Off the Grid: 5 Famous Film Destinations
Image: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
In life you are bound to encounter a number of people who don’t watch TV, avoid books or ignore performance art altogether (including sports). But rarely will you encounter someone who says they don’t watch movies—they’re just that universal.
Because of this, film tourism (or “location vacations”) are a big deal. Indeed, scores of scenic or otherwise interesting places might not have entered our collective radars had some movie director chose to shoot somewhere else.
A few of those backdrops are more iconic and perhaps more deserving of a visit. Anyway, here are my favorites:
Tunisia
George Lucas—the most successful movie director of all time—was heavily influenced by this small but open North African nation. He shot Star Wars in the Ksour region and much of Raiders of The Lost Ark in the city of Tozeur. But Lucas wasn’t the only movie-maker drawn to beautiful Tunisia; Monty Python’s Life of Brian, The English Patient, and several others were shot here.
Best time to visit: November—April.
Dyersville, Iowa
In 1988, Universal Studios built a picturesque baseball diamond between two inviting cornfields here to romanticize and immortalize the beloved American game. Thirty years after building it, Field of Dreams fans still come in droves to explore the heavenly scenery, pay homage to the unchanged grounds, and even play ball at the official movie site. “Still magic after all these years,” one visitor recently remarked. “I didn’t know how much I wanted to see it until I was finally there.”
Best time to visit: August.