I love the TV show, Veronica Mars ? Here is a list of locations where the show was filmed in San Diego.
The residence of Mars
This is actually The Inn at Sunset Cliffs at Point Loma, located at 1370 Sunset Cliffs Boulevard. This area of the city is a beautiful place to watch the sunset and the waves crashing below. It is also a favorite surf spot.
Mars investigations
The exterior shot of Veronica’s father’s building, where her private investigative agency is located, is located along Adams Avenue in Normal Heights. For reference, it looks like it’s next to the popular Lestat’s Coffee House.
Neptune High School
The exteriors of Veronica’s high school are filmed at Oceanside High School in Oceanside, a city along the coast in northern San Diego County. It is located at 1 Pirates Cove in Oceanside and is right off I-5 at the Mission Avenue exit; you can see the campus from the highway (if you look quickly).
Hearst College
Once Veronica and her gang entered college, there were scenes on campus, which is really San Diego State University. Much of the first episode of season three shows the picturesque old courtyard with the famous bell tower arch, Hepner Hall, the library courtyard, the faculty staff center, and the Administration building.
Cuba
In the episode “A Trip to the Dentist,” what is supposed to be a place in Cuba (the country) is actually the El Prado area of Balboa Park, where most of the museums are concentrated.
Strip Clubs
In an early couple of episodes, the strip clubs are seen in stakeouts. These would be the Body Shop and Les Girls, both located next to each other off Rosecrans Boulevard in the Sports Arena / Midway district.
Dog Beach / Boardwalk
There’s a dog-friendly beach at Ocean Beach, and it seems like most of the beach scenes on Veronica Mars are shot there. Some other beach scenes also appear to take place on La Jolla Shores beach. Some of the Neptune Boardwalk scenes in the first two seasons were shot at Belmont Park in Mission Beach – the Giant Dipper roller coaster is the gift.
Other sightings
The video store in season 1 / Ep. 3 is Kensington Video on Adams Avenue in Kensington. Scolari’s North Park office is Fitzpatrick’s Bar. Winston’s Ocean Beach bar was used in Season 3 / Ep. 1)
In case you don’t know who Veronica Mars is …
Veronica Mars was a television drama on the CW about a girl (Kristen Bell) who has gone through difficult times: her best friend was murdered, her father lost his job as the town sheriff, and her mother mysteriously left with the family. Now ostracized at her high school, Veronica faces the drama of teenage heartbreak while helping her father’s private investigative agency in the coastal city of Neptune. A Kickstarter campaign resulted in the release of a Veronica Mars movie in 2014.
The show developed a devoted following, and much of the information about the show’s San Diego locations seen here can be attributed to viewer “private investigations” and posts on the Internet.
