# Have you ever chosen to visit (or avoid visiting) someplace because of a TV show or movie? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies, documentary-bio\ **Created:** [April 30, 2025, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703 "2025-04-30T13:15:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/21 "2025-04-30T15:32:08Z")
One factor of a trip to Savannah Georgia was because it’s location for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Forrest Gump. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/22 "2025-04-30T15:42:11Z")
I was just about to post that I visited Stephen King’s house in Maine, because of some fiction books! 😁 We made a brief detour to see the house a few years ago, and sat in our car out on the street for a few minutes because husband was having some kind of issue with the GPS. While we were sitting there, we saw another group of folks drive by, pointing at the house and waving. Also noticed a young kid mowing a nearby lawn. Can you imagine being that lucky young lad, living your normal life and doing your normal chores, next door to the King? 😍 Anyway, we finally got out and husband took my picture in front of the iconic gates. For some reason, I was really nervous that Mr. King was going to come out and yell at us for disturbing his privacy, but he did not. I look really goofy in the picture or I’d probably have made a framed poster of it by now. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/23 "2025-04-30T15:43:40Z")
We gotta stop meeting like this. People will talk. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/24 "2025-04-30T15:49:40Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Back in the late ‘70s, my high school best friend and I drove from Maryland to Maine (Yarmouth area) to visit a friend who had just moved there and maybe to find where Stephen King lived, knock on his door and asked if Steve could come out and play. We saw zero vampires, nary a trace of the Wendigo, no rabid St. Bernards, nothing. King wasn’t even in Maine at the time. When we moved to New England & had relatives up in Old Orchard Beach, I made a point of passing through Ogunquit so I could see ground zero for Frannie and Harold. The book description turned out to give a good sense of it. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/25 "2025-04-30T15:53:25Z")
Another book one - I read a book called _If I Never Get Back_ which is a bit of a time travel & historical fiction book mostly about the 1869 Cincinnatti Red Stockings baseball team (and Mark Twain). My dad had given me the book to read, and he had also read it which is kinda weird because dad didn’t read books. Anyway, we went to the Baseball Hall Of Fame for the first and only time, not long after reading that book. It was super awesome to see photos and memorabilia from the Red Stockings team! Of course, our family being baseball fans, it was awesome to see it all. Also while we were there we found a burger joint called Burger World, which is the name of the place where Beavis & Butthead worked, and my dad was also a fan of theirs, so we had just as much fun getting to eat at Burger World as we did seeing the HOF. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/26 "2025-04-30T16:03:12Z")
I do this a lot, take note of places to go based on what I’ve watched or seen. Some good ideas upthread too, but I’ll get back to that. I gotta run… ---
**Author:** ![MacDoc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/macdoc/32/18696_2.png) [@MacDoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacDoc)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/27 "2025-04-30T16:03:30Z")
Chasing Hobbits in New Zealand complete with butter beer. 😻 > The Hobbit Trilogy was filmed entirely in New Zealand, throughout locations in both the North and South Islands. Find out where to go and what to see to experience Middle‑earth™ for yourself. [https://www.newzealand.com/au/feature/the-hobbit-trilogy-filming-locations/](https://www.newzealand.com/au/feature/the-hobbit-trilogy-filming-locations/) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/28 "2025-04-30T16:09:55Z")
I ate a very fancy meal at Ever when I was in Chicago last fall in part because it was featured in an episode of _The Bear_. And although I I’d kind of wanted to visit Chicago for a while, I wouldn’t be surprised if that show subconsciously increased my desire to go there. I visited Los Angeles last spring as well, and I kind of suspect _La La Land_ kind of made me want to go there on some level, too. Locally, I’ve tried a few restaurants because they were featured on _Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives_. Namely [Squeeze Burger](https://squeezeburgerroseville.com/) (formerly Squeeze Inn, although the original location featured on the show isn’t there anymore), [The Golden Bear](https://goldenbear916.com/), and [Dad’s Kitchen](https://ilovedadskitchen.com/). ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/29 "2025-04-30T16:11:22Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > But I wonder if there are people who would avoid New York City because of all the cop shows based there or Los Angeles. So I ask, have your vacation choices been influenced by what you’ve seen on TV? And if you have traveled to a place because of a favorite show or movie, was it what you expected or were you disappointed? I can’t be the only one here who went out of his way to stop by the Hook & Ladder Company 8 firehouse in Manhattan and take pictures solely because it figures in _Ghostbusters_. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/30 "2025-04-30T16:13:06Z")
Not me, but my wife. She went on a walking tour of Yorkshire, that featured the town that fills in for Darrowby ([Grassington](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grassington)) in the 2021 version of All Creatures Great and Small. We are just finishing up the last season, and she has enjoyed pointing out places that she saw in person. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/31 "2025-04-30T16:23:17Z")
I checked out the Hill District in Pittsburgh after I moved there in 1988. Much rougher than Hill Street Blues made it out to be. Oh my adventurous youth! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/32 "2025-04-30T16:26:00Z")
Slightly off-topic, but it’s my thread, so 😛 _Homicide: Life on the Street_ was filmed half a block from where my sister tended bar - she said cast members occasionally came in. What cracks me up about it is the entrance to the Police Headquarters. The building was an old dock/warehouse at the foot of Broadway in Baltimore. When I was a kid, that door led to a stair that went up to a playground atop the warehouse. I think it’s now apartments or something. I haven’t been there in eons. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/33 "2025-04-30T16:35:33Z")
Oh yes, I forgot about Forks. My wife and I took our granddaughter on a trip to the Pac NW specifically because she was into the Twilight saga big-time. I felt sorry for her when we rolled into town and it was just this run-down old logging town, the high school was half torn down, etc. She was so disappointed. She did enjoy frolicking in the ocean near LaPush though. And I just thought of another Pac NW experience, although it wasn’t a deliberate choice. On another trip to the Seattle area, my friend and his wife took us on a day trip to the Port Townsend/Fort Worden area. As we were driving through the fort, I had this weird feeling of deja vu - it seemed really familiar even though I had never been there before. Then suddenly it hit me - “This is where they filmed An Officer And A Gentleman!” ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/34 "2025-04-30T16:35:34Z")
I’m a big fan of the Oxford-based shows _Endeavour_ and _Lewis_. At one time the organization **Road Scholar** _(Clever name, eh? Better than the original name, Elderhostel.)_ offered a three-week stay in Oxford with Literature and History classes at one of the colleges. That would have been a dream. I see they aren’t currently offering it. > **[Educational England Tours | Road Scholar](https://www.roadscholar.org/collections/england/)** > > Explore diverse landscapes, culinary delights, and rich history on guided England tours. Book your senior-friendly England travel with Road Scholar today. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/35 "2025-04-30T17:35:55Z")
Walton’s Mountain from The Waltons is a fictional place but it’s based on Schuyler, Virginia, the small town where show creator Earl Hamner grew up. I visited a few years ago. It’s a pretty area, but very remote. We toured the family home, which was smaller and less secluded than the fictional Walton family home. In reality, the father worked in a soapstone quarry; he never had a sawmill and there was never a barn. The former school has been turned into a museum, and is much bigger than the school depicted on TV. Apparently the two old lady moonshiners were based on real people, but unlike the Baldwin sisters, they knew exactly what they were doing. They say the secret ingredient in “The Recipe” was apricots. You can visit the Baptist church and the inspiration for Ike Godsey’s store. I hear the family home is no longer open for tours, but the museum is still open. It was a mildly interesting visit but I can’t say I’d recommend it unless you happen to be in the area and have a special interest. It takes longer to get there from almost anywhere than it does to see everything worth seeing. And if you are at all prone to motion sickness, bring a puke bag. Those mountain roads are something else. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/36 "2025-04-30T17:42:06Z")
Another local one: When family came to visit the year _Lady Bird_ came out, I took them to see the Christmas lights in Sacramento’s Fabulous Forties neighborhood, because it features prominently in the film. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/37 "2025-04-30T17:50:44Z")
We went to Cardiff when they had the Doctor Who experience there. And we searched out different filming locations and took pictures by Ianto’s Shrine from Torchwood. > **[Ianto's Shrine](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/iantos-shrine)** > > An impromptu shrine appeared shortly after beloved "Torchwood" character Ianto Jones was killed off the show. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/38 "2025-04-30T18:07:42Z")
I’ve been fortunate enough to see a lot of places that I dreamed about when I was a kid after seeing them in books and NatGeo magazines. Places like the pyramids in Egypt, wild animals on safaris, Victoria Falls, etc. But the one place from a movie makes me salivate, and that I will never see, is Petra. The movie, of course, was the Indiana Jones film The Last Crusade. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/39 "2025-04-30T18:30:27Z")
We were going to be heading through Deadwood, SD on a moto trip and would’ve stopped anyone, but because of my love of the show with the same name, we spent more time exploring the town and Boot Hill. Good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2025, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703/40 "2025-04-30T18:32:26Z")
“Burpo and Beetle, two peas in a pod”, they’ll say! 🫛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-chosen-to-visit-or-avoid-visiting-someplace-because-of-a-tv-show-or-movie/1017703.md?page=3)