Calling All Fans, Nerds, and Mega-Geeks! Exploring Pop Culture Tourism Mandy Voisin September 1, 2017 Arts & History, Interests This post was last updated July 13, 2023 It’s a fact. Geeks — that is, passionate aficionados and collectors of die-hard pop culture sagas — are done leaving their interests at home. Sure, fan conventions have existed since the 1930s, providing a safe and fun place for the truly dedicated to converse with others who share their same interests. But, with the Internet turning the world into an interconnected place, fans are craving a more immersive experience. Enter pop culture tourism, a great opportunity for moviegoers, binge-watchers, and comic book nerds alike to embark on pilgrimages to real destinations that served as filming location or even inspiration for their favorite franchises. Which is not to say that pop culture trips are a new phenomenon. Graceland, home of the late Elvis Presley, is the second most visited home in America — the White House is number one — and has been for the nearly 35 years. Visitors have also flocked to the Iowa cornfield in the 1989 film Field of Dreams for years and flock to Salzburg, Austria, where The Sound of Music was filmed. Of course, travel companies are capitalizing on pop culture popularity and making their tours interactive. These are certainly for die-hards who are willing — and able — to shell out the money for an intimate experience with their passion. But the effect of pop culture on the travel industry is not to be understated. Since covering all of these cool places would be a task not even the Last Son of Krypton would be able to accomplish, let’s focus on just a few of the best geek places to travel if you’re really into evil orcs, noble Jedi Knights, majestic dragons, caped crusaders, and corrupt chemistry teachers. The Lord of the Rings New Zealand is the quintessential and unmissable travel destination for any fan of The Lord of the Rings. All three movies in the original trilogy were shot there, as were the three Hobbit prequels. Here you will find countless tours that will take you through Middle Earth’s most famous filming sites. If you’re eager to walk in the hairy footsteps of a hobbit, for example, you can explore their tiny dwellings built into the hills of the Matamata region. Want to charge Pelennor Fields like a lost rider of Gondor? Hit the grassy plains of Twizel. Other noteworthy destinations include the elf realms, the mountains of Edoras, and the river where Bilbo and the dwarves escaped Mirkwood by floating in barrels. Tours range from single-day excursions to multi-day adventures. If you’re a Lord of the Rings enthusiast, you’ll definitely have your pick of fandom fun! Star Wars Most of Tatooine’s set pieces are located next to Tozeur, Tunisia. Granted, Star Wars might have taken place in a galaxy far, far away, but its filming destinations are accessible to anyone with a passport and a true love of the Force. Tunisia has the famous deserts of Tatooine. Guatemala was used to film the ancient ruins that served as the backdrops for the rebel base in the moon Yavin IV. And the lush forests of California’s Redwood National and State Parks were the chosen setting to recreate the high-speed chase in Return of the Jedi. The sheer popularity of these destinations among Star Wars fans has fueled the tourism industry during the last few years, and the sequels (Episodes VII, VIII, and IX) are a perfect example of that. Take Skellig Michael, the island off the southwest coast of Ireland featured at the end of The Force Awakens. The formidable location — once the site of a sixth-century Christian monastery — was nearly impossible to get to prior to the film. Today, several tour groups offer fans a chance to visit the location. Ireland’s Office of Public Works even made several changes to the infrastructure of the island as well as permits for tour guides. Of course, in addition to remote islands and scorching deserts you might also like to enjoy Star Wars– themed attractions like the ones that have been available at the Disney World and Disneyland parks across America and the whole wide galaxy world! Marvel and DC Universes New Yorkers…Assemble! Superheroes are all the rage these days, so you’ll have no problem creating an itinerary for your favorite Avengers or Justice Leaguers. Your first stop should probably be a trip to the Big Apple, the iconic setting of most of Marvel’s best stories. New York City is chock-full of filming sites, which include Times Square, Central Park, the Flatiron Building, Washington Square Park…and waaaay more to let you geek out like a pro. Of course, you should also consider theme parks for a good ol’ super-heroic time. Orlando’s Universal Studios has an entire Marvel Superhero Island with costumed actors, themed roller coasters, and gift shops with more merchandise than you could possibly carry. Six Flags’ DC Universe can be found in parks across North America, offering games, rides, restaurants…and, of course, comic shops. You may also like: 5 New York Locations Where Superheroes Fight in the Movies Game of Thrones If you’re the type of traveler to sigh over beautiful, windswept scenery, you’ll thoroughly enjoy a Game of Thrones tour around Europe. From the limestone pillars of Malta (King’s Landing) to the snow-covered mountains of Iceland (the land beyond the Wall), you could spend years traveling the globe and drinking in the lush landscapes of HBO’s most cinematic show. If you don’t have that many vacation days, however, you can settle for some of the series’ most iconic filming locations. The Doune Castle of Scotland was used to recreate Winterfell, and the Basque Coast of Spain was filmed when Daenerys took her first steps home after a lifetime of exile. No doubt about it, embarking on these extensive trips offers Game of Thrones fans a truly unforgettable experience. One travel company provides a 10-day tour through Spain and Morocco. The trip goes through Seville and Osuna — where the fictional kingdom of Dorne and the slaver’s city of Meereen are filmed — for a mere $4,699 per person. Another GoT tour takes place in Iceland. This five-day journey takes guests through the show’s locations, giving guests the chance to walk the land that Jon Snow, Ygritte, and the Free Folk cross to reach the Wall. No matter how long you go sightseeing, one thing is for sure: George R.R. Martin still won’t be done with the next book by the time you finish! Breaking Bad Have you ever dreamed of throwing a pizza on the roof of Walter White’s house? Well…don’t. The real owners of the house won’t like it! That said, there are plenty of other tourist attractions for Breaking Bad and Better Caul Saul fans in the series’ home of Albuquerque. You can take both guided and self-guided tours of Walter’s car wash, Saul’s strip mall, Gus’s laundromat/meth lab, and even Los Pollos Hermanos. An important thing to note is that these attractions are still regular businesses. The owners are used to “Breaking Bad” fans stopping in for selfies and souvenir photos, but please be a considerate tourist while you’re there. Guided tours like the ones that Breaking Bad RV Tours offers are, not surprisingly, a hit with tourists. Not only will fans flying to New Mexico get to see many of the abovementioned destinations, they get to do it in a replica RV exactly like the one on the show, outfitted with tour seats and a lab. And when there’s down time on the drive, the tour guides host a trivia contest with “blue meth” candy for the winners. Is a reverence for pop culture the reason why you travel? Tell us where your next quest will take you next in our comments section below!
