Travel and pop culture have become closely intertwined, with movie and TV fans increasingly seeking out the real-world locations that brought their favorite scenes to life. Far from being separate pursuits, travel and popular media offer a powerful way to explore different places and cultures. Approached with curiosity, these journeys let travelers imagine different lives and perspectives while connecting with the landscapes and communities that inspired memorable stories.
Special-interest tourism—travel motivated by a specific passion such as culture, nature, sports or festivals—has expanded to include a thriving segment focused on pop culture. Fans now plan trips around the sets and locations of beloved films and television shows, eager to experience the settings they previously knew only on screen. Seeing a cinematic or televisual location in person rewards visitors with a tangible connection to the stories and characters they admire.
Film and television productions have proven to be potent drivers of tourism worldwide. Productions from franchises like Twilight, The Hunger Games and Harry Potter, as well as TV series such as The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, have inspired visitors to travel to the dramatic landscapes showcased on screen. However, it’s important to note that a filmed location often appears different in the finished work—cinematic framing, set dressing and visual effects can transform a real place into something new.
Tourists flock to the Great Hall of Christ Church College, University of Oxford, made famous in the Harry Potter movies © MEINZAHN
| DREAMSTIME
Production incentives and industry shifts have also redistributed where movies are made, creating new tourism opportunities in unexpected places. For example, in 2016 only 12 of the top 100 highest-grossing films were primarily shot in California; many major productions moved to states and countries offering competitive tax credits and incentives. Georgia led domestic releases that year, attracting blockbuster filming through generous refundable tax credits. This migration of production has ripple effects that often boost local tourism, as fans travel to visit the sets and small towns featured in films and series.
Destinations capitalize on this interest in a variety of ways, blending local culture with pop culture offerings. Self-guided walks, guided bus tours, themed hotel exhibits and special events allow fans to explore filming sites while discovering the region’s own heritage. In Georgia, for example, Atlanta and nearby towns have become pilgrimage sites for fans of The Walking Dead, offering a range of experiences that highlight both on-screen locations and local history.
Big Zombie Tour 1 with Atlanta Movie Tours visits the Jackson Street Bridge © ATLANTA MOVIE TOURS
Fans of The Walking Dead can join guided experiences that trace the series’ most iconic moments. Local guides—many of whom have worked as extras on the show—lead tours through key filming sites in Atlanta and surrounding areas. Tours range from introductory walks that visit the hospital and the Goat Farm, to multi-part explorations that travel to Senoia (the town used for “Woodbury”) and other memorable locations spanning several seasons.
Atlanta Movie Tours, for instance, offers multiple themed routes: from zombie-focused tours to broader film-focused itineraries. Their Margaret Mitchell Gone with the Wind tour brings literary history to life as visitors follow the author’s footsteps at the Margaret Mitchell House, view her first typewriter, early drafts and learn about her life and legacy.
Atlanta Movie Tours takes guests on the Margaret Mitchell Gone with the Wind Tour © ATLANTA MOVIE TOURS
Other themed tours spotlight Castleberry Hill’s backlot locations or offer comprehensive overviews of Atlanta’s film history, highlighting more than a thousand movie and TV sites. These routes point out everything from superhero set pieces linked to the Marvel Universe to locations seen in films such as Captain America: Civil War, The Blind Side, Ride Along, The Fast and the Furious and Stranger Things. Specialty tours let visitors step into the worlds of specific franchises, like the Victory Tour that immerses fans in settings from The Hunger Games.
Visitors can view Bilbo Baggins’ house in Hobbiton, Matamata, New Zealand © GÁBOR KOVÁCS | DREAMSTIME
Internationally, major film franchises have transformed tourism in entire countries. New Zealand’s landscapes, showcased in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, drew travelers eager to visit iconic filming sites such as Hobbiton, Wellington and Queenstown. Similarly, Albuquerque saw a tourism boost from Breaking Bad, with guided trolley and biking tours that bring fans to recognizable locations featured in the series.
Game of Thrones elicited its own travel surge, as fans explored the dramatic coastal cliffs, forests and medieval ruins of Northern Ireland. Visitors search out Cushendun Caves, ancient fortifications and rugged shorelines tied to key moments from the series, often combining the on-screen experience with local storytelling and history.
As production continues to spread across diverse regions, pop culture-driven travel will likely keep growing. Whether you’re tracing a character’s footsteps through a small town, stepping onto a recreated fantasy set, or discovering the local attractions that surround a filming location, these journeys offer a fresh way to experience places you might otherwise overlook. Where will your next favorite movie or series take you?