You may have seen the city of Sudbury, Ontario on reality competitions like All Round Champion, Canada’s Ultimate Challenge, and The Amazing Race Canada, but the city has also been the backdrop for more than 100 films and television shows over the past ten years!
Dramas like Hard Rock Medical, Cardinal, and the first season of Slasher have all filmed locally, in addition to star-studded features like Atom Egoyan’s The Captive, starring Ryan Reynolds and Rosario Dawson, and Born to be Blue, featuring Ethan Hawke. In recent years it has also served as the idyllic setting for multiple Christmas movies.
If snapping a selfie in front of the Letterkenny hockey arena, or taking a walk through R.L. Stine’s Zombie Town excites you, read on to discover some of the iconic local spots you can visit while enjoying a perfect weekend getaway in Sudbury.
Now in its 11th season, this comedic portrait of rural Ontario residents has enchanted audiences from Canada and abroad. Whether you self-identify as a Hick, Skid or just a plain old fan of the show, here are some landmarks you’ll want to check out.
If you want to be a part of the important decisions made in the town of Letterkenny, you’ve got to head to this spot in Greater Sudbury, which you’ll recognize as the Letterkenny Ag Hall.
Also in Greater Sudbury, this arena stands in for the exterior of “the barn” – aka Letterkenny Memorial Arena – where teams like the fictional Letterkenny Shamrocks and Shamrockettes play. Scenes that take place on the ice are shot at the Capreol Community Centre and Arena.
You can get your reps in at the same place as Reilly and Jonesy, because The Basement Gym is a real fitness facility in New Sudbury that looks satisfactorily the same as in the show.
The now-shuttered Frood Hotel was the original location for Gail’s bar MoDean’s. If you look next door, you’ll also notice Donovan Kwik-Way, aka “the dollar store” where the Skids enjoyed breakdancing in the parking lot.
While this isn’t one of the filming locations, it has a pretty special connection to the show! The Letterkenny production donated this outdoor gym near the concession stand at Main Beach in Bell Park, as a thank you to the community, after serving as a home base for the show for so many years.
This Letterkenny spin-off isn’t just filmed locally – it is actually set in Sudbury! A 15-minute walk around the downtown core will take you to several notable spots from the show, where you can actually watch a hockey game or grab a meal.
Right downtown across the street from the train station, is the spot where the fictional Sudbury Blueberry Bulldogs play, and if you want to experience a (real) hockey game there, you can buy tickets to see the OHL team the Sudbury Wolves.
A 6-minute walk from the arena will bring you to this spot for drinks and live entertainment, popular with locals and Shoresy characters alike. *Please note, it is temporarily closed following a fire on May 24th, 2023. Check Facebook for updates on the reopening.
A 1-minute walk around the corner from The Coulson, you’ll find this beloved Italian spot that opened in 2014, also known as Peppi Panini. If you go, the Pitter Patter pressed panini is, of course, a must-try!
A 5-minute walk from there, you’ll reach Shoresy’s apartment, aka The Grand, a nightclub and live music venue that’s been around for over a hundred years.
Sudbury stands in for a zombie-ridden small town in the 2023 adaptation of R.L. Stine’s book, starring Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase.
If you take a stroll in downtown Capreol, you’re likely to recognize some of the buildings from exterior shots in the film. (And while you’re there, make sure you grab a butter tart and check out the Railroad Museum!)
Aside from being a rumored setting in the film, the old gravestones are sure to interest history buffs, and the nearby Nickeldale Conservation Area offers bike trails and points of interest.
The latest film from the primatologist features Sudbury, as one of the uplifting stories that gives hope for the future.
You can see for yourself the 10-millionth tree that was planted as part of Sudbury’s 44-year re-greening program, which is featured in Goodall’s IMAX film produced with Science North.
These locales look a bit different when they’re not dressed up for the film, but fans of the 2021 action-horror flick, based on the popular video game series, will probably still be able to spot them.
You might recognize this corner a block over from the Bridge of Nations, because it’s where the exterior of the Raccoon Police Department was built for the film. While the former hotel is no longer operational, Sudbury has lots of incredible places to stay!
That’s right, while you’re visiting Memorial Park (site of a gorgeous new mural), you can park in the very lot that was used for the Raccoon City parking garage scene.
The underpass, which sported a “Raccoon City” sign for filming, can be spotted in the trailer, and film buffs will also enjoy the nearby Sudbury Indie Cinema.
You can finish things off with a bite at “Emmy’s Diner,” as seen in this scene of the movie, which in real life, is Gus’s Restaurant, known for their house-made Greek specialties.
Find out more about what Sudbury offers to filmmakers, and be sure to check out this insider guide for more must-do experiences while you’re visiting Sudbury.
