If watching movies is one of your hobbies, you might want to know the unique locations of some movies. Here are some exotic movie locations in real life. While some may not look 100% like their Hollywood appearance, others are just as majestic, even off the silver screen. The best part is that all of these movie locations are places you can really visit, and we highly recommend them too.
Matamata, New Zealand (aka Hobbitown)
If you are a fan of the movies Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, you will definitely recognize this place. It is located at the farmland of Hamilton in Waikato region. It is famous for fine thoroughbred horses and dairying. It has over 44 unique hobbit holes including Bilbo’s house in The Hobbit movie.
Hatley Castle, Canada
This castle is the private home of Professor X in the movie X-Men. It is located in British Columbia in Canada near Victoria. It was built in early 1900s and it was a part of the Hatley Park National Historic Site. It was also used as the home of Lex Luthor in the popular TV series, Smallville.
Kauai Island, Hawaii
The Hawaiian island of Kauai is a popular shooting location of the movie Jurassic Park. The beautiful backdrop in the movie is this island and it is close to a paradise. This is a healthy island with plenty of exotic wildlife. It has also been used in other science fiction movies like Piranhaconda and Avatar.
Alnwick Castle, England
To all Harry Potter fans out there, you will now know the location of Hogwarts Academy in the movie. The interior and exterior scenes in Hogwarts were done at the Alnwick Castle, the real name of the location. So if you want to take a photo of Hogwarts, visit this amazing place.
Hook & Ladder Company 8 Fire Station, New York City
This fire station is iconic because this is the Firehouse Headquarters in the film Ghostbusters. It was an abandoned building in the movie but in real life, it is a working fire station in New York located in Lower Manhattan. The outer appearance of the building is really awesome!
Petra City, Jordan
This archaeological city of Petra is a famous shooting location for action-adventure films such as Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade 1989 because of its rock-cut architectural style. The scene where Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) was searching for his father was filmed in this awesome location.
Marriott Marquis Hotel, Atlanta
Most Hunger Games series fans will recognize this place because the interior of this hotel was used as the dorms in the Capitol or CGI. The design of the building is very futuristic with a massive atrium that suits the genre of the movie. The movie Hunger Games: Catching Fire filmed in this building.
Whitsunday Island, Australia
If you watch the newly released movie Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, you will be familiar with this island. This is where they filmed the scene in sea because of its Caribbean look. It has a beautiful tropical backdrop, sandy beaches, picturesque islands and agreeable weather. Movies such as Fool’s Gold, Muriel’s Wedding, and Broken also filmed here.
BONUS: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, Spain
To all Game of Thrones fanatics out there, this place is surely familiar to you. This is the Dragonstone in the popular TV series Game of Thrones. The real name of the location is Gaztelugatxe which means “castle rock” and it is a small church in the islet. According to legend, once you climb up the staircase, you must ring the church bell three times and make a wish. Your wish will come true and evil spirits will not come to you.