Smokey and the Bandit was filmed primarily in Georgia and California, with key locations across towns and roads used to stage both the highway chases and the beer run. Core filming locations

• Georgia
  • Lakewood Fairgrounds in Atlanta (for depot scenes and interior staging)
  • Jonesboro, Main Street (scenes where the Bandit and Snowman load beer and interact with locals)
  • McDonough/Macon Street (close-up street work and building hideouts)
  • Helen, Georgia (mountain town ambiance and scenic shots)
  • Cumming and surrounding areas (rural backroads and intersection scenes)
  • Additional rural stretches on highways around Rome and the greater Atlanta area
• California
  • Ventura area (climactic chase sequences filmed on Casitas Vista Road and Santa Ana Road)

Notes on how these locations were used

• The film uses small-town Georgia streets to convey a fast-paced, law-and-order chase aesthetic, with notable moments on Main Street in Jonesboro and other local corridors.
• California routes provided a contrasting backdrop for the movie’s dramatic finish, even though the narrative is set in Georgia.
• Some exterior sequences were intentionally shot in Georgia’s rural highways to evoke the long-haul trucking feel central to the Bandit’s journey, while the production also leveraged urban and fairground settings around Atlanta for scale and logistics.

If you’d like, I can tailor a precise visit guide or map-based itinerary highlighting exact intersections and public-accessable spots, along with any current access notes or parking tips.