Each week I’ve been covering “Movie Set Travel” over at Jaunted which is their version of our “Travel Inspiration”. Here’s my round up of the best locations from movies currently in theaters.
He’s Just Not That Into You is set in Baltimore but was primarily filmed in L.A. The production did spend a few days on location in Charm City to capture a few authentic Baltimore locales, like The Helmund on Charles St. To read more about the movie and taking your own on location vacation to Baltimore, check out the full story at Jaunted.
The original Friday the 13th was filmed in rural NJ. The reboot, in theaters now, was filmed in and around Austin. Here’s how you can scare up a good time for yourself in Texas.
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Travel Inspiration
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button opens Christmas day and as Brad Pitt recently told Oprah, New Orleans is another character in the film. The epic tale of a man who is born old and ages backward is being panned by some critics. But no one will disagree that no matter what you think of the movie’s special effects or lack of emotional depth, the real life setting is exquisite.
New Orleans has an aura of mystery and exoticism that fits the movie’s story in a way that no other city could. This film acts as a love letter to the city, a city still struggling years after Hurricane Katrina. My hope is that even if people don’t connect with the film’s characters, they will connect with the film’s location and be inspired to visit the Big East once again.
While filming in New Orleans, Pitt began working on Make It Right, a project working to rebuild neighborhoods hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. You can donate money or needed household items at the Make It Right website and you can begin planning your own trip to New Orleans at Experience New Orleans.
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Travel Inspiration
Here’s a list of our favorite holiday movies that also happen to provide travel inspiration if you are looking to get away for the holidays.
Miracle of 34th Street
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is not only the setting for the 1947 movie Miracle on 34th Street but also an unforgettable experience everyone should have!
A Christmas Story
Cleveland, OH is the real home of A Christmas Story. The house used in the film is now open for tours and after a tour you can stop by Higbee’s Department Store to say hello to Santa.
It’s A Wonderful Life
Though Bedford Falls is a fictional locale, the residents of Senaca Falls, NY say director Frank Capra modeled the town after their quaint village. On the weekend of December 12-14 Seneca Falls has it’s annual celebration of the It’s a Wonderful Life. Actors will reenact scenes from the film, there will be a special screening of the movie, and children dressed as angels will ring bells throughout town, signifying another angel getting its wings.
The Holiday
Filmed in L.A. and Surrey, England, this movie always makes us want to spend Christmas in a cozy English cottage. The Rosehill Cottage used in the film doesn’t actually exist. The house was a fiberglass set built in a field in Shere, a village on the River Tillngbourn in Surrey, England. But don’t worry, we tracked down the real cottage they modeled the set after. Here’s information on that house and luckily it is available for rental year round!
For more Christmas getaway ideas, check out our Holly Jolly Road Trip!
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Travel Inspiration
Just in time for Twilight mania, The Seattle Times has put together a special Twilight Fan Trip. The official trip is scheduled to take place the weekend of November 17-20. The Itinerary includes access to private film locations in Portland, OR, a sneak preview of Twilight, discussions with location scouts, and guided tours of the Columbia River Gorge and St. Helen’s. The trip even includes 3 nights lodging and six meals. Of course all of this doesn’t come cheap, prices range from $849-$949 per person. You can see the complete itinerary here.
As if that weren’t enough, as a special bonus, anyone taking the trip will also be able to attend a special meet and greet with the Twilight villains – James (Cam Gigandet), Laurent (Edi Gathegi) and Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre).
They are also offering a VIP premiere travel package and a midnight movie release trip! But if you can’t afford these prepackaged trips, you can always take your own Twilight tour! Check out the list of filming locations, all of which are located in Washington or Oregon. Here’s another list of locations and a photostream of pictures taken during filming. And be sure to check out Trip Advisor for hotel reviews and other must dos in the Northwest.
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Travel Inspiration,
Twilight
If you’ve seen the previews for The Secret Life of Bees, opening October 17th, you may have been enthralled by the location as I was. Nothing is more travel inspiring for me than the great films of the south that showcase Savannah (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil), New Orleans(Eve’s Bayou), or the Outer Banks(Nights in Rodanthe). I love southern imagery that conjures up a feeling of mystery, romance, and longing.
The Secret Life of Bees, based on the best selling novel, is sure to deliver all of these emotions and more as the story of a young girl and the women who help her through a personal journey to unravel the secrets surrounding her mother’s death unfolds.
Though the story is set in South Carolina it was actually filming in North Carolina, just outside of Wilmington. The main set and home used in the film is located in Watha. The book’s author Sue Monk Kidd made a visit to the set and the surrounding area and shared her experience as well as a few set details which can be found here. If you are interested in visiting Wilmington, NC, check out this article in the New York Times or this recent Cinematic Road Trip from Intelligent Travel.
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The Secret Life of Bees,
Travel Inspiration
We skipped last week’s “Travel Inspiration” due to Dark Knight and Mamma Mia fatigue. They both have excellent locations which we have discussed in previous posts but we just couldn’t think about either film for one more minute. Yes, we know Heath Ledger was brilliant as The Joker and the stage version of Mamma Mia cheered up Meryl’s daughter after 911, we got it!
So moving right along, in theaters this week is X Files: I Want to Believe which was filmed in Vancouver as was the original TV series. And we all know Vancouver is Hollywood North, home to dozens of movies and TV shows includingJuno, Smallville, Psych, Supernatural, John Tucker Must Die, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Deck the Halls, even the highly anticipated Watchmen.
There are several factors that contribute to the amount of filming taking place in Vancouver, it is cheaper to film in Canada, that is probably reason number 1 but they also have a variety of studios and on location crews that help to.
All of these movie sets make Vancouver an excellent place for star searching. Wikipedia features a guide to common filming locations that are still be used for various movies or TV shows making all of theses locations good stalking ground. [click to continue…]
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Travel Inspiration,
X-Files
