The Walking Dead Tour
Justin gives Hailey her Bow Stock
Hailey, Pam and I are huge Walking Dead fans. One of our dogs is even named “Daryl” after Daryl Dixon. Hailey is into the paranormal and anything spooky or scary.
The Walking Dead town of Senoia GA is where the town of Alexandria is located. We visited a few years ago and did a commercialized tour from one of the vendors in town. We learned alot and didnt think we needed another tour on this trip. Last time we were only able to peek over the fence to get a glimpse of Alexandria and see a few of the filming locations. Today the wall is down and the town is open without security gates. You were always able to buy a house in Alexandria if you had the money and would deal with the regulations. The studio films at some crazy hours with your house made up however they wanted. If you visit, please remember this and all other locations are private property.
A few weeks ago, Pam’s cousin called to tell us he had a special gift for Hailey. He was telling a friend about how much she liked the walking dead and Daryl. Matt was the weapons tech for the show. He was given Daryl’s crossbow stock after replacing the stock when Daryl broke the Triger guard. He was allowed to keep the stock and decided to give it to Hailey. The gifted crossbow stock was part of the crossbow Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) used in The Walking Dead. Our research finds her crossbow was probably used at some point in seasons 4-6 possibly 7. We will be going back to the beginning on a binge watch to find when exactly the bow entered the show.
Hailey, due to her disabilities, typically doesn't show a lot of emotion or get very excited. When Justin gave her the bow, and started telling her about it, her smile got huge. As soon as he handed it to her, she stood up from the couch and went over and gave him a great big hug. She showed great emotion where normally there isn't in the moment.
*****Many kids with disabilities only show emotion or excitement after they have time to process things. This can be days later so educate people how our children react. You can’t force them to show excitement, just realize it will come later*****
On our way to town, Justin took us on a tour to a few locations away from town and not on the walking tours. We stopped in front of what is known in the area as Michonne woods. This is where Michonne first entered the series with the 2 walkers on leashes. We also stopped by the store where they fell through the roof and a few other abandoned farm buildings used in filming. At this point, we're not sure what season or episodes, but we do remember them in the show.
Around town we took some pictures of homes used in filming the series. The “pudding house” is the blue one. This is where Carl was eating the pudding, sitting on the roof.
In town you will find a restaurant named Nic and Norman's. This is Norman Reedus and Greg Nicotereo’s restaurant. Nic is a producer and special effects makeup artist on the show. If ever in Senoia Nic and Normans is a definite stop to make. Good food and a friendly crowd. We took a few pictures with Hailey and her crossbow stock in the restaurant and all through Senoia. Hailey was hoping to see Daryl, but he was filming over in France when we visited. We were told it had been about 6 months since he had been in, so don’t expect to find him behind the bar.
There are several museums and souvenir stores in town. We found a picture in the souvenir shop with the Stryker brand crossbow Hailey has. We are sure it’s the same one as the camouflage markings are in the same exact places. In the case below you can see the crossbow used in seasons 1-3.
After buying a few other things we went to Maguire’s Irish pub for lunch. Pam’s cousin eats there regularly so we knew it was good. After lunch we headed to the Senoia Brewery. The brewery is owned by three firemen and this is where Matt works in his free time.
In Senoia many movies have been filmed. The house below was used in one of Haileys favorites “The Conjuring 3”. The bridge was used in the series and is said to be haunted because it was used for many hangings. In the downtown area, plates can be seen in the sidewalks for all the movies and shows filmed in the town.
