Holiday Snapshot

Make your own scene in familiar footsteps.

By Kate Tremills

As we approach the depth of winter, it's hard to resist fantasizing about the next vacation. For most people, that means a hot climate or laying prone on a cruise. But film folks are a different breed. We don't just love movies, we want to go where they were inspired, shot, and set. Sometimes, we even want to vacation like we're stars. If that's you, consider this the ultimate guide to places film-lovers go to soak in that movie magic.

Gone With the Wind - Atlanta

Traveling to the South is like stepping back in time. For lovers of one of the greatest epics, Atlanta holds the key to movie heaven. Several museums pay tribute to Gone with the Wind and its author, Margaret Mitchell. From the Road to Tara Museum, with Scarlett's dresses and the Herb Bridges collection (world's leading authority on Gone With the Wind) to the Gone With the Wind Tour to the Margaret Mitchell Museum containing memorabilia from the set. True fans fill their days with re-enactments, filming locations, and the birthplace of the original story. Scarlett and Rhett never fade away in Atlanta.

Casablanca - Africa

The fact that Casablanca was filmed in Florida doesn't keep its fans from traveling to the place where the story was inspired. When a movie lover arrives in Morocco, her first question is always about Casablanca. The city has moved on from WWII, but it still holds much of the mystique portrayed in the film: streets filled with camels, veiled women, and beautiful mosques. Go into any piano bar in the fancier hotels and you'll discover they play the film's music all night long. Casablanca fans don't travel to Africa for the sets; they travel for the real experience.

The Bridges of Madison County - Iowa

Some books capture the imagination of their audience like no other. Once Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood brought this story to the screen, Madison County, Iowa, changed forever. Fans flocked to the bridges and to the farmhouse used as Francesca's home. Tours of the house were available until a recent fire destroyed the location, but the loss hasn't stopped the flow of visitors. Capturing the magic is as simple as strolling through the covered bridges. Like the characters, film-lovers travel to Iowa to feel the beauty and the potential of Madison County.

The Lord of the Rings - New Zealand

No fervor holds a candle to the adoration fans have for The Lord of the Rings. New Zealand has responded to that spirit in full force. Boasting dozens of tours, LOTR-lovers can visit filming locations via bike, car, boat or helicopter. Name a setting from the films and a tour-guide will take you there. Fans can even visit the goldsmith who made the "one ring to bind them all." In fact, there are enough options to keep dedicated LOTR followers busy for weeks. With enough money and enough time, you can re-live all the rustic majesty of the trilogy.

Under the Tuscan Sun - Tuscany