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Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada, provided by IMDB |
With Oscar season under way and warmer weather on the horizon, it would seem the perfect time for movie tours to step into the spotlight. TripAdvisor released its top 10 movie tours in the United States, featuring on-location looks at today's trademark pics and the cities that set the stage for them.
"With the spotlight currently shining on the year’s top films, travelers can get the inside scoop on many spectacular locations where major motion pictures were made," said Karen Drake, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor. "Offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse of some wonderful destinations, these tours offer an entertaining way to see the sites."
San Francisco Movie Tours — San Francisco
Climb on board San Francisco Movie Tours' "Theatre-on-Wheels" to see the Bay Area beauty of San Francisco, from Fisherman's Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge. Visit the spot where Kim Novak plunged into the water in Alfred Hitchock's movie, Vertigo, where Robin Williams and Sally Field lived in Mrs. Doubtfire, and Anne Hathaway's high school in The Princess Diaries. Tickets are $47 for adults, $37 for seniors and children and free for kids aged five and under.
Visit www.sanfranciscomovietours.com.
LA City Tours — Los Angeles
Although commonly known as the City of Angels, Los Angeles is nothing if not a filmgoer's paradise. LA City Tours features on-location looks at Pretty Woman, Get Shorty, Charlie’s Angels, Beverly Hills Cop, and Wedding Crashers. Take in everything Tinseltown has to offer, including the city's distinguished beaches, the elite neighborhood of Beverly Hills and the illustrious Hollywood Sign. Tickets are $49 for adults and $39 for children for a three-hour tour, or $40 for adults and $24 children for a two-hour tour.
Visit www.lacitytours.com.
On Location Tours — New York
There's a reason why it's called the Big Apple, and On Location Tours introduces you to all of it during this three-hour tour. Get a front-row seat to scenes from Sleepless in Seattle, Home Alone 2, Taxi Driver, and Miss Congeniality. Take a step back in time to 1984's Ghostbusters; then, think fashion-forward at the office building where Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway worked in none other than The Devil Wears Prada. Tickets are $38 for adults and $22 for children.
Visit www.screentours.com.
Boston Movie Tours — Boston
Tour Boston with a "Theater-on-Wheels" bus. Boston Movie Tours will take you behind the sccenes to "Southie," the neighborhood where Ben Affleck visited Woody's L Street Tavern in his Oscar-winning film, Good Will Hunting. Head to Fenway Park, featured in Fever Pitch, before Harvard University, Reese Witherspoon's alma mater in Legally Blonde. Tickets are $34 for adults and $17 for children aged three to 11.
Visit www.bostonmovietours.net.
On Location Tours - Washington, D.C.
As expansive as its New York counterpart, On Locations Tours in D.C. starts its three-hour tour at the capital's Union Station. Movie buffs will enjoy insight into Minority Report and Hannibal. Fans of the venerable city will get to see the Capitol and Lincoln Memorial, pictured in Wedding Crashers and Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump. Then, tour Dupont Circle and the White House, featured in Independence Day and Austin Powers. Tickets are $40 for adults, $24 for children aged six to 10, and free of charge for children under six.
Visit www.screentours.com/tour.php/dc.
Kualoa Ranch Hawaii — Oahu, Hawaii
On Oahu, in Hawaii, Kualoa Ranch Hawaii takes adventurers across the expansive island in a cozy school bus. Our favorite locations include Jurassic Park, Godzilla, Pearl Harbor, 50 First Dates and You, Me, and Dupree. History and nature enthusiasts can also look forward to information about the military and the surrounding vegetation. Tickets are $23 for adults and $15 for children aged three to 12.
Visit www.kualoa.com.
Polynesian Adventure Tours — Kauai, Hawaii
See the Aloha State in full splendor. Polynesian Adventure Tours takes you across the islands, starting with Kauai, the site of South Pacific, White Heat, Fantasy Island and Jurassic Park.Visit the now-closed Coco Palms Resort, where Elvis stayed during the shoot of Blue Hawaii, before stopping to enjoy Opaeka'a Falls. Tickets are $107 for adults and $71 for children aged three to 11.
Old Tucson Studios — Tucson, Ariz.
Step into Old Tucson Studios, which, since 1939, has hosted more than 300 film and television projects, to earn the title of "Hollywood in the Desert." John Wayne shot many a film here, including El Dorado, McLintock!, and Rio Bravo., before, more recently in 1993, Kurt Russell and Val Kilmer shot Tombstone. Tickets into the studio are $16.95 for adults and $10.95 for children aged four to 11, including the cost of the tour.
Visit www.oldtucson.com.
Chicago Film Tour — Chicago
See the Windy City in style aboard a luxury coach, as you tour 30 sites throughout Chicago including The Dark Knight and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Visit Essanay Studios, frequented by Charlie Chaplin, and Wrigley Field, out of The Blues Brothers, Rookie of the Year, and The Break-Up. Tickets are $30 per person.
Visit www.chicagofilmtour.com.
Savannah Movie Tours — Savannah, Ga.
In the heart of the South, Savannah has been the setting of many major motion pictures. On the 90-minute tour, get a glimpse of 68 locations, including the bench that Tom Hanks' Forrest Gump sat on. Explore the site of the Clint Eastwood-directed film, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and the 1989 Civil War picture, Glory, filmed in the Isle of Hope neighborhood. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children.
Visit www.savannahmovietours.net.
Visit www.tripadvisor.com.