The television and movie awards season has come to an end, but that doesn’t mean our appreciation has to! Whether you’re a streaming binger, a network faithful or a big film buff, we thought these filming locations for some of the best of the best might be worth a view when camping nearby.
The Hunger Games may have been written for a young adult audience, but many people over the age of 18 found the story of Katniss Everdeen and her fight to survive inspiring. If you’re camping at Thousand Trails Green Mountain, take a trip to Henry River Mill Village, a once thriving North Carolina textile mill town that was abandoned in the 1970s and gained notoriety when filmmakers decided to use the town to serve as Katniss’ hometown, District 12. Not only will visitors see several familiar buildings that appeared in the movie trilogy, but there is also some interesting history to be found here related to the time when it was a thriving mill town.
Don’t worry about needing a bigger boat if you plan on visiting Edgartown, Massachusetts – the coastal town where the blockbuster hit Jaws was filmed. Edgartown is a short distance by public ferry if you’re camping at Old Chatham Road Campground. When you disembark from the ferry, you’ll find yourself on Martha’s Vineyard, a “summer colony” consisting of six beach towns, including Edgartown, just off the coast of Massachusetts. Edgartown served as the fictional town of Amity which was menaced by possibly the most famous, and feared, great white shark, in history. A special tour all about the making of the film is available – visit edgartowntours.com for more information.
Of course, we all know that Los Angeles, or more specifically, Hollywood, is where all the big movie studios reside, so it makes perfect sense that so many films use the varied nearby landscapes, structures and more as backdrops, and at times even minor characters, in films. If you’re camping at Thousand Trails Soledad Canyon, consider taking a drive by, or visit to, some of these iconic “movie stars.” Griffith Park Observatory, worth a visit itself, has appeared in so many big movies, including Rebel Without a Cause, La La Land, Back to the Future, and Terminator. The Beverly Wilshire Hotel, which was originally built in 1928, has played a big part in movies throughout history, including Pretty Woman, Sex and The City: The Movie, Clueless and Escape from the Planet of the Apes. Whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie or not is disputed every holiday season, but whatever you believe, you can visit the building that Bruce Willis worked so hard to save by taking a drive by Fox Plaza in downtown LA which served as the fictional Nakatomi Plaza.
Enjoy a Jersey shore vacation with a side of Philadelphia movie locations – book a stay at Thousand Trails Chestnut Lake and take the hour long drive into the City of Brotherly Love to see such iconic movie sights as the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Rocky Balboa fans will recognize the steps that provided the challenge for the soon to be champ and as a bonus, take a pic with the bronze statue of Rocky himself! National Treasure, the 2004 film starring Nicolas Cage, was filmed all around Philly and featured Independence Hall, the Reading Terminal Market, Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church and the Franklin Institute.
Read More:
- Chasing the sun? Spend your spring break in these sunny hotspots.
- Three cheers for cherry blossoms!
- How to celebrate women’s history month as you travel this month.
- Want to see the best murals as you travel? We’ve got you covered.
- Explore the Thousand Trails Camping Pass and the Thousand Trails Cabin Pass
- Find more campgrounds at ThousandTrails.com.