Carolinas, Georgia & South Trips (Lonely Planet, 1st Edition) - Alex Leviton [59]
Start your trip in the far western part of the state in Dillsboro at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad. Of the half-dozen films shot here, it’s the train wreck scene from The Fugitive (still visible!) that has brought the location fame. Junior film buffs will enjoy the annual Polar Express train ride, and toddlers’ rock star Thomas the Tank Engine often makes an appearance.
The western mountain city of Asheville has ratcheted up the most North Carolinian face time on the silver screen after Wilmington. The largest private home ever built in America, Biltmore Estate began its starring role in films more than 60 years ago, and appears in films including Tap Roots (1948) and The Swan (starring Grace Kelly in 1956). Inside, it’s no surprise that scenes from Richie Rich (1994) were shot in the tapestry gallery, and its 8000 acres of lush green rolling hills have served as the backdrop to Forrest Gump (1984), Patch Adams (1998) and Last of the Mohicans (1992), many scenes of which were shot in the adjoining Blue Ridge Parkway. If a famous person gets within 50 miles of Asheville, it seems to be a requirement to stay at the equally famed Grove Park Inn and Spa. Photos of past guest luminaries grace the Arts and Crafts-style walls, from politicians (William Jennings Bryant spoke at the hotel’s opening) to F Scott Fitzgerald. Not many hotels have their own historic walking tour; ask the concierge for a detailed map and itinerary to walk the hotel and grounds.
The film that is most associated with North Carolina and sports is Bull Durham, the 1988 Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon baseball film. Although it was set in Durham, many scenes were filmed at historic McCormick Field (about 1.5 miles south of I-240 off Biltmore Ave), home to the minor league baseball team, the Asheville (wait for it) Tourists. One of the oldest still standing ballparks in the country, most of the interior has been redone since it opened in 1924 but it still oozes minor-league charm.
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THE BABE
McCormick Field minor league ballpark in Asheville might have hosted Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon for a few shots in Bull Durham, but its claim to fame was Babe Ruth’s “bellyache heard ‘round the world” in an exhibition game in 1925, the same year he declared McCormick Field “A damned delightful place!”
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From Asheville, take Hwy 74 southeast towards Chimney Rock State Park. Fans of Last of the Mohicans (1992) will want to make sure they hit three trails: the Skyline Trail, Cliff Trail and Hickory Nut Falls (the site of the film’s climactic battle). Before you reach the official town of Lake Lure, the Dirty Dancing portion of your tour starts. Although the film is set in the Catskills, it was shot almost entirely on location in and around the lake. Just across from Chimney Rock is the Esmeralda Inn, which now houses the dance floor from Dirty Dancing. The cozy lodge resort is outfitted in stone and natural wood with a huge wood-burning fireplace and rockers on the wraparound porch, as well as the international Prime Restaurant. At the lake, see the area by boat on Lake Lure Tours. The covered boat takes Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey (pre-nose job) fans around the lake, but non-fans won’t be bored with the views.
The longest drive on the trip is next. Take Hwy 74E to I-85 until you hit exit 49 in Concord, home of Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Its first big-screen appearance was in Elvis Presley’s romantic comedy Speedway (1968), but Will Ferrell has since brought his brand of humor to the tracks in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006). Oh yes, and it happens to host some of the largest events in the world of NASCAR with a capacity of 167,000 fans. Stick with the sporting world when you drive through Greensboro on I-70 and follow the signs for the War Memorial Stadium. George Clooney sightings were a common occurrence while he was shooting his football comedy Leatherheads (2008). As one of the oldest minor league ballparks in the USA, the stadium didn’t take much makeup to take on the look of a 1920s football stadium, as that