn not only looks like The Dragonfly Inn on the outside, but inside, it's dripping with so much warmth and charm that I felt like the walls were hugging me with open arms once I walked through the door. They also serve afternoon tea!”

If you love "Gilmore Girls" and are, like Amy D., looking for a Stars Hollow experience, try these New England towns on our nowhere-near-complete list. Bonus points if you find a town troubadour.