Sometimes, you just want to watch a movie that will make you laugh and cry like a little baby, and few films fulfill that assignment quite like the 1989 Herbert Ross classic “Steel Magnolias.” The comedic drama was based on the stage play of the same name by Robert Harling, who also wrote the screenplay for the film, and it followed the close relationships between a group of women in small-town Louisiana. But while some critics have harped on the movie’s representation of the U.S. South, especially with regards to the wide variety of (mostly terrible) accents on display, there’s one place where the filmmakers kept things truly authentic — the movie’s filming locations.
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While quite a few films pretend to take place in the U.S. South but are actually filmed in California or even Canada, “Steel Magnolias” was shot pretty exclusively in the town of Natchitoches, Louisiana. Much like how Clint Eastwood used the beautiful architecture of Savannah, Georgia to bring movies like “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” and “Juror #2” to life, Ross utilized the gorgeous old homes of Natchitoches to make Chinquapin Parish and its women feel truly alive on the big screen.
The Eatenton House was filmed at a historical home in Natchitoches, Louisiana
Quite a bit of “Steel Magnolias” takes place at the home of the Eatenton family, beginning with Shelby Eatenton (Julia Roberts) fretting just before she heads off to Truvy’s (Dolly Parton) beauty salon to get dolled up for her wedding. The wedding reception and several other holiday scenes take place at the Eatenton home, where Shelby’s mother M’Lynn (Sally Field) and father Drum (Tom Skerritt) live with Shelby’s younger brothers, Jonathan (Jonathan Ward) and Tommy (Knowl Johnson). These sequences were filmed at a real southern home that was built sometime prior to the 1840s and allegedly served as a hospital during the Civil War, located at 320 Jefferson Street in Natchitoches. Fans eager to see the home can do more than just peek at the outside, as rooms are available to rent and guests can spend a night (or more) reliving all of their favorite “Steel Magnolias” moments.
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The Steel Magnolias Bed and Breakfast has been open since 2014, offering rooms that include the lovely “Clairee” (complete with jet tub) and the “Shelby,” which is decorated in her signature colors of blush and bashful. The business also offers themed food and other treats, sure to delight every kind of “Steel Magnolias” fan.
Other historical houses in Natchitoches served as Shelby and Ouiser’s homes
Instead of building soundstages for various scenes in the film, the rest of the locations in “Steel Magnolias” are also real homes and businesses in Natchitoches, including the beautiful house that Shelby moves into with her new husband, Jackson Latcherie (Dylan McDermott). With its huge porch and gorgeous views of the surrounding greenery, the Odalie Lambre-Gwinn home at 1972 Williams Avenue is truly stunning. Fans can check out the outside, but the actual house is currently a private home with an estimated value of around $700,000, complete with a huge beautiful pool and classic hardwood floors. (Besides, does anyone really want to relive the moments when Shelby’s body gives out while she’s taking care of her young son? It’s not exactly a happy location.)
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Meanwhile, the outside of the delightfully dour Louisa “Ouiser” Boudreaux’s (Shirley MacLaine)’s house is located at 310 Rue Jefferson, and it’s somewhat open to the public as the headquarters of the Association for the Preservation of Historical Natchitoches. It’s also kind of ironic that Ouiser’s house has become a center for historical preservation, given her general distaste for just about everything, but honestly, it feels right.
The salon, church, and cemetery were all local to Natchitoches as well
The outside of Truvy’s salon, where living legend Dolly Parton pretended to tease everyone’s hair higher than the heavenly clouds, was filmed outside of the house at 453 Henry Boulevard, which is currently a private home and not open to the public. The inside of the salon was one of the few things built on a soundstage, although that soundstage was built inside the gymnasium at a nearby university, making it local in its own way (even if it’s impossible to actually revisit).
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Fans eager to see the chapel where Shelby was married or the cemetery where she was laid to rest can visit both, however. The St. Augustine Catholic Church in Melrose served as the church for her wedding, while the American Cemetery, the oldest in the entire area covered by the Louisiana Purchase, even has a marker for where Shelby was fictionally buried.
Whether you want to just get a few pretty pictures or go full Misty from “Yellowjackets” and completely re-enact Sally Field’s big heartbreaking monologue, the best way to see and experience “Steel Magnolias” is with a visit to Natchitoches.
