So last weekend I finally got around to digging into this question after binge-watching Reacher season two. Couldn’t shake the feeling some spots looked way too familiar for Georgia – like, suspiciously Canadian, y’know? Started hunting, found zero clear answers online. Figured, why not just drive out and check myself?
The Starting Point Was Fuzzy
Grabbed some location lists from fan forums, all unofficial stuff. Packed my crappy old Nikon, threw a rain jacket in the truck ’cause Ontario weather never plays nice. First lead pointed near Bracebridge. GPS took me straight to a dairy farm. Dead end. Farmer looked at me like I was nuts asking about Hollywood crews. “Just cows here, buddy.” Felt like I wasted half a day already.
Hitting Small Towns Hard
Decided to hit every small town within an hour’s drive of where folks thought filming happened. Stopped at diners, gas stations, even libraries:
- Port Perry: Cashier at the corner store shrugged. “Maybe saw some trucks?” Useless.
- Lindsay: Older guy fixing a pickup swore the big fight scene used the old grain mill. Drove over. Chain link fence, “No Trespassing” signs everywhere. Snapped some pics from the road. Could be? Grain silos kinda matched a wide shot from episode three.
- Coboconk: Got lucky here. Waitress at the chip truck lit up. “Oh yeah! They closed Main Street for three days last fall. Fake rain machines soaked my cousin’s porch!” Jackpot. Wandered Main Street comparing storefronts to the show on my phone. Bingo – identical brick building with green awning served as some Georgia police station exterior. Even the weird crooked lamppost matched.
The “Gotcha” Moment Required Getting Muddy
Heard rumours about a forest fight scene up near Burleigh Falls. Drove down this rutted logging road in pouring rain. Truck slid sideways, almost ditched it. Hiked half a mile through sludge, ankle deep in wet leaves. Found the spot purely by tripping over a rotting tree stump that looked identical to the one Reacher smashes a dude against. Muddy boots, soaked jeans, totally worth it. Lighting was flat that day though, so my photos looked gray and sad.
Realizing How They Faked The South
Saw the trick once I matched locations:
- No Spanish Moss? Added cheap fake moss in post. Obvious once you see it dangling unnaturally.
- Changed signage: Covered Ontario license plates with Georgia ones. Swapped “Tim Hortons” cup for generic “Coffee” in a diner scene. Sneaky!
- Melted snow patches: They filmed early in fall. Still caught slush piles they painted out digitally. Found a raw fan photo showing it!
Wrapped up exhausted, truck smelling like wet dog. But damn, scrolling through my location pics against paused Reacher scenes? Perfection. Proof Ontario’s woods and towns can play Deep South if you slap fake moss on it. Case closed.
