A Guide to It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Filming Locations in Philly
Charlie. Dee. Dennis. Mac. Frank. We've all wondered what it would be like to live in the world of The Gang from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as they terrorized Philly over the last 16 years.
Their antics took them all over the city, from the Ben Franklin Bridge to Boathouse Row (though Frank prefers being underneath bridges).
Famous It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia filming locations are all around the city, with dozens of exterior shots in Center City, South Philly, and north Philly.
While the show is set in Philly, the crew lives and primarily films in Los Angeles. But Philly’s unique vibe shows up whenever the cast films on location. Visiting these spots feels like it can transport you into the show.
Explore some of the notable Philly landmarks that have appeared in the show and some show-famous spots. Plus, dive into an interactive map of all the show locations in Philadelphia below.
Famous It’s Always Sunny Locations in Philadelphia
Table of Locations
Penn’s Landing
It’s Always Sunny’s iconic introduction scene highlights a number of famous spots around Philly. One of them is the blue arched “Market Street” sign that shows the path from Philly's Old City to the waterfront. Today, the sign still stands but the text has been replaced with “Penn’s Landing.” When visiting historic Philadelphia Old City you can see the famous old sites and then go visit Mac’s Tavern, a bar owned by IASIP co-stars Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson.
Lincoln Financial Field
Another shot from the introduction passes the famous south-facing facade of the Eagles stadium If you’re driving in from the airport or coming from anywhere south on I-95, you’ll pass Lincoln Financial Field, or The Linc as Philadelphians call it. When “The Gang Gets Invincible” (Season 3, Episode 2) the stadium’s parking lot makes an appearance as Dennis, Mac, and Dee go to open tryouts to join the Eagles. Frank and Charlie go to a tailgate, which is one of the best ways to experience the real Philadelphia if you're in town. Just don’t be a Cowboys fan.
Logan Square
Moving along through the introduction sequence, is the famous Swann Memorial Fountain in Logan Square. Despite it being a circle today, Logan Square was one of the original squares in the design of Philadelphia. In “Dennis Reynolds: An Errotic Life,” (Season 4, Episode 9) the gang comes to the fountain to throw money in the water, piss in the water, and then use the water for its healing properties. If you visit, throwing coins in the water is acceptable but using it for healing powers is not recommended.
South Street
The final shot of the intro sequence may seem like a nondescript street, but any Philadelphian will recognize it as the famous South Street. A place where generations of teens and tourists have hung out, it’s full of restaurants, bars and shops. The view in the introduction scene, shot out of the window of a car, heads east. South Street isn’t just a street name - make sure you visit the eastern side to get the full South Street experience if you’re in town.
Love Park
Love Park (technically known as JFK Plaza but no one calls it that) gets featured on the show in "Charlie Goes America All Over Everybody's Ass" (Season 2, Episode 8). It’s here that Charlie and Dee go to an anti-smoking protest, only to find out that the head protestor is actually a paid actor. Later, Charlie returns here for his own street performance, before throwing up with stress.
The Love Park shown in the show was famous as a spot for skateboarders to hang out and ride. (If you look closely in the background, they had to cover up the Love statue during the filming!). Today, the park has been renovated into a large plaza that the famous Philly Love Statue near its center.
Bleu Martini (The Italian Restaurant)
The exterior of the real Philly nightclub Blue Martini shows up in two It’s Always Sunny episodes. First, in “Dennis and Dee Get a New Dad” (Season 2, Episode 10), the outside serves as the Italian restaurant where Dennis and Dee confront Frank and Barbara about the identity of their real dad, Bruce Mathis.
It later serves as an actual nightclub. In “Who Pooped the Bed” (Season 4, Episode 7) Dee goes out partying with The Waitress and Artemis. Even though the nightclub first appeared in the show in 2006, as of 2024 it is still a nightclub under the same name.
City Fitness Northern Liberties
After Sweet Dee’s heart attack in “Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack” (Season 4, Episode 10) she and Dennis come to this gym to get in shape so they won’t die. But of course, once they start exercising on the treadmill they decide they need to spend money on shakes and equipment.
Later when “Mac Fights Gay Marriage” (Season 6, Episode 1) he runs into a newly post-op Carmen and her new husband Nick here. The original gym has been torn down and replaced with a modern state of the art facility (that The Gang couldn’t afford).
Want to Explore The REAL South Philadelphia?
Take "The Gang Goes to South Philly Tour" to see these sites, and more!!
Hahnemann University Hospital
While this famous Philadelphia hospital closed in 2019, the building was the backdrop to a few of The Gang’s health scares. In “Dee Gives Birth” (Season 6, Episode 12), she is taken to this hospital. She and Dennis try to “Weekend at Bernie’s” a dead guy out of the hospital but find out that he wasn’t dead.
In “Frank’s Pretty Woman” (Season 7, Episode 1) Mac and Dennis come to see a doctor here to see if all of Fat Mac’s excess fat should be called fat or ‘mass.’ The doctor diagnoses Dennis with anemia and Mac with type 2 diabetes.
Strawberry Mansion Bridge
Mac tries to jump off the Strawberry Mansion Bridge in “Mac Day” (Season 9, Episode 1), adding the jumping effects ‘in-post’ but Country Mac beats him to it and leaps off into the Schuylkill River.
Earlier in the episode we see The Gang on the banks of the Schuylkill banks preparing to film Project Badass, with the bridge in the background. If it wasn’t clear, don’t jump off the bridge. Country Mac would not have survived that jump!
Locust Walk
Locust Walk is the main pathway that goes through the University of Pennsylvania campus in West Philadelphia. It has the honor of appearing in the first aired episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, “The Gang Gets Racist” (Season 1, Episode 1). Mac and Charlie go to campus to try to find some black friends after meeting Dee’s friend Terrell. The pair walk down the path, filmed from a distance (probably because they didn't have permits to film there).
The walkway makes an appearance again in “Who Pooped the Bed” (Season 4, Episode 7) when Frank and the guys go to the university to get their stool sample analyzed at Penn.
Italian Market
The Italian Market is the beating heart of South Philly, with open-air fruit stands along the street. In the show, it makes an appearance in “The Gang Hits the Road” (Season 5, Episode 2) as the make a stop in their U-haul on the way to the Grand Canyon. It’s here where Charlie eats a pear for the first time and Dennis haggles with a gypsy (or so he thinks) to buy wicker chairs for the back of the truck. In cold months, you can expect to see a barrel full of trash burning, much like the people under the bridge on IASIP.
Citizen Bank Park
In “The World Series Defense” (Season 5, Episode 6) The Gang had tickets to the World Series at the home of the Phillies. They find out they left their tickets at home and try to cause a scene to get in.
In reality, the crew was not allowed to mention the name of the Phillies mascot, the Phanatic, and instead had to use the made up name “Phrenetic.” Charlie, in full green man attire, gets into a fight with the Phrenetic, before getting run off by two local Philly guys (Rob McElhenney’s real life friends Dennis & Dennis).
Mac’s Mom’s House
First appearing in “Mac Bangs Dennis’s Mom” (Season 2, Episode 5), Mac’s Mom’s house is where Dennis goes to try to get back at Mac by banging his mom. We see her sitting on her porch watching tv and having a cigarette while Dennis tries his best to seduce her but fails. The exterior also appears in "Mac is a Serial Killer" (Season 3, Episode 10) when Charlie and Frank investigate Mac's childhood home to see if he is secretly a serial killer.
While the house appears as Mac’s Mom’s House, it was actually the real world house of Rob McElhenney, the actor who plays Mac, and his mom. In a bit of reality meeting fiction, both the actor and the character he plays grew up in the same home.
Read more about the full story of the house and updates on its current status.
Interactive Map of It's Always Sunny Locations in Philadelphia
These are just a handful of the many locations in Philadelphia that appear in the show. The map below lists dozens of spots, with information about the current location and what episodes it appeared in.
Want to Explore The REAL South Philadelphia?
Take "The Gang Goes to South Philly Tour" to see these sites, and more!!
It’s Always Sunny Filming Locations (Not in Philadelphia)
Sadly, the entirety of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia was not shot in beautiful Philadelphia. As most of the interior scenes were filmed at a studio in Los Angeles, there are many outside shots around the area, specifically in Downtown LA. Some of them are:
Paddy’s Pub
Of all the locations in It’s Always Sunny, Paddy’s Pub is certainly the most famous. The exterior has been the location of everything from arrests to explosions. The actual location is at 544 Mateo Street in Downtown Los Angeles. If you want to learn more about the current state of the bar exterior, check out the full story of Paddy's Pub.
Charlie and Frank’s Apartment
While not nearly as fan-loved as Paddy’s Pub, Charlie and Frank’s apartment makes countless appearances in the show. The exterior of the building was shot outside of the Barclay Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles. Today the building serves as low income housing, not unlike the room that Frank and Charlie shared.
Wrapping Up
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is in many ways a love letter to the city of Philadelphia. With dozens of scenes shot around the city, it highlights the many sides of the city. If you’re looking to visit some of the interesting sites and spend an afternoon of It’s Always Sunny fun, our Always Sunny Tour offers a chance to walk around some of the notable locations in the show.
All images are property of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and FXX.
