Even though most movies are fiction, many of them are filmed in real towns. Depending on where a movie is filmed, it often will inspire people to take a trip and visit in-person. From the cute southern city featured in The Notebook to the affluent English town depicted in Notting Hill, you can relive some of your favorite Hollywood moments by visiting these eight cute towns that have been featured in movies.


Visit These 8 Cute Towns That Have Been In Movies


1. Charleston, South Carolina

Image credit: Ken Lane/Flickr

Known for being one of the main filming locations for the movie The Notebook starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, the port city of Charleston is filled with historical charm. From picturesque cobblestone streets and horse-drawn carriages to beautiful homes painted in a variety of pastel colors, Charleston is a beautiful, family-friendly place to visit that takes you back in time. A few places in town that one would recognize from the movie include the American Theater, where Gosling and McAdams’ characters have their first date; the College of Charleston (where McAdams went to school), and King Street, where the two lovers lie down in the middle of the street and watch the traffic light together. Another point of interest is Boone Hall Plantation, which was McAdams’ family’s summer home in the movie. It is one of the oldest working plantations in America with early 20th century roots, and is open to visitors who want a tour.

Charleston, South Carolina


2. Charleston, South Carolina

Image credit: Robert Linsdell/Flickr

Audiences not only fell in love with the characters that Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler played in 50 First Dates, but they fell in love with the film’s cute Hawaiian backdrop as well. The movie was filmed in various parts of Hawaii, but the adorable beach shack house that Barrymore’s character lives in with her family was located in Kane’ohe Bay near Kualoa Ranch on the island of Oahu. Other scenes were filmed in the valley behind Kualoa, including the adorable scene that features the penguin crossing the road.

Charleston, South Carolina


3. Charleston, South Carolina

Image credit: MojoBaron/Flickr

Don’t we all wish we could just take a break from our lives and purchase a villa in Italy? In Under the Tuscan Sun, actress Diane Lane’s character does exactly that, and viewers loved the beautiful location in Italy that the film took place in. The stunning villa that Lane’s character lives in is called Villa Laura in real life, and is a restored 17th-century estate located in Cortona, Tuscany that dates back hundreds of years.

Charleston, South Carolina


4. Charleston, South Carolina

Image credit: Chris Jepsen/Flickr

Wine lovers enjoyed the movie Sideways, which is filmed in the Santa Ynez Valley region of California. Home to dozens of wineries, the Central Coast is a beautiful and relaxed area where visitors can come to get away from it all. Numerous wineries were featured in the films, including Sanford Winery, Foxen Winery, Kalyra Winery, and Firestone Vineyard. The Hitching Post II is a famous restaurant in town that was used as a filming location in the movie, and the main characters also paid a visit to the small Danish town of Solvang, which is also in the Central Coast and has a windmill and Danish-style architecture.

Charleston, South Carolina



5. Charleston, South Carolina

Image credit: S. Pakhrin/Flickr

Audiences fell in love with England after watching Notting Hill, which stars Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. In a nutshell, the movie is a romantic comedy about a bookstore owner who falls in love with a famous actress who comes into his shop one day. Since the movie’s release, visitors have traveled to the cute, affluent town of Notting Hill in England to check out various sites feature in the movie—among them Portobello Road (home to the world famous market), Grant’s character’s old apartment on Westbourne Park Road (which features the iconic blue door from the movie), the historic Coronet Cinema, and the restaurant Nobu on Park Lane (where the main characters go on a memorable date). Aside from key filming locations in the movie, Notting Hill has plenty to offer visitors, including quaint streets, rustic townhomes, cozy pubs and restaurants.

Charleston, South Carolina



6. Charleston, South Carolina

Image credit: Kent MacElwee/Flickr

A Tom Cruise classic in the early years of his career, Cocktail is film about a bartender who ultimately moves to Jamaica to open his own bar. The beach bar scenes were filmed at Dragon Bay Beach in Port Antonio—a beautiful town in Jamaica surrounded by lush jungle and old estates. If you go back to visit now and are looking to experience a piece of Cocktail history, you will find the same bar at Dragon Bay Resort, which is now called Cruise Bar. 60 miles from the capital of Kingston, Port Antonio has many unique attractions, including Folly Lighthouse and access to the Rio Grande river.

Charleston, South Carolina



7. Charleston, South Carolina

Image credit: J. Stephen Conn/Flickr

In Sweet Home Alabama, Reese Witherspoon’s character returns to her home roots in the fictional town of Pigeon Creek, Alabama—which in reality was the town of Crawfordville, Georgia. Crawfordville is a small, rural town that has been featured in many different movies including Get Low and Coward of the County. Located 60 miles west of Augusta in East Central Georgia, Crawfordville has several sites of historical interest, including the Crawfordville Baptist Church that was built in 1889 and a special memorial built in honor of Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens’ dog.

Charleston, South Carolina



8. Charleston, South Carolina

Image credit: Michael Theis/Flickr

The charming coastal town of Santa Barbara is prominently featured in the romantic comedy It’s Complicated starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin. Santa Barbara is an upscale city on the central coast of California, and is well-known for its downtown area that features Mediterranean-style architecture, the historic Mission Santa Barbara, and boutiques, restaurants and bars on popular State Street. Various landmarks from the town were featured in the movie, among them the Santa Barbara County Courthouse and the historic El Paseo section.

Charleston, South Carolina









This article was written by Kamala Kirk.