Charleston remained a principal filming base for Outer Banks Season 5.
The South Carolina city has been central to the production since the first season, even though the story is set in North Carolina’s Outer Banks. Charleston’s coastal landscapes, marshes, historic buildings, and nearby islands have repeatedly stood in for the fictional communities of Kildare County.
The production originally considered Wilmington, North Carolina, but Netflix chose Charleston instead. That decision helped shape the visual identity of the show, whose beaches, waterways, docks, and low-country architecture are recognizable parts of its setting.
Viewers sometimes assume that the series is filmed mainly in the real Outer Banks. The fictional locations are inspired by North Carolina, but Charleston and surrounding South Carolina areas have been the practical production home for much of the series, including Season 5.