If you grew up on The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, you can see the real Villa Villekulla from Fernandina Plaza Historic State Park in Old Town. The house stands along the plaza on Estrada Street, and parts of the 1988 film were shot there. It's a private home, not a museum, so this is a look-from-the-street stop. Keep to the sidewalk and the park rather than the yard.
The house is a century older than the movie. City preservation records give 1888 as its construction date and Capt. James Bell as its first owner, with Capt. Robert Downes taking it over in 1901. The Florida Master Site File lists it as the Downes House or the Captain's House, which is the name the visitors bureau uses too. City staff describe Victorian and Italianate details on the gables and porches, and it counts as a contributing building in the Old Town Historic District.
It may look a little different on your next visit. In September 2026 the city's Historic District Council gave final approval to rebuild a second-floor balcony on the front of the house. According to the owners' application, the original balcony came off for the filming and was never put back, and the new one is designed from old photographs.
The house has been open to ticket holders at least once: the Amelia Island Museum of History included it on its Old Town Home Tour in April 2023, so the museum's events calendar is worth watching. The rest of the time, enjoy it from the plaza, then walk the Spanish street grid of Old Town Fernandina or continue to Bosque Bello Cemetery near the neighborhood's entrance.