Although fictional, various coastal towns in New England served as the backdrop for the series. “You immediately have this kind of mythical mysticism surrounding it,” Rhys told The Boston Globe in April 2026. “That New England history so perfectly lent to this piece. Once we shot there, it just enriched it tenfold.”
These are the real-life places you can visit to retrace the footsteps of Mayor Tom et al.
Rockport served as the town centre
Apple TVA lot of the action takes place in the picturesque town of Rockport. Specifically, Old Harbour Road served as the town centre, while the restaurant, The Salty Whale, is on the site of the former Dark Star Philosophia at 14 Old Harbour Road. Even the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it retro-looking ice cream shop, simply called The Ice Cream Store, is a real place: you can visit it at 14 Bearskin Neck. Other spots that fans can visit include the picnic bench where Patricia – the Mayor’s eccentric assistant, played by British actress Kate O’Flynn – reads her mysterious book (located at White Wharf). “Places like Gloucester and Rockport, for me, just gave you that essence for free,” Rhys told The Boston Globe. “You don’t have to suspend any imagination. It’s all in front of you.”
Berlin Town Hall stands in for the Widow’s Bay Town Hall, where Tom and Patricia work. Originally built in 1870, the Berlin Town Hall’s historic exterior has the perfect, slightly eerie feel for the show. Berlin (pronounced BUR-lin, to differentiate it from the German capital) has a population of just over 3,000, and has been a town since 1665, with a rich agricultural background specialising in growing asparagus. It was also used as a location in the 2023 film The Holdovers.
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