Luckenbach was a ghost town when Waylon Jennings recorded “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love)” in 1977. It’s still a speck on the map, but they have live music at the dance hall every night and converted the old post office to sell merch to the tourists.
I kind of disagree with this one being a “normal place” - Monument Valley is so iconic from so many westerns, even the road leaving it wouldn’t be considered “normal”.
The town of Roslyn, Washington became recognizable as Cicely, Alaska thanks to the show “Northern Exposure”.
You beat me by 19 minutes.
Let us not forget Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York. Nobody every would have heard of this place had it not been for a little music festival called “Woodstock”.
The Pacific Northwest was a popular location back then…
Before it burned and was demolished in 1991, the Woodburn Grange Country Club stood in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, not Torquay, Devonshire.
To be fair, it’s a miracle Basil never accidentally burned it down himself. This is the guy that put a door in a retaining wall without bracing it.
Despite what some might say, I’m sure few people outside MPS/SP knew about the NW Weatherball until it was frequently shown in establishing shots of the city:
The same is true for a lot of Minneapolis landmarks like the Curtis Hotel, the IDS Building, Dayton’s Department Store, and the Nicolet Mall. Watching MTM takes me back to the '70s and beyond.
In STEREO! ![]()
The Quick Stop convenience store in Leonardo, New Jersey was made famous by Clerks.
I wonder if it’s a popular metal detecting site?
Big Squam Lake in New Hampshire was the setting for On Golden Pond.
My dad drove us by that house when we were kids. It didn’t look all that special to me. There were a ton more houses I liked better.
He supervised the special delivery P.O. guys who had Bel Air as their territory, so, he was always checking things out that his guys told him about. He did say Meredith Wilson (The Music Man) was a crappy tipper.
The small town of Senoia, Ga. has been featured in quite a few movies and TV shows, but didn’t really become a tourist site until it stood in for Woodbury on The Walking Dead. The later seasons are also filmed there, with a newly built neighborhood doubling as Alexandria, Va. The city has enthusiastically embraced its fame, and features any number of opportunities to separate the show’s fans from their money.
Also, the bar from the set is now in the basement pub. I sat in Norm’s seat while I was there. It even had a little placard identifying it.
Here’s a good one: The town of Vulcan, Alberta used to get some Star Trek fans visiting, so they leaned into it and basically built an entire tourism business around Star Trek.
Their visitor center is designed like a space station. They have an annual Star Trek convention, and ‘Spock days’ celebrations, and the town dresses up in Star Trek costumes.
Not bad for a small farming town that just happened to be named for a planet in a TV show.
Much like Metropolis, a small town in far southern Illinois, which has built a tourist industry for itself around being “the hometown of Superman.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis%2C_Illinois#Superman’s_“hometown”
Or Riverside Iowa, which declared itself the future birthplace of Captain Kirk, with the approval of Gene Roddenberry, and now has a few Star Trek centered establishments.
Speaking of streetcorners, but not from a specific song, rather a whole genre of music…
Other famous Zevon locations include the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel, Gower Avenue and the Pioneer Chicken Stand on Alvorado Street. All in Los Angeles.
There’s the 59th Street Bridge, referenced by Simon and Garfunkel. Also, Ms. P and I had our first kiss in its shadows.
Well, there’s also 53rd&3rd, made (in)famous by the Ramones. I don’t know if you still find the same business there.