Fantasy, romance, action, or adventure - put yourself in one of these ten incredible vacation locations. The sweeping plains of Africa or the staggering landscapes of Middle Earth can be yours.
You can make your fantasy vacation a reality when you head for one of these ten fantastic film locales:
1. Middle-earth, New Zealand.
The epic scenery of Lord of the Rings is a real life destination, and you can enjoy the fantastical Lothlorien at Fernside, Featherston or Rivendell's Kaitoke Regional Park. Hobbiton remains ready for touring in the Hinuera Valley, Matamata. Fortunately, New Zealand has embraced its identity as Middle Earth, so would-be elves and hobbits just need to check the country's tourism bureau to find the famous sites.
2. Goa, India.
Jason Bourne may have been able to hide out in Goa before he asserted his supremacy, but the secret is out now. Thanks to the international hit romance, Bride & Prejudice, audiences all over the world have seen Goa's pristine beaches and hip, happening night life. Dozens of Bollywood spectaculars can't be wrong. Just avoid the June-July rainy season.
3. Shaba National Game Reserve, Africa.
Those sweeping views of the African savannah that Redford showed Streep will greet tourists vacationing at Kenya's Shaba National Game Reserve, located northeast of Nairobi. Zebra, buffalo, and giraffe collect around the many springs dotting the desert landscape. Though cheetahs and leopards outnumber the lions, Born Free fans can pay their respects at Joy Adamson's monument.
4. County Donegal, Ireland
John Sayles's family classic The Secret of Roan Inish displayed the wild coastline of County Donegal in northwest Ireland. This magical movie location offers bed and breakfasts alongside castle ruins. Charming seascapes and Celtic burial mounds, moors and mountains, tourists fall under Donegal's spell. Like young Fiona, they might find a selkie in the family tree.
5. Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Moviegoers first fell in love with Sean Connery's James Bond - and Ocho Rios - in the sixties sensation Dr. No. Bond's martini got shaken, not stirred in Ocho Rios two decades before Tom Cruise mixed a Cocktail there. Need more Jamaican star power? Brad Pitt also escaped to the azure waters of Ocho Rios in the sprawling family saga Legends of the Fall. Motor-boating ladies, start your engines.
6. Guevara's South America.
Grab a motorcycle and don't forget the diary! Like Guevara and Granado, take a road trip adventure to one of the thirty spectacular South American locations where Motorcycle Diaries was filmed. Tourists should arrive in September to see Buenos Aires and Bariloche in Argentina; Temuco, Atacama Desert and Valparaíso in Chile; or Iquitos and Machu Picchu in Peru as they appear in Salles's spectacular film.
7. Richmond, British Columbia.
Brave Richmond, if you dare! Richmond has been home to more than a dozen teen thrillers such as Stephen King's horror films (both Kingdom Hospital and Dreamcatcher) and Steven Spielberg's Sci-Fi mini-series Taken. Richmond, BC is known as Canada's "Hollywood North." Rent a boat and sail the island-dotted waters made famous in the Ashley Judd thriller Double Jeopardy. You can create your own tour from the local film board's list of "filming locations."
8. Tucson, Arizona.
The Tucson area has been the backdrop for over 250 films, most of them classic westerns like John Wayne's Red River and Rio Bravo, Paul Newman's Hombre, and Clint Eastwood's The Outlaw Josey Wales. Tucson's Film Office lists dozens of rugged, historic locations in and around Tucson for tourists.
9. Mount Rushmore National Memorial, South Dakota
What Hitchcock fan or Carey Grant aficionado could stay away from Keystone, South Dakota, the site of North by Northwest's spectacular climax? Visitors can't scale giant presidential noses these days, but they can see them May through October. You can also tour the Dances With Wolves set as well.
10. Hollywood, California
Could any location vacation write "Fade Out" without a visit to Universal Studios' Psycho house? Or a kiss on the Paramount Gate? Now, that's a wrap.
Source
- The Internet Movie Database, IMDb.com, can help you find your favorite film locations.
About the Author
Wendy Croix, Ph.D. is a freelance writer, cultural critic and university professor. In her twenty years as a professional educator, Wendy has guided hundreds of students toward the careers of their dreams.
