If this year is like any other, thousands of fans will visit High River to see famous filming locations used in Canada’s longest-running one-hour TV drama.
The town south of Calgary has been a backdrop for CBC’s Heartland since the show began almost two decades ago. High River is no stranger to television and film productions, but work recently began on Season 19, and Heartland is by far the longest running show to film in the area.
While the making of a TV show or movie can provide a massive boost for local economies, film tourism is another way that communities associated with a major production can benefit.
High River is known as the "Home of Heartland," and the show's popularity draws fans from around the world.
The CBC original series, starring Amber Marshall as Amy Fleming, follows the adventures of a fictional ranching family and is based on books by Lauren Brooke.
Data tracked by the Museum of the Highwood, home of the town’s visitor information centre, found that Heartland is the single biggest reason visitors come to town.
Many come to see Maggie’s Diner, a unique filming location downtown. Thanks to the building’s public location, fans can walk up, peek inside the windows, take photos or even watch from a distance during filming.
The museum, located in a historic train station, had a record number of visitors in 2019, when 18,000 people came through the doors.
Of those, 6,000 came to see Heartland attractions, said visitor services coordinator Hayley Kerr-Watson.
The second biggest proportion of visitors to High River is day-trippers from Calgary, and sometimes the two categories overlap.
One Saturday in June, Jocelyn Neumeier and Kirill Shpak made the trip from Calgary to check out the Maggie's Diner set and explore the town.
The pair enjoyed seeing areas around the diner that aren't shown on TV.
"It's a bit behind the scenes," Shpak said.
The museum no longer tracks Heartland-specific data, but in 2024, there were 14,000 total visitors recorded.
“We don’t track Heartland visitors anymore, because we did it long enough that we get the picture,” Kerr-Watson said.
Neumeier started watching Heartland in her teens, binge-watching the entire series once it was put on Netflix.
The show was picked up by streaming services around 2015 and its popularity exploded, Kerr-Watson said.
Fans from the U.S., Europe, South America and even Australia began turning up at the museum, she said.
Donald Hill and Ellen Donofrio, siblings from New Jersey, visited the Maggie’s Diner set while they were on an Alaskan road trip last month.
"We got hooked and watched every episode," Donofrio said.
They lucked out, arriving at the set as production crews were setting up to film, and were allowed to take a peek inside the diner that is typically off-limits to the public.
Not far from the Maggie's set, Evelyn’s Memory Lane Diner gets its fair share of TV tourists, said co-owner David Poudrier.
“The museum often points people in our direction, and so do a lot of the neighbouring businesses,” Poudrier said.
Filming takes place right behind the restaurant, and staff are asked about Heartland almost as often as they are about the menu, he said.
"These are questions that the staff needs to be able to answer,” he said. “We have some real big fans that come again and again to see if they can catch the action."
Anyone visiting High River, especially fans of Heartland or other films shot in the area, should make the museum their first stop, Kerr-Watson said.
Visitors can get tips on where to eat or shop as well as get directions to filming locations and other attractions in and around the town.
There is also the museum's Film in the Foothills exhibit with props and costumes from Heartland and other productions.
In recent years, titles like The Last of Us, Joe Pickett, My Life with the Walter Boys, Black Summer and Fargo were filmed in the area.
Heartland fans planning a trip to High River can check out self-guided tours online.
Travel Alberta has a three-day Heartland Adventures in Southern Alberta tour that guides travellers from Calgary to High River and west to other filming locations near Millarville.
Tourism Calgary features another self-guided Heartland trip that can be done in one day.
Kerr-Watson said a fair share of people end up staying in High River overnight to get a jump on next day's film-related adventures.
“They’ll come because of Heartland, but they actually end up either staying longer or returning, because of that High River–southern Alberta charm,” Kerr-Watson said.
She said there's no reason to expect this year to be any different.
