Gilmore Girls: Lorelai’s Sweetest Scenes At The Independence & Dragonfly Inn

Running a business is no joke and Lorelai is often stressed out on Gilmore Girls, but the beloved character enjoys running the Independence Inn. Fans love it when Lorelai and Sookie team up and open the Dragonfly Inn, as it’s a quaint, quirky place that allows them to work together and explore their own skills.

It’s fun watching Lorelai’s career progress over the seasons of Gilmore Girls as she gains confidence and becomes her own boss. Whether Lorelai is planning a wedding at the Independence Inn or helping Michel at the Dragonfly, she has many wholesome moments at each of these important locations.

10 Lorelai Celebrates Rory’s Chilton Acceptance In The Independence Inn Kitchen

The Gilmore Girls episode about Rory’s first day at Chilton is a fascinating and fun look at the chaotic time that Lorelai and Rory have. The pilot episode is also a memorable one since Lorelai shows Sookie Rory’s acceptance letter and the friends share their joy over this big moment. This important scene takes place in the Independence Inn kitchen where Lorelai spends a lot of time asking Sookie for food and caffeine.

It’s heartwarming watching Lorelai celebrate how hard her daughter has worked to get to this point. This is a particularly wholesome scene since Lorelai is talking about how excited Rory will be to go to a fancy private school instead of wondering why her teenager is misbehaving, as many TV parents on teen dramas do.

9 Lorelai Coordinates A Double Twin Wedding

In the season 1 episode “Kill Me Now,” Lorelai is in charge of a wedding at the Independence Inn, and there’s a catch: it’s a wedding with two sets of twins.

While the mother of the female twins seriously stresses Lorelai out and there’s a lot to do, this is still a charming and sweet scene featuring Lorelai at the Independence Inn. Lorelai just wants to do a great job and make the mother and her children happy, and it’s nice for fans to see the business side of Lorelai where she’s super polite and friendly no matter what is going on.

8 Mia Visits Rory And Lorelai At The Independence Inn

After hearing about Lorelai’s mentor and surrogate parent Mia for so long, fans finally see her in the season 2 episode “The Inns and Outs of Inns.” This is not only an iconic Gilmore Girls episode, as Sookie and Lorelai begin thinking about opening an inn themselves, but it’s moving to see Mia visit the Gilmore girls.

While Rory is too young to really remember growing up at the Independence Inn, this is a nostalgic scene between Mia and Lorelai, as they both reflect on how much they mean to each other. This moment stands out in particular because Lorelai’s memories of this time are often complicated since Emily feels that Lorelai abandoned the family when she got pregnant with Rory in high school and moved out.

7 The Beloved “The Bracebridge Dinner” Episode

Season 2’s “The Bracebridge Dinner” is a great Gilmore Girls episode set during the winter. While it features some cute moments like Lorelai and Rory making a snowman, Lorelai makes a speech that is a memorable Independence Inn scene.

When a group can’t come to the inn because of bad weather, Lorelai hosts the planned Elizabethan-style dinner at the inn, with trout, beef, pumpkin, and prune tarts thanks to Sookie’s culinary talents. In her speech, Lorelai thanks her friends and family for attending and mentions that people can take a ride in a horse-drawn sleigh later on. This just might be the most wholesome activity featured on the show, and fans look back on this scene fondly as Lorelai realizes how much love she has in her life.

6 Lorelai Is A Bridesmaid In Sookie And Jackson’s Wedding

Sookie and Jackson’s wedding takes place in the season 2 finale episode “I Can’t Get Started” and features major drama for Rory, as she and Jess share a kiss. It also has a sweet Lorelai scene as she’s a bridesmaid and is there for Sookie on her big day.

In the most moving part of the episode, Sookie confesses that she’s nervous, and Lorelai tells her that it’s normal to feel this way. Fans love seeing Lorelai and Sookie’s friendship get even stronger over the seasons and this is a great reminder that they have seen each other through a lot of change in their romantic lives. Sookie makes Lorelai several cakes for her canceled wedding to Max, and now Lorelai is cheering Sookie on.

5 Lorelai Has A Funeral For Chin-Chin At The Dragonfly Inn

Michel’s hilarious Gilmore Girls quotes add a lot to the series, but he isn’t laughing in the season 7 episode “Farewell My Pet.” After Michel shares that his pet Chin-Chin passed away, Lorelai knows it will be very meaningful to host a funeral at the Dragonfly Inn.

Lorelai and Michel’s dynamic is often all about work since Lorelai appreciates Michel so much that she makes sure to hire him at the Dragonfly. It’s incredibly heartwarming watching Lorelai help Michel with his grief here, as they connect on a more personal level that doesn’t have to do with Lorelai asking Michel to be a little nicer on the phone.

4 Luke And Lorelai Officially Begin Dating At The Dragonfly Inn’s Test Run

The season 4 finale “Raincoats and Recipes” is a big deal as Lorelai and Sookie have a test run at the Dragonfly Inn. Luke and Lorelai share a memorable moment as they agree that they’re officially dating.

Of all the things that Lorelai experiences at the inn that she has dreamed of opening, this is definitely the most significant since her romance with Luke takes so long to happen. Lorelai and Luke will experience a lot of conflict on their road to getting married in the Netflix revival A Year In The Life, but in this moment, they’re newly in love and happy to finally be together. This is what viewers have been waiting for and it couldn’t be better.

3 Sookie Tells Lorelai To Chill Out And Plans A Fun Day Together

In the season 5 episode “A Messenger, Nothing More,” Sookie tells Lorelai that she needs to take some time away and suggests that they hang out together outside of work.

This is a charming and innocent moment between the two friends. They’re not fighting over who is working harder or putting in overtime at the inn. Instead, Sookie proves that she wants them to have a life beyond just running their business and it’s great to see her looking out for her friend. Since Sookie is kind and gentle when bringing up the fact that Lorelai seems burnt out, this scene couldn’t be any sweeter.

2 Michel Takes A Photo To Mark Sookie And Lorelai Opening The Dragonfly Inn

Season 4 of Gilmore Girls has funny and sad moments, and the season 4 episode “Chicken or Beef” features a sweet scene between Michel, Sookie, and Lorelai. While Michel and Sookie often bicker since they don’t see eye to eye, they put aside their differences and celebrate that the Dragonfly Inn is finally happening.

Michel tells Lorelai and Sookie that he wants to take a photo of them to mark this massive occasion, which is such a nice thing for the often surly character to do. This scene stands out since Michel isn’t one to be sentimental, but he can tell that Lorelai should be proud of what she has accomplished.

1 Lorelai Sees Sookie Again In The Dragonfly Inn’s Kitchen In A Year In The Life

In what is perhaps the most emotional Dragonfly Inn scene, Lorelai and Sookie talk about how Sookie is going to leave for good and Lorelai will run this business alone.

While this scene does have layers of sadness, it’s ultimately a moment that is wholesome and supportive. The friends know that they have to make this big change and that they will both be better for it. It’s really nice of Lorelai to recognize that Sookie needs something other than the inn, as some friends would be too upset and angry to see the situation from this mature and wise perspective.

About The Author

Aya Tsintziras
(1757 Articles Published)

Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

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