One of the most significant additions to Stranger Things 3 from previous seasons was the introduction of the neon light-filled Starcourt Mall. Remember a time when you actually wanted to go hang out at a mall, go to the food court, or just walk around because you were bored? The Duffer Brothers (masterminds behind the series) wanted to create that nostalgia but actually fixing up enough stores in the mall to give it the look of being back in its heyday.
Starcourt Mall is actually the somewhat forgotten Gwinnett Place Mall in the Atlanta area where Stranger Things has been primarily filmed since its inception.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Gwinnett Place Mall has just the right two-story food court atrium for filming some of the season's biggest seasons because it looked fantastic, but also had the room to allow for the larger cameras (particularly some on cranes) that allow for some of the more exciting types of shots that the show is known for. Apparently, over 40 stores were either cleared out entirely then rebuilt, or were built from scratch complete with functioning cash registers and fully stocked front window displays. Talk about a big production budget!
Check out the tour of Gwinnett Place Mall above and let me know if you'd ever want to go explore it yourself! Personally, I think the whole thing would make for an excellent Stranger Things experience, especially considering even the movie theater used in season 3 is fully functional and not just a fake part of a tv show set.