DISCOVER THE ULTIMATE AMERICAN ROAD TRIP
Filming locations
New York - Minnesota
Stops on this Route:
- Wainscott – beach house, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
- New York City – Ghostbusters HQ
- Katz’s Deli, When Harry Met Sally
- Blairstown – Friday the 13th
- Philadelphia - Rocky Steps
- Monroeville Mall, setting for Dawn of the Dead
- Evans City, Night of the Living Dead
- Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield – The Shawshank Redemption
- River Rouge, Batman vs Superman
- Woodstock, Groundhog Day
- Dyersville – Field of Dreams baseball diamond
- Eden Prairie Center, Mallrats
What to drive:
Make the most of your US road trip with something from our American Collection:
Filming locations
Stop 1: Wainscott – beach house, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 1/12
In this Long Island coastal town you’ll find the beach house that was used extensively in Michel Gondry’s 2004 cult hit starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. The now-private residence which belonged to Joel in the movie can be seen just off Georgica Association Road, and is visible from the beach. You can’t visit the house itself, but the surroundings are beautiful enough that you’ll never forget them, mind-altering memory wipe or not.
Filming locations
Stop 2: New York City – Ghostbusters HQ 2/12
The iconic exterior of the Ghostbusters HQ is a Tribeca firehouse, still in use by Hook & Ladder Company 8. The firehouse was seen in the 1980s releases and the 2016 series reboot, although it also appeared in a memorable episode of Seinfeld. Despite this it’s the spooky stories of Aykroyd, Murray et al. which made this building famous to moviegoers around the world. When you’ve got up close and seen this beautiful building, who you gonna call? (Image credit: Phillip Ritz)
Filming locations
Stop 3: Katz’s Deli, When Harry Met Sally 3/12
Aside from serving up a delicious selection of meats, Katz’s Deli is most famous as the location where Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal went for a spot of lunch in the 1989 rom com When Harry Met Sally. The family-run restaurant calls itself the ‘pride of the Lower East Side’, and deserves the local recognition it gets for the food as well as the added extras. (Image credit: Beyond My Ken)
Filming locations
Stop 4: Blairstown – Friday the 13th 4/12
This small New Jersey town and the nearby Camp No-Be-Bo-Sco supplied the setting for most of the original Friday The 13th film. The location, renamed Camp Crystal Lake, also makes appearances in several of the series’ sequels. Sadly the camp itself is private property (it’s still used extensively by the Boy Scouts) and requires permission to visit. Other parts of Blairstown used in the film are easily recognisable, including the diner where Steve hangs out.
Filming locations
Stop 5: Philadelphia - Rocky Steps 5/12
Sylvester Stallone created what is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s most famous montages when he jogged up the 72 steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art in the 1976 sports classic Rocky (and several sequels). This memorable moment has now become storytelling shorthand for an underdog rising to a challenge. A little further away from the museum there’s also the chance to see the bronze statue – a gift from Stallone to Philadelphia for its role in movie history.
Filming locations
Stop 6: Monroeville Mall, setting for Dawn of the Dead 6/12
Although very little of the mall’s physical features remain the same from filming in the late Seventies, a walk around Monroeville Mall tells you just what makes it an iconic and unique location all on its own. This collection of department stores and other retailers forms the main setting of George A. Romero’s horror classic Dawn of the Dead, a cleverly pitched take on the idea of consumerism turning us all into zombies. (Image credit: Avicennasis)
Filming locations
Stop 7: Evans City, Night of the Living Dead 7/12
Just under an hour away from the Monroeville Mall is where you’ll find the setting for Romero’s 1968 horror prequel, Night of the Living Dead. Visitors to the city’s cemetery off Franklin Road will spot some of the film’s distinctive gravestones – not to mention, a marker laid in tribute to the film. A short drive away, the Living Dead museum touts some of the entire subgenre’s best known props as seen onscreen, along with other zombie memorabilia.
Filming locations
Stop 8: Ohio State Reformatory, Mansfield – The Shawshank Redemption 8/12
Ohio’s stark and imposing state prison retired from reform in 1990, but was used even before then in movies like Tango & Cash. It was the iconic 1994 film The Shawshank Redemption which made the location famous. Visitors come from far and wide to take public tours of the facility – ‘Shawshank pilgrims’ – and certain parts of the complex are even made available for local private functions such as graduations and weddings. (Image credit: Mike Sharp)
Filming locations
Stop 9: River Rouge, Batman vs Superman 9/12
A few minutes from the Detroit River, an unassuming docking company plies its trade. But look a little closer and you’ll see that the Nicholson Terminal is actually the setting for some of the big fight scenes in the DC Comics blockbuster. Downtown Detroit also serves as the backdrop for Metropolis – most notably on Fort Street between Shelby and Griswold, where we saw Bruce Wayne running towards the scene of disaster at the start of the film.
Filming locations
Stop 10: Woodstock, Groundhog Day 10/12
Although it’s ostensibly the town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the 1993 cult classic starring Bill Murray was filmed here in Woodstock. Many of the buildings used in exterior shots during the film are still present today, although some of the private residential buildings (such as the B&B) no longer display their prominent features. There are also plaques dotted around to commemorate its contribution to the film.
Filming locations
Stop 11: Dyersville – Field of Dreams baseball diamond 11/12
If you build it, they will come – and that’s exactly what happened here in Dyersville, Iowa. In the 1989 film Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner built a baseball diamond in the cornfields because of a dream he had. Here on this unique filming location, fans of the movie can live their own dreams with walking tours and the chance to see an occasional live game. (Image credit: Justin Brockie)
Filming locations
Stop 12: Eden Prairie Center, Mallrats 12/12
Much of this Kevin Smith comedy was shot in the Eden Prairie Mall, some 1,200 miles from his home state of New Jersey. But with an all-star cast including Shannen Doherty, Ben Affleck and even a cameo from comics guru Stan Lee, Mallrats would become a cult classic in the late Nineties – provided that kid would stay off the escalators. (Image credit: Bobak Ha'Eri)
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