Safe Haven Movie {Part 1}

Thanks for sharing!

I am a southern girl which means we look forward to the next Nicholas Sparks book!  I’ve never stood in line for a book signing until Safe Haven came out in October of 2010.  Nicholas Sparks always does a book signing in Greenville, SC.  I decided to go since this book was so special.  It takes place in Southport, NC and the surrounding beaches.  We have a beach house on Caswell Beach that we own with family.  A friend of mine and my daughter Ashlyn were eager to go!  We waited in line for a while, but it was so worth it!  Nicholas was such a sweetie.  He had to have been tired, but he greeted and visited with each fan.

64434_1524907534198_7513534_n

Don’t ask me why I thought it was ok to not fix my hair or try to look cute!!!!!  My friend and I got quite the laugh out of that! It was one of those days that I let the time get away from me and before I knew it….it was time to leave!!!!!!  At least Ashlyn looked cute.  Smile

64434_1524907494197_2770765_n

October 2010

Needless to say, I devoured the book.  It was an easy, quick read.  It was a page turner….probably my favorite book of his to date!

Fast forward to the summer of 2012!  Yep…..it was being made into a movie where we spend our summers.  It was quite exciting.  Everyone was on the look out for Josh Duhamel and Fergie!  Maybe a sighting of Julianne Hough and Ryan Seacrest!!!  Southport, NC is a very lovely historic port town.  It is small and quaint with mom and pop restaurants, antique shops, clothing boutiques and a wealth of awesome thrift and consignment stores.   The movie opens nation-wide this Thursday which is Valentine’s Day.  I am quite excited!  I thought I’d share with you some a lot  of the photos that I took last summer.  I am going to divide it into 2 posts.  This one will be a close up of the beautiful set while the finishing touches are made prior to the start of filming.  The 2nd post will be photos during our sneaking around to get shots of the cast Josh Duhamel.

Also on OSH!  Merry Christmas from Our Southern Home

caswell beach 2012 241

Our neighbors own a beautiful boat.  We occasionally go out with them on it for the day.  We usually cruise the Intercostal Waterway and lunch at Bald Head Island.  We were out on the boat and I got some great shots from the water view.  The Old American Fish Co. is actually just an open air bar.  A lot of times we will go there while we wait on a table at one of the surrounding restaurants.  So quaint that they will call your cell when your table is ready.  This location actually closed for a couple of weeks during filming.  It was transformed into a restaurant and renamed.  It became the location of where Julianne Hough’s character worked.

caswell beach 2012 245

caswell beach 2012 246

Our absolute favorite restaurant…..The Provision Company.  It has been voted one of Coastal Living magazines seafood dives!  The Special…..crab cake, steamed shrimp with slaw and corn on the cob is yummy!

caswell beach 2012 267

Fishy Fish Café is another favorite with outdoor dining and live music.  It is actually where we hung out for hours watching production.  It was just me and Ashlyn.  We had the house to ourselves.  We actually met a lovely mother and daughter who were on a road trip together from Mississippi.  We watched together.  They are so sweet.  We have actually maintained a friendship through Facebook. 

caswell beach 2012 248

Behind the row of restaurants lies rows of beautiful historic homes.  It is a lovely evening stroll….bring your bug spray though!  Many TV shows and movies have been filmed in Southport.  Southport is a short 40 minute drive to Wilmington, NC…. a major part of the Hollywood film industry.  At the same time Iron Man was being filmed there.

Also on OSH!  Happy New Year {Reflections and Goals}

caswell beach 2012 252

Here is the set of the general store that Josh Duhamel’s character owns.  It is brand new construction built to fit in with atmosphere of Southport.  It is quite lovely!

caswell beach 2012 255

They are busy working to stock shelves in the store and decorate the upstairs living space.

caswell beach 2012 254

Looks like it has always been here!

caswell beach 2012 272

caswell beach 2012 275

caswell beach 2012 370

caswell beach 2012 371

Here are some shots from the road.  This street was not closed until filming actually started.  The did keep the set roped off and had security around the clock in the evenings.

caswell beach 2012 375

I just love the feel of this set!  It is a shame that as a part of the movie….it was sadly burned to the ground.  Notice the detail!

caswell beach 2012 377

caswell beach 2012 378

caswell beach 2012 379

caswell beach 2012 405

It is just so stinking cute!

caswell beach 2012 366

Cool old truck on set-

caswell beach 2012 383

Upstairs peek at the living quarters

caswell beach 2012 384

caswell beach 2012 386

caswell beach 2012 411

Ashlyn in front of one of the historic houses-

caswell beach 2012 766

Oak Island Lighthouse on Caswell Beach

caswell beach 2012 760

Woods and Ashlyn on Caswell Beach………Heaven on Earth!

caswell beach 2012 789

Max and I waiting on our table at The Provision Company!

Up next………filming pictures!!!!!

Here is the link for Part 2:  The Filming

I also have posts on the historical homes of Southport. You can find those here>

Historical Homes of Southport-Part 1

Historical Homes of Southport-Part 2

Historical Homes of Southport-Part 3

blogsignature

 

Buffer

Thanks for sharing!

Similar Posts

23 Comments

  1. I just love seeing these pics. We are relocating to NC this summer and I am aching to arrive! Thank you for sharing these. Recently read the book and watched the movie with my husband. Nicholas Sparks is a tremendous inspiration to me. Loving your blog and FB page!

    1. Thank you so much!!!! My husband has been coming here since a kid. I’ve been coming since 89. Not sure where you are relocating to, but if you can ever visit Southport….you will love its historic small town charm!!! Thanks for visiting! Happy 4th and best wishes with the move! ~Christy

  2. I love his movies always being set in this area. I like to watch them just for the coastal feel not to mention the romance. Thank you for joining Home Sweet Home!
    Sherry

  3. I find this funny that I came by this post…I was just talking to my daughter about this movie…she saw it last night and loved it.

    Blessings,
    Linda

  4. I loved looking at these photos! What a beautiful and charming seaside town!! It looks like a place I would love to go. We visited Tybee Island in 2010, and felt connected to The Last Song, because the island is so beautiful and quaint! I hope to see this new movie of his. I’m sure it will be fantastic and sad, haha! Thanks for sharing this.
    Blessings,
    Leslie

  5. Neato!!!! My husband bought this book for me at our daughter’s book fair in December. I spilled an entire glass of water on it and the pages are all rippled. Ericka, our daughter, said the other day to me, “Mom, are you ever going to read that book?” lol
    Needless to say, I am going to read it now…thanks to your review!!!! Thanks for all the pics!

  6. Oh I so enjoyed reading that! So cool! And what a lovely location. 🙂 I would say they did a fantastic job of making that look like it had always been there! (a little different than my mind imagined it..but better!lol ) Can’t wait to see your next post..and the movie!
    nancy

  7. I LOVE this post! My inlaws have a house in a golf community a few miles from Southport and we go there every year! I just adore that cute little town! We always eat at the Provision too! I love how casual it is – there is always a wait to get in! If you get a chance, stop over and read my posts about Southport. Just scroll down to the label section at the bottom of my blog and click on the North Carolina posts. I have a bunch of pictures of Southport. I can’t wait to see your filming pictures – and I love Nicholas Sparks too! I knew it was him in the picture the second I clicked on your blog!
    -Shelley

  8. Christy I LOVE THIS!!! These pictures are fantastic! I felt like I was back in South Port! I am going to follow this page and will recommend it as well! What a blessing to meet you and your lovely daughter! Thanks for posting on my wall!

I love hearing from you!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.