Our pick of 10 places to mark on your travel map if you’re a serious Hollywood buff
Hollywood movie sets have always been a dream. Thankfully, some these sets are established at actual places. As Harry Potter celebrates 20 years and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom blows up the box office, we tell you where to experience the fantasy of these modern epics (and more) for real!
Those of you who just can’t get enough of the legendary Jurassic World should head to Isla Nublar, located near Costa Rica, where Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park was shot in 1993. Here, visitors are allowed to take a tour and explore the island on horseback, SUVs and ATVs. Tourists can ride across the valleys where the actors in the movie Jurassic Park ran from the massive Tyrannosaurus. Play the scene with your pals and have a big party like the big lizards!
Muggles have always been captivated and mesmerised by Harry Potter’s wonderland. Wouldn’t it be a dream-come-true if you were to get a chance to visit the place where Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione grew up learning magic tricks? Wouldn’t you love visiting the Hogwarts School of Wizardry in reality? The place where all that magic and action took place actually exists! Many of the hallway scenes of the Harry Potter franchise were filmed in England, Gloucester Cathedral. The interior scenes of the movie were shot at the Christ Church College in Oxford, and both places have turned big hotspots ever since.
Paddle around and turn yourself into Captain Jack Sparrow! The movie set is located at Wallilabou Anchorage, which is a Disney theme park. Many visitors come and enjoy the full pirate experience every year. Here, you can get in the water and paddle around the gallery that showcases movie props; photos that were clicked during the filming and the dock where Captain Jack arrived atop the wreckage of his sinking ship.
Apes and monkeys in the Planet of the Apes series did not inhabit a different world. The area shown in the film is in Arizona, near Lake Powell, and it is frequented by many more humans thanks to the ape quest.
The key scenes of the Star Wars saga were shot in Tatooine, a fictional desert planet. In reality, this place is located in the west deserts of Tunisia and Morocco. Tatooine is nothing but a movie set, and you can visit if you can withstand the merciless sun and heat of north Africa.
In the film, actor James Franco meets two hikers and the trio dives into a hidden pool with a 55-foot drop. The pool is a natural hot spring located at the Homestead Resort in Midway, Utah. But for safety reasons the resort won't let you dive the pool like the actors did.
Mel Gibson’s iconic film was shot in an old Spanish Mission located in Cypress Gardens, South Carolina. The location was one of the favourite sets of Mel Gibson. Once the film was completed, the place was deserted.
Matamata on the North Island of New Zealand was the movie set of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogy. You can still visit and enjoy the picturesque private farmland shown in the movies. The place, called Hobbiton, is now a famous tourist attraction in New Zealand.
This horror film was released in 2013. It was filmed in an abandoned house near Quebec City. The house was deserted again shortly after the movie shot got over. The house is still available for visits and it sends chills down enthusiasts’ spines.
Popeye star Robin Williams was filmed in a small and colourful village located in Malta. The village was built especially for the movie. Later, the producer felt that it would be cheaper to abandon the village than to knock it down and it still exists for curious tourists to see.
Read Exclusive COVID-19 Coronavirus News updates, at MyNation.