‘Sullivan’s Crossing’ Isn’t Just a Show — It’s Based on a Real Place With a Dark Twist
The CW’s Sullivan’s Crossing, now in its third season, follows neurosurgeon Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan) as she returns to her rural hometown in Canada and reunites with her estranged father, Harry “Sully” Sullivan (Scott Patterson), after she experiences legal trouble at work.
Just like Maggie falls back in love with living on her father’s campground, Sullivan’s Crossing, viewers have become infatuated with the scenic and cozy views that the show has offered week after week. Closer breaks down where Sullivan’s Crossing is filmed, whether or not the campground is a real place and more.
Where Does ‘Sullivan’s Crossing’ Take Place?
Maggie uproots her hectic life in Boston to move to quiet Nova Scotia, Canada, where the Crossing is located.
Now, those who read the Sullivan’s Crossing book series by Robyn Carr know that the location is a bit different, as the books are set in Colorado. However, Robyn’s other hit book series adaptation, Virgin River, is set in California (but filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia), and Sullivan’s Crossing showrunner Roma Roth wanted to set the two shows apart.
“To ensure the show would feel distinctive from [Carr’s] other adaptation, I decided to set it in Nova Scotia for Nova Scotia,” Roma told Variety. “This meant diverging from the books slightly; however, having been born and raised in Canada, it’s always been a personal goal of mine to create and write a Canadian content show that would reach a global audience.”
Is Sullivan’s Crossing a Real Place?
Unfortunately, Sullivan’s Crossing, the campground from which the show gets its title, is not a real place. However, fans can visit the show’s real-life filming locations.
Where Is ‘Sullivan’s Crossing’ Filmed?
Sullivan’s Crossing is filmed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, which is on the east coast of Canada. “It is a hidden gem,” Chad Michael Murray told Parade of the filming location. “It is the best-kept secret in Canada. This place is absolutely magic.”
The One Tree Hill alum praised Halifax for its “cool urban downtown,” which boasts a boardwalk and interesting foods, as well as kind residents.
“The people are just first class all the way. Just the nicest, most wonderful people. Give you the shirt off their back everywhere you go,” he said.
Chad also gushed about the “picturesque landscape.”
“When you’re flying here, you kind of feel like, ‘Okay, where am I going?'” he continued. “It kind of looks like life before people. ‘There are no buildings anywhere. Where am I going?’ And then, boom, you hit Halifax. We’re out there every day and it’s just such a breath of fresh air filming. You’re among nature and you can’t help but feel so grounded. It’s pretty spectacular. It’s a place that people need to go.”
Chad echoed his sentiments in an interview with Decider.
“Honestly, every time I go to work, and I’m on set, it’s a breath of fresh air because we’re out in the middle of nowhere. We’re out on the water, we’re on the lake [in] nature, and you’re just one with the world. It’s so peaceful,” he explained. “In between takes, when we’re setting up, you can just go out and breathe fresh air. Or during lunch breaks, the crew is swimming in the lake.”
He continued, “It really does feel so peaceful, and this place reminds me very much of another show that I was on. It’s very reminiscent. And I think people are gonna want to come and visit this place. I think Sullivan’s Crossing is a character in this story, so very much that I think people are gonna want to come check it out. And I highly recommend that they do because Halifax, Nova Scotia, is a gem. I love it.”
Specific locations that the show has filmed at in Halifax include Beaver Bank, Shubie Park and Oakfield Provincial Park.
