All 17 Napoleon Dynamite Filming Locations: FULL List + Sweet Map!

Napoleon Dynamite (2004) follows an awkward high school student (Jon Heder) and his pursuits in romance and friendship despite his quirky family members.

It was originally based on a university class project. Filmmaking duo Jared and Jerusha Hess—plus Heder—decided to take the leap and turn their short film into a feature-length production.

Luckily, the Hesses set and shot the movie in Jared’s hometown of Preston, Idaho. Most of the Napoleon Dynamite filming locations are in this town and nearby. He relied on the generosity of friends and family to house and feed the cast and crew.

After all, they were shooting this coming-of-age comedy on a measly $400,000 budget.

The Hesses, and the locals of this small town in Southeastern Idaho, could never have predicted the runaway success of this movie.

They certainly couldn’t have predicted that 20 years later, my partner and I would show up in costume and run into a family from North Carolina outside Napoleon Dynamite’s house. Also in costume, by the way.

It just shows the enduring popularity of this unique, incredible film!

I visited every single Napoleon Dynamite location during my trip in July 2023. It was a sleepy Sunday and the heat was intense.

This filming location adventure holds a special place in my heart, as it was the first location scouting trip where my partner joined me. He lived in Salt Lake City, so the Napoleon Dynamite town of Preston is just a two-hour drive north.

He was the one who suggested costumes. I picked a good one, huh?

A couple of locals approached us taking photos around town who seemed to get a kick out of the costumes.

So, without further delay, let’s travel around Preston, Idaho, and its surroundings in search of every Napoleon Dynamite film location! I’m proud to have noted a couple you won’t find on other sites.

To misquote Pedro: If you read this guide, all your wildest dreams will come true.

1. Napoleon Dynamite’s House

• Address: 1447 E 800 N, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.11116, -111.84107

Boy, we’re starting strong, aren’t we?

We first meet our hero in his humble abode. Napoleon is doing chores (i.e. feeding Tina the Llama) before catching the bus to school to get Kip (Aaron Ruell) and Grandma (Sandy Martin) off his back.

The Napoleon Dynamite house address is in Preston, although it’s just outside town. Those quintessential Idaho potato fields and hay bales surround the house for miles.

I’m usually quite nervous about visiting houses that were filming locations. It’s someone’s private home, you know?

Luckily, the residents had drawn every blind and we never saw a soul.

And I’m sorry to break it to you but there were no llamas in sight.

2. Preston Senior High School

• Address: Preston Senior High School, 151 E 2nd S, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.09249, -111.87256

Another great spot: the Napoleon Dynamite High School. The Hesses shot the school scenes at Preston Senior High School.

This is where director Jared Hess attended school!

They shot during the summer break of 2002. I visited on a Sunday in the summer break so, of course, no one was around.

If you want to try your luck seeing the colourful lockers inside (they’re still there!), visit on a weekday. Call ahead or stop by right after school finishes and plead your case to an on-site staff member.

3. Tetherball Court

• Address: Pioneer Elementary School, 525 S 4th E St, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.08611, -111.86523

Ah, tetherball. Just the sort of non-mainstream form of exercise an oddball kid like Napoleon would play.

The tetherball court isn’t at the High School. Nope! This Napoleon Dynamite filming location is on the playground behind Pioneer Elementary School.

Some guides mistakenly say Preston Junior High School, but it’s not directly behind that school.

And yes, the original tetherball pole is still there!! I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.

Please excuse these photos of my pretending to play with no ball and no paddle. When in Rome, right?

4. Pedro’s House

• Address: 59 S 2nd St E, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.09498, -111.87085

Napoleon makes friends with the new kid, Pedro (Efren Ramirez). Pedro liked to perform jumps on his bike so, naturally, Napoleon gave it a go too.

Pedro’s house is a cute, adobe-esque house in the heart of Preston.

There’s no denying this house’s architectural style, more commonly seen in the American Southwest, contrasts with Napoleon’s quaint farmhouse.

5. Rex Kwon DoJo

• Address: 12 1/2 N State St, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.09662, -111.8763

Napoleon and his brother see a commercial for Rex Kwon Do’s martial arts classes. They head to his dojo for a taster session.

Napoleon Dynamite filmed the dojo scenes on the top floor of this downtown building in Preston.

I’m not sure what used to be on this floor back then (or even now!). But today, the ground floor is a gift shop.

6. Preston High School Track & Field

• Address: Preston High School Track & Field, 250 S 2nd St E, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.09058, -111.86986

I haven’t seen this Napoleon Dynamite film location on any other guides. But it’s super easy to visit!

Napoleon chats to Pedro about prom and having each other’s backs on the bleachers of a track and field, erm, field.

Hess shot this scene at Preston High School’s field. It’s about a block away from the main high school building.

When I visited, it looked like a construction crew was in the middle of remodelling. But despite it being the summer break, I could fully access the bleachers.

7. St. Anthony Sand Dunes

• Address: St. Anthony Sand Dunes, Idaho
• Co-ordinates: 44.00372, -111.79495

Alas, I have not yet visited the Napoleon Dynamite sand dunes.

Grandma leaves Napoleon and his brother Kip in the care of Uncle Rico (Jon Gries) while she rides dune bikes. Unfortunately, Grandma breaks her coccyx while out riding.

Fortunately, the dunes look beautiful! The location is St. Anthony Sand Dunes around 150 miles north of Preston, a 2.5-hour drive.

Maybe I’ll make it up there someday, eh?

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8. Big J Burgers (closed)

• Address: Big J’s Drive-in, 190 S 200 E, Richmond, Utah
• Co-ordinates: 41.91873, -111.80354

Kip confides in Uncle Rico about his online girlfriend over a burger at Big J Burgers fast food restaurant.

While there is a Big J Burgers in Preston, that’s not the original Napoleon Dynamite filming location.

Hess shot this scene at the Richmond, Utah location just south of the state border on 190 S 200 E. However, that location is closed. The new Richmond-based Big J Burgers is across the street at 190 S 200 W.

But… Visit the Preston location if you want to know the best Big J Burgers to visit to honour the movie. It’s based at 196 N State St, Preston, ID 83263.

I couldn’t visit inside (again—businesses are closed on Sundays!) but apparently, they have a small shrine to the movie.

9. Summer’s House

• Address: 3384 S Parkinson Rd, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.03712, -111.81902

Pedro—somewhat optimistically—leaves a letter outside Summer’s house asking her to prom.

Since Summer (Haylie Duff) is pretty and popular, she’s rich and lives in a big house. It’s just movie law/logic.

Some falsely state that Summer’s house is in Franklin. It’s certainly south of downtown Preston and is located near Franklin, but the house is definitely in Preston.

10. Pop’n Pins Bowling Alley

• Address: Pop’n Pins Bowling, 411 US-91, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.08858, -111.8729

Kip and Uncle Rico discuss their new business venture while bowling a few lanes.

The Napoleon Dynamite bowling alley is Pop N’ Pin Lanes in downtown Preston.

I am obsessed with their sign. Again, I would have loved to have played a game or two inside but it was a Sunday and closed!

11. Trisha’s House

• Address: 253 S 2600 E, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.09149, -111.81321

Thanks to Uncle Rico and Trisha’s mum feeling sorry for Napoleon, Trisha is Napoleon’s date for prom.

He picks her up at her house, which is located far east outside of town.

I visited Napoleon’s house first, then Trisha’s house, and then headed downtown, working my way south.

12. Ritewood Inc. Egg Farm

• Address: Ritewood Inc., 3643 S 4000 E, Franklin, ID 83237
• Co-ordinates: 42.03493, -111.77859

Napoleon gets a not-very-lucrative job on an egg farm. Luckily, it’s a short bike (or roller skate ride) from his home in Franklin, Idaho.

The location is Ritewood Inc. which is a real-life egg farm surrounded by farmland.

There are a few different incubation buildings and the specific location from the movie is the shed furthest from the road.

I hoped to take a photo right outside the building. On Google Maps, it looks totally open. However, when I visited, there was a fence and a closed gate. Makes sense!

13. Deseret Industries Thrift Store

• Address: 36 S State St, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.09539, -111.87696

Napoleon buys his iconic three-piece brown suit for prom from the Deseret Industries Thrift Store in downtown Preston.

This thrift store wasn’t just one of the Napoleon Dynamite filming locations. It actually provided costumes for most of the characters!

Production really was on a tight budget.

Maybe you’ll find a ‘Vote For Pedro’ t-shirt or two on a rack inside?

14. Unknown house

Alas, I admit. I know the locations of all the Napoleon Dynamite locations bar one.

In this scene, Uncle Rico is trying to sell a 24-piece Tupperware (or non-branded alternative) to a couple in this house. He makes Napoleon late for prom.

I know this house is somewhere in Preston, but I don’t know where.

If you do, please leave a comment below this guide! I will provide full credit.

15. King’s Variety Store (closed)

• Address: King’s, 52 S State St, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.09511, -111.87711

Unfortunately, it’s unrealistic to expect the world to stand still for 20+ years.

While most Napoleon Dynamite Idaho locations are the same, some aren’t.

Uncle Rico and Napoleon buy food at King’s Variety Store. Summer works here and Napoleon finds a sword and an instructional dance video here too.

It’s located in downtown Preston but, unfortunately, closed in 2017. It was a chain and the company went into liquidation and shut all stores that year.

It has sat empty ever since. As the photo below shows, you can still see the outline of the sign.

16. Preston Community Park/Benson Park

• Address: Preston Community Park, 2-98, E Oneida St, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.09565, -111.87518

Kip picks up his online girlfriend Lafawnduh (Shondrella Avery) from a bus stop.

In reality, the bus stop was a set piece.

They go to a local park and eat lunch on a picnic beach. Later, Pedro celebrates his class presidential victory in this park.

Luckily, it’s a real park! Jared Hess shot this scene in Preston Community Park, also known as Benson Park. It’s also in downtown Preston.

17. Rex and Starla’s House

• Address: 302 E Valley View Dr, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.0815, -111.86861

The final new Napoleon Dynamite filming location is Rex and Starla’s house. It’s in the southern part of Preston on the way out of town.

When we stopped by, the owner was moving out but was happy for us to take photos. I imagine he doesn’t get many Napoleon Dynamite fans out to his house.

Deep tracks only here.

18. Lamont Reservoir

• Address: Lamont Reservoir, Idaho 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.10818, -111.81437

This is a scene Hess shot for the movie but it didn’t make the cut. Kip and Lafawnduh get married at a beautiful lakeside location.

This is Lamont Reservoir which is pretty close to Napoleon’s house.

You can watch the scene on the DVD/Blu-ray’s bonus features or on YouTube here.

The wedding scene sometimes appears as an after-credits sequence, but it’s hit-and-miss whether streaming services include it.

19. Olive + Jo Gift Shop

• Address: 34 S State St, Preston, ID 83263
• Co-ordinates: 42.09546, -111.87695

Finally, you have to stop by the OLIVE + JO gift shop when visiting Preston on any day that isn’t a Sunday.

It’s right next to the Deseret Industries Thrift Store, so you don’t have an excuse!

If you squint at my photo, you’ll notice the owner has placed a ‘Vote For Pedro’ t-shirt in her window. This is so fans will know to stop by!

She keeps a map in her store of where fans on pilgrimages to visit the Napoleon Dynamite filming locations are from.

That’s a Wrap!

So, where was Napoleon Dynamite set? Hopefully, this guide has answered that question!

Please comment below if you have new information about any Napoleon Dynamite filming locations.

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Or, stay on the site and read one of my related guides:

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