A Guide to Coupeville: Visit the Town 'Practical Magic' Was Filmed In

Fans of Practical Magic have been bewitched by the movie since its debut in 1998. The film follows two sisters, Sally Owens (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman), as they navigate their cursed love lives. (To be clear, these women are dealing with an actual curse that has been cast upon all of the female descendants of their family — not the usual modern dating mishaps of today.) Of course, over here at HGTV, we can’t help but swoon over the dreamy Massachusetts setting; most notably the iconic, bluff-side Victorian home Sally and Gillian grew up in with their aunts, and the picturesque, New England town they live near. It's the sort of locale you really, really want to be real.

By now, we all know the truth: The movie wasn’t actually filmed in Massachusetts. The town is sadly fictional. However, you can visit Coupeville, the historic waterfront oasis on Washington’s Whidbey Island, where the movie was filmed. In honor of Practical Magic 2 — premiering in theaters on September 10 — I visited Coupeville, which is about 30 miles north of Seattle. If you're looking to experience Sally and Gillian's hometown in real life, read on for my favorite places to visit in town — Practical Magic lore and beyond.

We pulled up to the Mukilteo Ferry Terminal after driving about 40 minutes north from Seattle. The ferry ride into Clinton (one of Whidbey Island's ports) is an experience in itself. Though the journey across the water only takes 20 minutes, it offers stunning views of the Puget Sound, the mountains surrounding the area and, if you're lucky, an orca or two. We drove onto the ferry and got out to enjoy the scenery during the ride. Before we knew it, we'd arrived on Whidbey Island.

A 45-minute drive from Clinton — and just six minutes away from Coupeville — this quaint and historic inn feels like an elevated glamping getaway. The key word here is “elevated.” There is running water, plumbing, a chic on-site restaurant and bar, kayak rentals and cushy waterfront seating on the property, but this place is charmingly rustic with a deceivingly remote feel. The parking lot almost tricks you into believing you're pulling into a manicured campground. Not so! A woodsy, waterfront oasis awaits. We stopped at the Inn’s General Store for coffee before taking a stroll around the grounds. Afterward, we admired the regal, native-stone fireplace in the lobby while finishing our drinks. The cappuccino was average, but the ambiance was peaceful and absolutely worth the detour.

Coupeville feels both witchy and whimsical. Historic Front Street — where many scenes from the movie were filmed — sits right up against the Puget Sound and boasts vibrant storefronts painted in contrasting pastel colors. Though fans will remember, set designers covered the exterior of these buildings in white paint for the movie. They wanted to make the town look more New England and less Pacific Northwest. (Pictured: Toby's Tavern, better known as The Catch and Fry in Practical Magic. It can be seen with a false front in the movie.)

Before meandering through town, I highly recommend stopping by the Visitors Center at the Coupeville Chamber of Commerce to pick up the official Practically Magic Walking Tour brochure. This helpful guide points out all the movie landmarks and includes facts about the set design and Coupeville's history. The Visitors Center also offers tons of information about sightseeing in the area. Plus, fans can check out props from the movie up close. One local, who works at the Chamber of Commerce, has lived in town for more than 30 years and watched the production of the first movie in real time. Now, she says lovingly, "It's like living in a Hallmark town."

We headed down the street to the Coupeville Wharf — which is featured in the background of the famous Practical Magic scene where Sally runs up the path to the Owens house. At the end of the wharf, there's a coffee shop (In With the Tide), seating overlooking the Sound (a great place to watch the boats come and go) and two fully stocked souvenir shops.

Perhaps the most famous of all of the stores on Front Street is the Mexican restaurant Molka Xete, which is, of course, the location of Sally's apothecary shop, Verbena Botanicals. Next door sits Aqua Gifts, where you'll find a trove of Practical Magic merch (wishing stones, notebooks, T-shirts — the list goes on).

Though I debated heading into Molka Xete to really take a look around, the locals in town told me Front Street Bar and Grill was the place to go for seafood and views, so we headed there for lunch. The crab cakes and Caesar salad did not disappoint. Nor did the beer flight. My favorite was the blackberry cider.

As we wandered around town, I struck up a conversation with a local sitting on a bench. When I asked him if he lived nearby, he told me no; he had come from elsewhere on the island solely for a scoop of ice cream from Kapaw's. Obviously, we power-walked over to find a line out the door. No problem! We spent the wait perusing Kapaw's long list of flavor offerings (24 to be exact). We ordered a single serving in a waffle cone — which comes with not one, but three scoops — and, of course, took a photo of the famous ice cream sign (which was hung as a prop for the movie and remains in the same spot today).

A few stores down from Kapaw's, this shop has an impressive collection of paper goods: greeting cards, note cards, notebooks, cookbooks — you name it, Kingfisher Arts and Letters probably sells it (and it's probably cute). In 1998, Kingfisher was actually an antique store, and it supplied Practical Magic producers with pieces for the set.

Speaking of antiques, Jan McGregor's charming vintage store is also located on Front Street, and it's packed with hand-picked textiles, ceramics, carvings, tansu and handcrafted Japanese items. I spent almost 30 minutes inside the small store, examining the unique pieces Jan has to offer.

One of the most disappointing things about visiting Coupeville: The aunts' imposing Victorian home is not at the end of this path — though it is the same one Sandra Bullock runs up in the movie. In real life, Coupeville Town Park sits where the home is supposed to be. The majestic exterior was actually built as an architectural shell on San Juan Island (about a three-hour trip north from Coupeville) and has since been taken down. And the witchy "Midnight margaritas!" scene? All the interior shots were filmed on a sound stage.