Famous Filming Locations in Every US State You’ve Seen on Screen
Hollywood gets all the credit for making movies, but film crews actually travel all over the map to find the perfect backdrop. From quiet small towns to massive forests and wide-open deserts, the country is packed with real places that have starred in huge blockbuster hits.
You might even walk past a famous movie set in your own neighborhood without realizing it.
Visiting these real-life spots is an awesome way to travel the country while stepping right into the magic of your favorite films. We are going on a massive road trip to discover a legendary filming location in every single US state.
Get ready to step behind the scenes and see exactly where unforgettable characters brought incredible stories to life right in our own backyard.
Alabama: The Town of Spectre
If you visit Jackson Lake Island near Montgomery, Alabama, you can wander through a real ghost town. This cool and quirky place is called the Town of Spectre. It was built just for the famous Tim Burton movie called Big Fish.
Movie crews usually tear down their sets when filming is over, but the owners decided to keep this spooky little street standing. You can still see the old wooden houses and even find pairs of shoes hanging on a line overhead.
Walking down the dirt path makes you feel like you are stepping inside a wild dream.
Arizona: The Desert Vistas of Monument Valley
When you think of a classic movie desert, you are probably thinking of Monument Valley in Arizona. This amazing area is famous for its giant red rock towers rising straight out of the sand. You have seen these incredible views in tons of old western films starring actors like John Wayne.
It provides the perfect background for a wild cowboy adventure.
Driving through these massive rock formations feels exactly like stepping right into an old action movie. Watching heroes ride horses across the dusty red dirt on a movie screen is fun, but seeing the real thing is way better.
It is a crazy feeling to stand right where so much movie history was actually made.
California: The Bradbury Building
Hidden right in the middle of downtown Los Angeles is a very cool building that looks totally normal from the outside. But inside, the Bradbury Building holds a major piece of movie history. You probably know it best from the rainy, sci-fi world of the famous movie Blade Runner.
The dark and moody vibe makes it a perfect setting for mysteries, action scenes, and futuristic adventures.
The inside is packed with awesome details like old-school iron railings, giant open stairs, and strange elevators that look exactly like bird cages. Because it looks so unique, this historic building has showed up in hundreds of different movies and TV shows over the years.
The best part is that anyone can walk right into the ground floor lobby to look around. It is a quick and easy way to feel like a real movie star for the day.
Colorado: The Stanley Hotel
If you love scary movies, you need to check out the huge Stanley Hotel in Colorado. This super creepy building is famous for inspiring Stephen King to write his terrifying book, The Shining.
Even though the classic movie was filmed somewhere else, this exact place was used for the scary TV version later on. It also shows up in huge comedy hits like Dumb and Dumber.
Today, you can take awesome tours through the old rooms and dark hallways. The guides love to share wild ghost stories about guests who never actually checked out. Walking around the massive building gives you the chills, making you feel like you are trapped inside a real horror movie.
It is a really fun way to mix spooky history with movie magic.