Connecticut Turns Holiday‑Movie Set Into Tourist Magnet, Fans Rally for Bus Tours

Connecticut, the filming home for at least 22 Hallmark and Lifetime holiday movies, has opened its streets to fans eager to walk in their favorite scenes.

A Bus‑Ride Through Holiday Memories

Abby Rumfelt of Morganton, North Carolina, described the tour as “It’s exciting — just to know that something was in a movie and we actually get to see it visually,” after stepping off a coach bus in Wethersfield. Rumfelt was one of 53 people, mostly women, on a weeklong “Hallmark Movie Christmas Tour” organized by Mayfield Tours from Spartanburg, South Carolina. On the bus, fans watched the matching movies as they rode from stop to stop.

Heirloom Market: Where the Magic Happens

The group stopped for lunch at Heirloom Market at Comstock Ferre, where parts of the Hallmark films “Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane” and “Rediscovering Christmas” were filmed. The historic store, once home to America’s oldest seed company, sits in a district known for 1700s and 1800s buildings. It sells T‑shirts with Hallmark’s crown logo and the phrase “I Live in a Christmas Movie. Wethersfield, CT 06109.” Julia Koulouris, co‑owner with husband Spiros, said “People just know about us now,” crediting the movie trail.

From Classic Roots to Modern Boom

Holiday movies date back to the 1940s, when Hollywood produced classics such as “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “Miracle on 34th Street,” and “Christmas in Connecticut,” shot at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, California. In 2006, five years after Hallmark Channel launched, Hallmark struck gold with “The Christmas card,” said Joanna Wilson, author of “Tis the Season TV: The Encyclopedia of Christmas‑Themed Episodes, Specials and Made‑for‑TV Movies.” She added, “Hallmark saw those high ratings and then started creating that format and that formula with the tropes and it now has become their dominant formula that they create for their Christmas TV romances.” Wilson noted the industry now releases roughly 100 new films annually and has diversified with broader racial, ethnic, and LGBTQ+ storylines, while the formula—predictable, G‑rated love stories—remains the same. She said, “They want to see people coming together. They want to see these romances. It’s a part of the hope of the season.”

Connecticut’s Rebranding and the Tax‑Credit Debate

Connecticut’s chief marketing officer, Anthony M. Anthony, said the Christmas Movie Trail is part of a 2023 rebranding effort that promotes the state as a place to work and live. He asked, “So what better way to highlight our communities as a place to call home than them being sets of movies?” The trail, launched last year, has sparked debate in the state Capitol about eliminating or capping film‑industry tax credits, which could threaten future local productions. Christina Nieves and her husband Raul, who have lived in Connecticut for 30 years, said the trail has let them “explore new places in the state, like the Bushnell Park Carousel in Hartford, where a scene from “Ghost of Christmas Always” was filmed.” Nieves also persuaded her husband to join a tree‑lighting and Christmas parade in Windsor Locks, saying, “I said, listen, let me just milk this Hallmark thing as long as I can, OK?”

Key Takeaways

• Fans can tour filming locations on organized bus tours, with 53 participants on Mayfield Tours’ recent trip.
• Heirloom Market’s historic setting and branded T‑shirts illustrate how local businesses benefit from the movie trail.
• Connecticut’s marketing strategy and film‑tax‑credit debate shape the future of its holiday‑movie industry.

As fans line up for the next season’s holiday films, Connecticut’s streets and storefronts remain a living backdrop, inviting moviegoers to step into the stories that have become a seasonal tradition.