Take your fan appreciation up a notch by visiting these cinematic destinations IRL
By Natalie B. Compton
Halloween thrillers and sweater-stacked rom-coms: There are certain movies that just feel right for fall. Instead of appreciating their autumnal allure from home, you could take your fandom up a notch by visiting the places they feature on screen.
We’ve rounded up 13 popular fall movies and the trips to take inspired by them. Some are are eerie towns where you can get into the spooky season spirit. Others lean cutie, and are perfect for romantic weekending or family getaways.
If leaf-peeping is your thing, don’t forget to check in with the fall foliage prediction map to time your trip with the season’s best colors in mind.
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Practical Magic
According to the plot, the romantic comedy “Practical Magic” takes places on a mythical Massachusetts island. But the scenery audiences fell in love with was of Coupeville, Wash., where the movie’s small-town scenes were filmed. Tragically, the Victorian home featured in the movie was torn down after filming, but visitors to Whidbey Island can stay in equally charming cabins or nearby seaside bed-and-breakfasts.
Remember the Titans
“Remember the Titans” depicts the true story of Herman Boone and the integrated football team he coached at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va. To re-create the nostalgic football vibes of the movie, plan a trip to the D.C. area. Visitors can see the historic sites or take short day trip out to Gettysburg, where Boone delivers his moving monologue to his team during a preseason training trip to the hallowed site.
You could also head to Georgia, where most of the movie was filmed. Georgia’s tourism and travel website, Explore Georgia, has outlined a helpful self-guided tour for fans to follow. Highlights include visiting Berry College walking trails (which was also in the movie “Sweet Home Alabama”), the Silver Skillet (a must for Guy Fieri fans, as it’s been on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”) and Decatur Cemetery.
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Runaway Bride
Garry Marshall’s iconic romantic comedy “Runaway Bride” put Berlin, Md., on tourists’ radars, even inspiring dedicated walking tours of the picturesque town. Filmed in the autumn of 1998, the Julia Roberts and Richard Gere classic is basically an hour-and-56-minute-long advertisement for Maryland’s fall foliage. A popular lodging option is the Victorian-period Atlantic Hotel that dates back to 1895.
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The Craft
Teen friendships fall apart in the 1996 witchy classic, ″The Craft,” but you can take steps to avoid the same fate on a group trip to L.A. Plan your visit around filming locations like Malibu’s Leo Carrillo State Beach and El Adobe Market in Thai Town. And while Los Angeles doesn’t have the same fall vibes of many U.S. cities, you can get sweater-ish weather if you go in November.
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Dead Poet’s Society
Throw on a blazer and head to Vermont, where “Dead Poet’s Society” takes place. The movie’s fictional, elite boarding school, Welton Academy, may not exist, but there are plenty of places to stay that channel the same energy. There’s the Reluctant Panther Inn in Manchester Village, where you can read Walt Whitman in a clawfoot bathtub, or the Woodstock Inn, where you can take a stab at your own poetry at your room’s writing desk. Dedicated fans can go to Middletown, Del., to see some of the filming locations like the Everett Theatre and St. Andrew’s boarding school and stay in one of the state’s historic hotels.
Soul Food
For many people, fall means gathering with family and sharing meals. “Soul Food,” hailed as one of the best food movies of all time, is set in Chicago, where you can appreciate colorful foliage all around the city. While you’re in town, relive scenes from another Chicago-based Hollywood hit: “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
Back to School
To embody Rodney Dangerfield in “Back to School,” hop in a car and drive through Wisconsin’s stunning foliage-filled countryside until you reach the University of Wisconsin at Madison (called “Grand Lake University” in the 1986 film). The college town is full of cozy bed and breakfasts like the Livingston Inn, a 160-year old Gothic revival house on Lake Mendota. Bonus points if you take this trip wearing a Dangerfield-approved cardigan or drink champagne in a hot tub.
You’ve Got Mail / When Harry Met Sally
Two of Nora Ephron’s most famous romantic comedies have two things in common: they feature New York City in the fall, and they star Meg Ryan. “When Harry Met Sally” (1989) and “You’ve Got Mail” (1998) both take place in Manhattan, but you could also stay in Brooklyn and take the train over to see filming locations like Central Park, Riverside Park and the 79th Street Boat Basin.
Halloweentown
For a dose of Millennial nostalgia, head to Oregon. The Disney Channel Original Movie “Halloweentown” (1998) was filmed north of Portland in St. Helens and Scappoose. Thanks to the made-for-TV-movie’s popularity, St. Helens transforms into the Spirit of Halloweentown every fall. Travelers can take a ghost tour at the “haunted” St. Helens Hotel and compete in the annual costume contest, among other festive activities.
Good Will Hunting
Fall in Massachusetts — how do you like them apples? A lot of “Good Will Hunting” (1997) was filmed in Toronto, but many iconic moments from the movie take place in Boston and Cambridge, Mass. Maybe don’t sneak into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and solve math problems, rather stay nearby the university or in Boston. Make sure to visit Boston Public Garden, where Matt Damon and Robin Williams have a pivotal heart-to-heart in the film.
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Sleepy Hollow
While most of Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow” (1999) was filmed in Britain, the legendary town of Sleepy Hollow is, of course, stateside. October is high season for the New York town’s historic 90-acre Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, the final resting place for the likes of Washington Irving, Andrew Carnegie and William Rockefeller. The area is full of charming hotels and inns for fall visitors to choose from.
The Blair Witch Project
About 60 miles from D.C. in rural Maryland, Burkittsville is a tiny town with a population under 200. Its claim to fame is being the backdrop for the 1999 indie horror flick “The Blair Witch Project.” You can’t camp in the spot where the main characters stayed, but there are plenty of woods in the area to get the same vibe. We gave it a shot in 2021 and lived to tell the tale, and — spoiler alert — it was scary.
Hocus Pocus
Perhaps the fall movie, “Hocus Pocus” (1993) has it all: black cats, witches, foliage, zombies, trick-or-treating. Fans of the film, as well as droves of witch girlies, visit Salem, Mass. every fall. Last year, the town clocked nearly a million tourists in October alone. If you plan far enough in advance, you can rent a historic home (some even advertise as being “close to the Hocus Pocus house”) or stay in the heart of town near the Salem Witch Museum at the Hawthorne Hotel. When visiting filming locations — like character Max Dennison’s home, where the same family has lived since the movie debuted — show respect to the locals by not trespassing on their properties.