Cousins Beach is a fictional beach town set in Massachusetts, inspired by various East Coast beaches such as Cape Cod, the Hamptons, Outer Banks, and Virginia Beach. Although the town does not exist in real life, the TV series "The Summer I Turned Pretty," which features Cousins Beach, was primarily filmed in and around Wilmington, North Carolina. Filming locations include Wilmington itself, Southport (where the "Entering Cousins Beach" sign is shown), Carolina Beach, Wrightsville Beach, and nearby areas. The iconic Fisher family beach house used in the show is located in a private gated community called Porters Neck Plantation in Wilmington. In summary, Cousins Beach is fictional, but the filming locations to represent it are real coastal towns in North Carolina, especially Wilmington and its surroundings, while the story is inspired by Massachusetts and other East Coast beaches.