Visit the Famous Filming Locations Where Your Favorite Scenes Came to Life

Twede’s Cafe, North Bend, Washington

As seen in: Twin Peaks, David Lynch’s dark and quirky TV series, which ran on ABC from 1990 to 1991 and was rebooted on Showtime in 2017

For a “damn fine cup of coffee” and a slice of cherry pie, look no further than this 1940s eatery, which doubled as Agent Cooper’s favorite haunt, the Double R Diner, in David Lynch’s twisted TV series. “When you see someone walk into the diner and they start crying, you know,” says Scott Ryan, 56, a fan from Sarasota, Florida, who has worked at Twede’s Cafe during the “Real Twin Peaks” annual event. While in the area, visitors can also visit the filming locations that were used for the Sheriff’s Department, the Great Northern Hotel and the Roadhouse. twedescafe.com

Jackson Lake Island, Millbrook, Alabama

As seen in: Big Fish, the 2003 film directed by Tim Burton and starring Ewan McGregor

Some of the original movie set is gone (the Styrofoam trees and retail buildings weren’t built to withstand the weather), but other landmarks of the fictional town of Spectre remain, including the church, six houses, two trees at the entrance and the line draped with shoes — all of which are popular spots for photos. But the real draw is the emotional sense of place. The film explores a son’s attempt to understand his dying father through a series of larger-than-life tales, making this site a pilgrimage destination of sorts. One man, for example, drove from Tampa, Florida, to experience it, says Lynn Bright, 73, who owns the island with her husband and allows visitors access during daylight hours for a $5 fee. “He said, ‘My son and I watched this movie when he was dying of cancer, and our relationship was healed.’ He stood there crying, and it brought tears to my eyes, too. It was so emotional.” facebook.com/jacksonlakeisland

Cypress Gardens, Moncks Corner, South Carolina

As seen in: The Notebook, the 2004 film directed by Nick Cassavetes

You can recreate the romantic boat scene from this 2004 film, where Allie (Rachel McAdams) and Noah (Ryan Gosling) reconnect at this nature preserve. Paddle your own flat-bottom boat (included with the $10 general admission) or pay an extra $5 for a guided boat tour through swamp waters lined with cypress and tupelo trees. You can also explore miles of walking trails or pop into the Gardens’ Butterfly House. “A lot of people come out to propose,” says Heather McDowell, 49, parks and recreation director with Berkeley County Government. “We’ve also had people come dressed as Noah and Allie.” cypressgardens.berkeleycountysc.gov/

Jimmy’s East Side Diner, Miami

As seen in: Moonlight, which won the best-picture Oscar in 2017

Near the end of the acclaimed drama Moonlight, which won the Academy Award for best picture in 2017, boyhood friends Chiron and Kevin are reunited at a diner, where they listen to the Barbara Lewis ballad “Hello Stranger” on the jukebox. The real-life location is this old-school eatery, which has been part of Miami’s Upper Eastside since 1968. Two or three times a week, people come to the diner and ask to sit in the same red vinyl booth as the movie’s characters, says Peter Saliamonas, director of operations at the company that owns the restaurant. You can’t press play on “Hello Stranger,” though, because there’s no jukebox in the place. “That was put in for the movie,” Saliamonas explains. jimmyseastside.com

The ‘Goonies’ house, Astoria, Oregon

As seen in: The beloved 1985 adventure comedy The Goonies

This is where it started: when a group of kids found a map in the attic and set off searching for One-Eyed Willy’s treasure in the 1985 movie. Today, the quest is to see the house itself. It isn’t open to the public, but owner Behman Zakeri allows fans to walk up the driveway, do a Truffle Shuffle dance and snap pics. “The neighbors just ask that fans park a couple of blocks away and walk to the house,” he says. goonieshome.com

Tom’s Restaurant, New York City

As seen in: Seinfeld, the iconic TV sitcom that ran from 1989 to 1998

Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer hung out at Monk’s Cafe, but such a place does not exist. Exterior shots on the ’90s sitcom are of Tom’s Restaurant, an Upper West Side diner (that’s also the subject of a song by Suzanne Vega). “We get tourists from as far as Asia and Australia,” says co-owner Michael Zoulis, 61. The diner is a shrine to “Yada yada yada,” with cast photos on the walls, but the menu has only one tie-in item: Jerry’s Salad.

Downtown Greenwood, Greenwood, Mississippi

As seen in: The Help, the 2011 film directed by Tate Taylor and starring Octavia Spencer

Though the movie is set in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, most of the filming took place in this small town in the Mississippi Delta. Fans still flock to its downtown locations, including the Carl Center, where the benefit scene was shot and costume sketches from the film hang in the women’s restroom, and Little Zion Missionary Baptist Church, where a sermon on courage in the film inspires a key scene, and services are still held every third Sunday. “People stop by our office to see what they can find out about the movie,” says Ashley Farmer, 57, executive director of the Greenwood Convention and Visitors Bureau, who was an extra in the film. “I still have a stack of movie posters.” visitgreenwood.com/poi/greenwood-downtown-area

Devils Tower National Monument, Crook County, Wyoming

As seen in: Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the 1977 film directed by Steven Spielberg

Devils Tower was among several sites considered for the alien landing in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. But when location scout Joe Alves saw it, the search was over. “It was an unusual land formation, but also it was very unknown at that time, so they knew it would have an element of surprise,” says Ray Morton, author of Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Making of Steven Spielberg’s Classic Film. In the movie, the characters played by Richard Dreyfuss and Melinda Dillon struggle to scale the steep hillside at the base of the tower. But don’t worry, says Morton: You can simply drive up to the boulder field and use an easily navigable trail to walk quickly around to the back of the monument. There, you’ll get views of the rocky landscape that the actors climb in the film. Some additions to the area were made since the May 1976 shoot, including the Devils Tower Trading Post, where you can eat and buy gifts, and a KOA campground, which, yes, shows Close Encounters at night. nps.gov/deto

‘The Brady Bunch’ house, Los Angeles

As seen in: The Brady Bunch, the massively popular ABC series starring Robert Reed and Florence Henderson

In March, the Los Angeles City Council added this 67-year-old ranch house to the city’s list of historic-cultural monuments. The groovy home was used only for exterior shots during the five-year run of the ABC sitcom starring Robert Reed and Florence Henderson, but in 2019, the interior of the house was transformed to match the show’s set. The current owner offers limited tours. Decor includes replicas of a silver platter with the Brady kids’ names on it and a vase that Peter broke with a basketball in a well-known episode. “When I watch The Brady Bunch, it’s like I’m spending time with my second family,” says Larry Lee Moniz, 59, a graphic designer from Visalia, California. “And when I went there, I felt like I had walked into my childhood home.” thebradyexperience.com

Cheers, Boston

As seen in: Cheers, the popular NBC sitcom that starred Ted Danson and ran from 1982 to 1993

Fans still flock to what used to be called the Bull & Finch Pub, which inspired the setting and provided exterior shots for the NBC sitcom that ran for 11 years. In 2002, the owner changed the name of the bar to Cheers Boston. “We’re smaller than the TV bar, but the stairs going down are identical,” says Michael Hughes, general manager. cheersboston.com

Malibu Creek State Park, Calabasas, California

As seen in: M*A*S*H, the Korean War series that aired on CBS from 1972 to 1983

It takes about an hour to hike to the outdoor set from the main trailhead, but visitors make the trek daily. A rusty jeep and ambulance mark the site. And the signpost, a reproduction of the original, is the top attraction for visitors taking selfies, says Brian Rooney, 62, a park volunteer. More than 40 years after the CBS show ended, it’s finding new fans. Rooney recalls a family with two young girls who were “squealing like Justin Bieber was performing” when they reached the set. parks.ca.gov/malibucreek

‘The Exorcist’ stairs, Washington, D.C.

As seen in: The Exorcist, the 1973 film directed by William Friedkin

It’s a chilling moment in the 1973 horror film directed by William Friedkin: Father Karras frees a girl from demonic possession, is hurled through a window and tumbles to his death on the steep stairs below. If you dare to visit those steps in the Georgetown neighborhood, wait until the sun sets for the full effect. “The Exorcist stairs are meant to be seen at night,” says Canden Arciniega, a local guide and chief operating officer of the DC by Foot tour company. The site seems to have lost a bit of its power to induce fear. “I sometimes see people lying at the bottom of the stairs for a picture,” Arciniega says, “which I always think is a weird thing to do.” georgetowndc.com/guide/georgetown-movie-sites

Pompilios, Newport, Kentucky

As seen in: Rain Man, the Dustin Hoffman–Tom Cruise movie that won the best-picture Oscar in 1989

Cruise’s character got an inkling of his older brother’s unique skills when Hoffman’s character instantly calculated the number of toothpicks (246) spilled from a box and onto the floor of this family restaurant across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Pompilios already had a rich history before the movie; it was established in 1933 in a building that had begun as a saloon about 30 years earlier. Rain Man fans come “constantly, constantly, even now,” says Frank Mazzei, 86, who was one of the restaurant’s owners at the time of filming. “They still have the photos and some of the things they left behind displayed. And they even have the pay phone hanging on the wall.” (Cruise used that phone in the movie.) Cincinnati Bell took it out of service years ago, but “they donated it to us,” says Joe Bristow, 46, one of the current managers and owners. pompilios.com

The Whistle Stop Cafe, Juliette, Georgia

As seen in: Fried Green Tomatoes, the 1991 drama starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy

Formerly a general store, this 99-year-old building was transformed into the Whistle Stop Cafe for 1991’s Fried Green Tomatoes, the drama starring Kathy Bates and Jessica Tandy. After filming ended, the building’s owner decided to leave it that way. Located about an hour south of Atlanta, the Whistle Stop remains a popular lunch spot, with the titular dish at the center of the menu. Order the delicacy as an appetizer, salad or sandwich, or on the FGT Burger. “Our recipes and sauces are family secrets, and we plan on keeping them that way,” says Elizabeth Bryant, owner of the Whistle Stop. “We like to say the secret ingredient is Southern hospitality. Most guests come for the fried green tomatoes and fresh Georgia-grown produce, but they stay for the experience and memories.” thewhistlestopcafe.com

Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indianapolis

As seen in: Hoosiers, the 1986 film starring Gene Hackman

On the behind-the-scenes tour at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, you can stand in the spot where Jimmy Chitwood made the game-winning basket in the state championship. Hoosiers was inspired by the real-life story of rural Milan High School, which won the title in 1954, and Chitwood is modeled after Milan basketball star Bobby Plump. “I know where the spot is, because Bobby showed me,” says longtime Hinkle guide Sally Wirthwein. For the film crew, the biggest challenge wasn’t the sports action but the crowd shots: There weren’t enough extras. “They had to keep moving people from section to section, depending on the camera angle, to make it look like it was full,” Wirthwein says. Want to join a hoops-crazy crowd at Hinkle? Attend a Butler University basketball game. The school has played in the field house since it opened in 1928. “The magic is when you’re there on a 2 o’clock game on a Saturday, and the light comes in through the big windows up high, and a sunbeam washes across where the students sit,” says Wirthwein. “It’s pretty special.” butlersports.com/facilities/hinkle-fieldhouse/1

The Puddle, Woodstock, Illinois

As seen in: Groundhog Day, the 1993 film starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell

In the 1993 comedy, Bill Murray’s cynical weatherman relives the same day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. But the movie was primarily shot in Woodstock, Illinois. Woodstock hosts an annual “Groundhog Days” event. Markers note numerous filming locations, and one of the most popular is a curb area featuring a sock-soaking puddle. It’s marked by a plaque with these words: “Bill Murray stepped here.”

The ‘Friends’ apartment building, New York City

As seen in: The hit sitcom Friends, which ran on NBC from 1994 to 2004

Located on a quiet block in New York’s West Village neighborhood, the six-story building at 90 Bedford Street doesn’t immediately stand out as being part of one of the biggest sitcoms of all time, but the steady stream of selfie-takers gives it away. “Friends was a big part of my life in my young adult years, so I was like, ‘I have to go see that building,’ ” says Jennifer Sloan, 52, a travel blogger based in Tampa, Florida, who visited the site last year.