Know About Outer Banks Season 5 Filming Locations

The Pogues are back one last time. Outer Banks Season 5, the final chapter of Netflix’s sun-soaked treasure-hunting saga, dropped all 10 episodes on August 20, 2026. Fans who binge-watched the emotional rollercoaster already know the stakes: vengeance for JJ, the hunt for the Blue Crown, high-stakes chases, and that bittersweet return to Kildare Island. But while the story is set on the fictional barrier islands off North Carolina, the cameras never truly called the real Outer Banks home.

Instead, Season 5 took the cast and crew from the familiar Lowcountry of South Carolina to the medieval streets and Adriatic cliffs of Croatia. Here’s a deep dive into every major filming location that brought the Pogues’ final adventure to life—complete with the history, the vibe, and why these places felt so perfectly Outer Banks.

Why Not the Real Outer Banks?

From the very first season, production chose Charleston, South Carolina, over North Carolina. Early development coincided with controversy around a state bathroom bill, so creators Josh and Jonas Pate and Shannon Burke set up shop in the Lowcountry. Charleston’s historic architecture, tidal creeks, marshes, and beaches could be pieced together to create the fictional Kildare Island—Figure Eight for the wealthy Kooks and the Cut for the working-class Pogues.

That decision stuck. Even in Season 5, after the story had already taken the gang to Morocco, Barbados, and beyond, the heart of the series remained Charleston. The real Outer Banks (Dare County, Kill Devil Hills, etc.) get name-checked and celebrated by fans, but almost none of the principal photography ever happened there. Season 5 continued the tradition while adding an international leg that fans immediately recognized as pure cinematic gold.

Charleston and the South Carolina Lowcountry: Home Base for the Final Season

Filming for Season 5 kicked off in mid-June 2025 and wrapped just before Christmas, with the bulk of the domestic shoot centered in and around Charleston. The city once again stood in for Kildare, delivering those signature narrow streets, pastel houses, waterfront docks, and golden-hour marshes that make the show feel so lived-in.

Key spots that appear (or reappear) in the final season include:

• Downtown Charleston and Anson Street – The historic core provided everyday Kildare energy. Anson Street and surrounding blocks gave the production its classic Southern coastal texture—brick sidewalks, iron balconies, and the kind of lived-in charm that makes the Pogues’ world feel real. Big John’s Tavern also features, continuing the tradition of local spots doubling as hangouts or plot-important locations.
• Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant – If you’ve ever watched a boat scene with the Pogues, you’ve almost certainly seen Shem Creek. The boardwalk, shrimp boats, and marshy waterways remain one of the most recognizable “Outer Banks” signatures. Season 5 continues to use this area for water-based sequences and establishing shots that scream coastal Carolina.
• Morris Island Lighthouse, Folly Beach’s Boneyard, and Block Island Creek – These classic locations return for fans who want that authentic Pogue-for-life atmosphere. Charleston Outdoor Adventures even runs a popular 90-minute boat tour that hits many of these spots, including John B’s house exterior and the lighthouse.
• Socastee Swing Bridge (Horry County / Myrtle Beach area) – One of the more action-oriented new (or newly prominent) locations. High-energy sequences involving Chase Stokes (John B) and Madelyn Cline (Sarah) were filmed on and around the Socastee Swing Bridge. Weather delayed shoots multiple times in summer and fall 2025, but the bridge’s distinctive look and surrounding waterways gave the production a fresh, high-stakes backdrop for chases and confrontations.

Other Lowcountry staples—marshes, private estates standing in for Kook mansions, and quieter residential pockets—filled out the rest of the domestic shoot. After years of filming, Charleston has become so intertwined with the show that tourists now flock to the same docks, taverns, and streets the cast once walked. The economic impact has been massive for the region, with local crew, vendors, and tourism all benefiting from the Pogues’ long residence.

Croatia: The Mediterranean Chapter of the Final Hunt

After Season 4 left the gang stranded in Morocco chasing the Blue Crown (and a buyer in Lisbon), Season 5 opens with them still abroad. The story moves through Morocco, Spain, and into European territory—but most of those sweeping Mediterranean sequences were actually shot in Croatia.

Production spent several weeks in late 2025 (roughly October into early December) in and around Dubrovnik before returning to South Carolina for the final stretch. The UNESCO-protected Old Town and surrounding coastline delivered exactly the dramatic, history-soaked visuals the finale needed.

Major Croatian locations include:

• Dubrovnik Old Town and Stradun – The pedestrianized main street (Stradun/Stradum) and the surrounding limestone streets hosted chase sequences, street-level action, and atmospheric establishing shots. The same walls and alleys that once doubled as King’s Landing in Game of Thrones now framed the Pogues’ desperate search for Chandler Groff and the Blue Crown.
• Luza Square, Sponza Palace, Jesuit Staircase, and the Franciscan Monastery – These iconic landmarks appear throughout the European arc. Luza Square is a key meeting and confrontation point. The Jesuit Staircase (famous from Cersei’s Walk of Shame) gets a new chapter with the Pogues. Sponza Palace and the monastery add layers of historic grandeur and tension.
• Old Port (Porat) and Lapad Marina (Gruž Harbour) – Boat scenes and waterfront action used these working harbors. The contrast between medieval stone and modern marina life helped sell the sense of a globe-trotting crew still chasing legends.
• Danče Beach – Rugged coastal cliffs and rocky shoreline provided dramatic outdoor action and confrontation sequences. The wilder, less polished look contrasted nicely with the polished Old Town.
• Lokrum Island – A short ferry ride from Dubrovnik, this nature reserve with botanical gardens, rocky shores, and historic ruins became one of the most emotionally charged locations. It’s the site of a pivotal Blue Crown moment involving Kiara. (Fun fact for Game of Thrones fans: the island previously stood in for Qarth, and a replica Iron Throne still sits in the visitor center.)
• Cavtat and Srđ Mountain – The quieter coastal town of Cavtat offered promenade and old-center scenes with a more intimate feel. Srđ Mountain supplied sweeping aerial and establishing shots that sold the scale of the European leg.

The Croatia shoot also brought in local guest talent and used the existing medieval infrastructure to create a visually distinct chapter from the Carolina marshes. By the time the Pogues finally return to Kildare, the contrast feels earned—the Mediterranean chapter is bigger, more cinematic, and more dangerous.

Putting It All Together: How the Locations Serve the Story

Season 5’s structure mirrors the dual locations. Early episodes lean into the European hunt—Morocco-to-Spain-to-Croatia continuity on screen, mostly Croatian locations in reality—before the gang is forced back to the Outer Banks. Once home, the familiar Charleston/South Carolina settings ground the emotional payoffs, the lingering consequences of past seasons, and the final confrontations.

The production’s ability to make Charleston feel like a lived-in coastal community while transforming Dubrovnik into a European treasure-hunting playground is part of what made Outer Banks special. The show never needed the real Outer Banks because it built its own version out of South Carolina light, water, and architecture, then expanded that world across the Atlantic when the story demanded it.

Visiting the Locations Yourself

Want to live the Pogue life?

In Charleston, start with a boat tour that hits John B’s house area, Morris Island Lighthouse, Folly’s Boneyard Beach, and Shem Creek. Walk Anson Street and the historic downtown. Grab a meal near the docks that have appeared on screen for years.

In Croatia, Dubrovnik is a major tourist destination already. Walk Stradun at golden hour, climb the City Walls, visit Luza Square and the Jesuit Staircase, take the short ferry to Lokrum, and seek out Danče Beach for that wilder coastal energy. Many of the same spots that hosted Game of Thrones fans now host Outer Banks pilgrims.

The End of an Era

When cameras finally wrapped in Charleston in December 2025, it marked the end of more than six years of filming. The cast and crew had turned a fictional North Carolina island into a global phenomenon using South Carolina’s coastline and, for the finale, Croatia’s Adriatic drama.

Season 5 delivers the closure, the chaos, and the coastal beauty fans expected. And now that the treasure hunt is over, the real treasure is knowing you can still stand in the same places—marsh boardwalks in Mount Pleasant, limestone streets in Dubrovnik, swing bridges near Myrtle Beach—and feel a little closer to John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, Cleo, and the rest of the Pogues.

Pogue life forever. The locations remain long after the final credits roll.

Related – Know About Lioness Season 3 Filming Locations