Dexter New Blood Fans Can Visit The Real Life Iron Lake in MA

*****SPOILER ALERT: This article will include spoilers through episode 5 of the currently airing Dexter New Blood.*****

Have you ever had a TV show that you loved so much that it nearly became your entire personality?

Let me tell you when I love a TV show, I LOVE a TV show and the grip Showtime's Dexter had on me was tighter than a killer's hand around my neck.

I jumped in as season 3 was airing. I was 18-years-old and was dating a guy whose family watched it. I was instantly hooked on the story and the oddly charming character of Dexter, his foul-mouthed and witty sister Deb, and the wonderful cast of characters working for Miami Metro.

After finishing that season I bought the first two seasons on DVD (back in the day where streaming wasn't at one's fingertips) and binged my way through.

As season 4 (my all-time favorite season) ended I actually cried real tears after the shocking murder of Dexter's wife, Rita. Never had I been so punched in the gut over a TV death and I haven't since. (I also haven't been able to see John Lithgow the same since.)

Months after that I started my time at Southern Maine Community College. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that I included Dexter in at least one class project in every class I could. I used Photoshop to create my very own Dexter bookjacket, a design for a bottle of "Blood-Be-Gone", even using Dexter as a topic for psychology and public speaking classes.

Then as the series ended I was disappointed like most fans. It wasn't the finale we wanted. At all.

And like a gift from the television gods something crazy happened.

Dexter was returning after nearly a decade off the air in Dexter New Blood.

As a fan, that was unbelievable news. "They listened?" "Michael C. Hall is on board?" "OMG, IT'S HAPPENING!!!"

For an entire year, I anticipated the release of Dexter New Blood and while it's still airing each week, thus far I am very happy.

Dexter New Blood takes place in the made-for-TV town of Iron Lake, New York. In the wintertime. A huge leap from the sunny days in Miami.

While Iron Lake, NY is fake, Shelburne Falls, Massachusettes is very much a real place. In that small town as well as a few other small towns in Massachusetts, Dexter New Blood was filmed.

I checked Google Maps, I could make a day road trip there and back. For a super fan like me, I imagine it would be like when I, as a Harry Potter fan, visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It's incredible to immerse oneself in a fantasy world they've loved for years.

I'm still deciding if I'll make the trip but if you're a fan check out all the filming locations you can see in the flesh. Just keep your eye out for a guy named Kurt. Say no if he offers you a place to stay, and say, "Hey!" to Jim over at Fred's.