If you’ve been watching Netflix’s I Will Find You and find yourself Googling every location that flashes across the screen, you’re not alone. The Harlan Coben-inspired thriller, set in fictional Briggs, Maine, but filmed almost entirely in Ontario, Canada, has quietly assembled one of the more interesting real-world location rosters of any recent Netflix series. Some are grand historic landmarks. Some are places you can eat or drink at tonight. And one you can actually sleep in.
Here are five real locations from the show that deserve a spot on your travel list.
1. Kingston Penitentiary, Kingston, Ontario
The former maximum-security prison that doubles as Briggs Penitentiary is one of the most storied correctional institutions in Canadian history. Opened in 1835 and operating continuously for nearly 178 years before closing in 2013, Kingston Penitentiary has since been transformed into a legitimate tourist destination, complete with guided tours that take you inside the walls that once held some of Canada’s most notorious inmates.
It’s a genuinely atmospheric place to visit, and the fact that it also appeared in Mayor of Kingstown makes it something of a pilgrimage site for fans of gritty prestige TV. If you’re road-tripping from Toronto, it’s about two and a half hours east, manageable as a day trip.
2. Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, Central Park, New York City
Few locations in the series carry as much visual weight as Bethesda Terrace and Fountain in Central Park, featured in Episode 3. It’s one of those New York landmarks that never stops feeling cinematic no matter how many times you’ve seen it on screen, and visiting in person consistently delivers on that promise.
It’s freely accessible, sits at the heart of Central Park, and pairs naturally with a walk down to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village, which also appears in Episode 4. Between the two, you’ve got a solid New York afternoon built entirely around the show’s real filming locations.
3. Joe’s Pizza, 7 Carmine Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
This one needs no manufactured justification. Joe’s Pizza at 7 Carmine Street is a New York institution, the kind of place that earns its reputation every single day. Rachel (Britt Lower) is seen here in the series, but honestly, you’d want to visit regardless of the show.
It sits in Greenwich Village, a short walk from Washington Square Park, which makes it an easy and deeply satisfying stop on any I Will Find You New York tour. Grab a slice, walk the park, and you’ve essentially traced Rachel’s footsteps through lower Manhattan.
4. Windsor Arms Hotel, Yorkville, Toronto
A luxury boutique hotel with 1920s architecture and a reputation for its famous afternoon tea, the Windsor Arms is where a key scene in the series was filmed, and it’s the kind of place that earns a visit on its own terms. Yorkville is one of Toronto’s most upscale neighborhoods, and the hotel fits that energy perfectly.
What makes this stop particularly fun is that Enigma Boulangerie sits directly across the street, also used as a filming location. You can essentially hit both in the same block without moving your car, boutique hotel ambiance on one side, a boulangerie on the other.
5. Escarpment House, Caledon, Ontario
This is the one that genuinely surprises people. Payne’s imposing family mansion in the series is actually the Escarpment House, a 14,000-square-foot, five-bedroom luxury estate in the Pulpit Ridge area of Caledon, Ontario. And unlike most filming locations that you can only admire from a distance, this one is available as a vacation rental.
It also appeared in Reacher Season 3, which means staying here puts you inside one of the more prolific prestige TV filming locations in recent Canadian production history. If you’re planning a splurge trip to Ontario, this is the kind of add-on that makes the whole thing memorable.
A Note on Planning Your Visit
Four of these five locations are in either Toronto/Ontario or New York City, which means you’re essentially looking at two destination trips rather than five scattered ones. The Ontario locations (Kingston Penitentiary, Windsor Arms, and Escarpment House) can realistically be combined into a long weekend if you’re based in or flying into Toronto. The New York stops, Bethesda Terrace, Washington Square Park, and Joe’s Pizza, are all walkable from each other in lower and midtown Manhattan.
None of this requires a dedicated I Will Find You pilgrimage, of course. But if the show has you curious about the real places behind it, these five are the ones worth making time for.
