You Can Actually Visit Jack's Bar From 'Virgin River' in Real Life

Virgin River has all the makings for the ultimate comfort watch: a storybook romance, Hallmark-level drama, and a quaint yet cozy backdrop. If you can look beyond Mel and Jack’s obvious chemistry (it’s hard, we know), you’ll be met with sweeping views of redwood trees and surrounding mountain ranges, along with local staples like Jack’s bar and Doc Mullins’ clinic. The gorgeous scenery alone may inspire some fans to a take a trip out west in hopes of experiencing the town’s charm in real life, but this begs the question: Is Virgin River a real place?

Before the show’s release, the author of the Virgin River book series, Robyn Carr, confirmed that the show is merely a figment of the imagination. “It’s idealized, it’s utopian, it’s the perfect small town. People always write and say, ‘Where is it? I want to go there,’ and I have to remind them that it only exists in our hearts and minds,” she told Entertainment Weekly. In her eyes, Virgin River can be just about anywhere if you try hard enough: “But to further that thought, we can have that sense of community in our own neighborhood or school or church group or community center or library association. All we have to do is try to create it.”

In this video, Carr describes Virgin River as “a character” since everyone in the fictional town needs to “rely on each other.”