Even if you aren’t watching, you must have heard rumblings of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” The Amazon Prime series based on Jenny Han’s trilogy following Belly Conklin as she falls in and out of love with the Fisher brothers. Yes, brothers.
The blockbuster hit whisks viewers to Cousins Beach with its boardwalk, slate gray beach house, and coastal vistas. We might not have Conrad or Jere, but we do live in a place where the Conklins and Fisher boys would love to vacation:
Cousins Beach
The showrunner could easily swap out Cousins Beach with St. Pete Beach’s wide berth of pristine white sand lined with sea oats. Or maybe the summer house is parked right across from local fave Pass-A-Grille Beach — in close proximity to Paradise Grill and its mango margaritas.
Finch College
The University of Tampa gets the small school feel of Jere and Belly’s alma mater to a tee — with the addition of palm trees. Traipse along the private campus, taking in the class changes and small, but super traditional halls.
Downtown Cousins
We can picture “Whale of a Tale,” the bookshop where Laurel hosted a book signing back in season one, parked on Dunedin’s brick side-walked Main Street. In fact, maybe Back in the Day Books served as Han’s inspo for the shop.
Cousins Beach Country Club
Jere and his curls would definitely sit atop a white lifeguard tower at The Palma Ceia Golf and Country Club’s olympic-sized swimming pool. The South Tampa club is a ringer for the show’s country club. Or if you want a locale that hosts a Deb ball like the one Belly debuted in, head to the Tampa Yacht Club.
The marina
We can imagine “Connie baby” teaching sailing classes at the St. Pete Sailing Center. Unfortunately, he’d follow you from a distance in a safety boat though.
Beck’s family beach house
The bulk of the show is filmed at the massive Cape Cod home. Its dock leading right out to the water reminds us of the enviable homes parked right off the Bay in Beach Park.
Laurel and Susannah’s bar
Beck and Laurel would surely fit right in at Seminole Heights’ The Hole in the Wall Bar or Hyde Park’s the Tiny Tap. They’d saunter right in, taking over the Touch Tunes, playing pool, and drunkenly dancing to “Don’t Cha.” As they should.
Peach stand
The infamous “peach scene” takes viewers to an idyllic, dreamlike farm stand in the North Carolina countryside. In Tampa Bay, we’d shoot that romantic moment at a strawberry farm in Plant City — though more like in February or March.
Boardwalk
Editor Bailey is making an executive decision and swapping out the old timey Cousins boardwalk with its basketball hoop toss and go-kart racing with a visit to the indoor fun paradise that is Elev8 Fun Tampa.
Bachelor + bachelor party bar crawl
Have visions of Conrad just like Belly while dancing to 1970s hits at the Burg’s Good Night John Boy. Or run into Jere look-a-likes while bar hopping down Central Avenue to Mandarin Hide, Pour Judgement, and Crafty Squirrel.
Breakfast restaurant
The emotional scene between Conrad and Laurel this season was filmed at a diner named the “Goody Goody Omelet House.” The only Goody Goody left in Tampa might be at TPA, but Daily Eats is another solid option with its retro orange booths, stainless steel bar stools, and divine tater tots.
