Alexandra Breckenridge | House Tour | Discover her Atlanta Home & Virgin River Filming Secrets!

Having starred in many popular TV series over the course of her career, including the likes of This Is Us, American Horror Story, and more recently, Virgin River, you'd probably expect to find actress Alexandra Breckinridge living amongst other actors in Hollywood, California. But the truth is, she lives about as far away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles as possible. Today, Alexandra lives in a woodsy area not unlike the places she was once raised in Connecticut. There were several towns she lived in throughout her childhood, but the small town of Darien, with a population of just over 20,000 people, was where she lived the longest. Connecticut is where she fell in love with acting, which would go on to inspire her career. She told Connecticut Insider, I was always fascinated with cartoons and then film. I would always play pretend as a kid. I think a lot of children take on characters from their favorite movies. Alexandra's mother was only 19 years old when she had her, which led to Alexandra having to rely on her own imagination to keep herself occupied, as her mom was often away at school or off cleaning other people's homes for work. At just 8 years old, Alexandra even cooked up her own make-believe TV show, pretending to be Julia Child. Then, at the age of 11, she and her family moved to California. As much as she loved the weather on the West Coast, Alexandra missed playing in the woods and bicycling around town to visit friends. As she grew older, Alexandra pushed her memories of small town living to the side and set out to establish herself as one of Hollywood's most successful actresses. Her career didn't explode immediately, but along the way she was cast in shows like American Horror Story and The Walking Dead, before finding her breakout role in This Is Us. During her rise to the top of the industry, Alexandra met her future husband Casey Hooper in 2015, at a Grammy afterparty. Casey was just wrapping up years of touring as the lead guitarist for Katy Perry, and the two fell quickly in love. One year later, they were married and looking for a place to start a family. Much like her character in Virgin River, Alexandra couldn't resist the appeal of returning to small town living. So, the happy couple shunned the Los Angeles lifestyle for a quieter existence in Atlanta, Georgia. Alexandra Breckenridge discovered her love for Atlanta after being cast in The Walking Dead. When she was later looking for somewhere to live, she remembered how the city reminded her of her childhood and convinced her new husband that they should search for a home in Georgia. Living in Hollywood South would ensure both Alexandra and Casey could find entertainment work nearby, while also allowing them to enjoy the atmosphere and sense of community that was otherwise lacking in LA. Alexandra told Atlanta Magazine, "...we wanted our children to grow up in a place where they could play and ride their bikes that didn't feel like a big city." After having their son Jack in 2016 and their daughter Billie the following year, the family found exactly what they were looking for, with a home in a quiet community just outside of Atlanta, a two-story house that they've now made their own. When the family first found their new property, a cottage built in 2008, it was different than it looks now. Alexandra revealed, "...the previous owners had a very different style from us and the entire house was more traditional. It felt like Christmas in the 90s, kind of like the McAllister's house in Home Alone." When Alexandra and Casey first moved in, they were surrounded by a lot of browns, dark reds, and heavy drapes. Lucky for them though, Alexandra's mother Rebecca had become an interior designer over the years and helped re-imagine her daughter's living space into a lighter and more relaxed environment. These days, her place looks so good that Alexandra even showed it off to fans across social media and inside the pages of Atlanta Magazine. Her favorite area to highlight is her kitchen, which boasts white cupboards, gray tiles, stainless steel appliances, and dark wood floorboards, all of which provide the perfect setting for Alexandra to display her bread-baking abilities. The mother of two even positioned a small children's table next to the kitchen island so that she could keep her eyes on them while preparing a meal. Not far from the kitchen is a breakfast nook with a wooden table and chairs, as well as a number of windows. Elsewhere on the main floor is the family's open-plan living area, where they gather around the TV on top of a large sofa to relax after a long day. Upstairs, on the second floor, you'll find Alexandra's home office, complete with a gray desk, as well as black and white photography hanging on the walls, and a bookshelf. When it came to the desk, Alexandra wanted one that could double as a sewing table because her favorite hobby is making quilts. When she's not busy sewing, Alexandra's spending her free time in the bedroom with its pale gray upholstered button headboard, matching gray curtains, as well as a cream rug and modern glass bedside tables. When it came time to decorate the kids' rooms, the family wanted those spaces to be somewhere that adults could enjoy too, so a custom daybed was selected to anchor Jack's area, which also featured a wallpapered ceiling that resembles wood. Over in their daughter Billy's room, the vibe is equally calming, and the wallpaper features a wildlife scene with rabbits, blossom trees, as well as butterflies. Trying to raise two young kids while also continuing her career as an in-demand actress creates a hectic schedule for Alexandra, but no matter how busy her day might be, she always tries to find a little me-time, even if it's only for a couple of minutes before bed. Of course, some days Alexandra doesn't get to relax exactly how she'd like. Instead, she's got to contend with minor disasters like this one her dog made when she got into the kitchen cupboards. If you've watched Alexandra Breckinridge's hit Netflix series Virgin River, then you've no doubt been captivated by the views on screen in nearly every episode. The show is actually filmed in none other than Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada, with a large portion of the series' locations shot on Squamish Nation. This means the production coordinates with the local First Nations to ensure that they have a right to be there. According to Vancouver's tourism website, many of Virgin River's establishing shots are taken in Snug Cove, a community of less than 4,000 people located on Bowen Island, including the local library, Main Streets, and Artisan Lane. When it comes to more specific locations, like, say, Mel's Cabin, the interiors are shot on a soundstage, but the exterior of the cabin is located in North Vancouver in Murdo Fraser Park. Jack's Bar is another popular location in Virgin River, and if you'd like to visit it for yourself, you'll need to head to Squamish to a restaurant known as the Watershed Grill. The doctor's office Mel works in during the series is also an actual practice that's located in the town of New Westminster. The Queen Anne-style mansion that houses the office was built in 1889, and was once home to a speakeasy during Prohibition times. In addition to being the aesthetically pleasing show that it is, there are many other beautiful locations seen in Virgin River. For instance, Burnaby Fraser Foreshore Park is where the scenes with Paige's Bakeaway food truck are filmed. As for Mayor Hope McCree's home, that's located on Deer Lake Drive near Deer Lake Park. For today, after checking out Alexandra Breckenridge's real-life home and some spots from Virgin River, we're gonna bring this tour to a close. Be sure to let me know what you thought about her wonderful home. And before you leave, consider answering the following question. If you were a Hollywood star, would you be looking to live somewhere other than LA? Let me know if small-town living is more your vibe in the comments below. Otherwise, like, subscribe, and turn on those notifications to make sure you never miss an episode. My name is Kara, follow me on Instagram to chat, and I'll see you all in another one. Bye!