10 obscure places in the US that were made famous by movies and TV shows
AMC/"Breaking Bad"
Not every movie and TV show is shot in Hollywood. Some film and TV crews make the trip to little-known places to create their sets.
Property rental company Holiday Cottages analyzed TripAdvisor data and identified 10 places in the US with the highest percentage of mentions of TV shows or movies in their reviews.
Twisters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, had the most mentions, as it was the site of Los Pollos Hermanos in "Breaking Bad."
Forks, Washington, has seen a boom in tourism since appearing in "Twilight," as has Senoia, Georgia, which appeared in "The Walking Dead."
Ever wondered where famous movies and TV shows were actually shot?
Inquisitive fans who want to feel like they're in the middle of their favorite show have led to a boom in tourism in some pretty obscure places across the country, from a prison in Ohio to a lighthouse in Maine.
To determine which places were made popular by their appearances in movies or shows, property rental company Holiday Cottages used TripAdvisor reviews and calculated how many of a location's total reviews mentioned a specific film or TV show. It then identified 10 with the highest percentage of mentions of shows or movies in their reviews.
Take a look at the places made famous after appearing on TV or in film.
10. Onieal's in Manhattan, New York, was a popular shooting spot for "Sex and the City," and fans soon tracked it down.
Poludziber/Shutterstock
Though a popular restaurant in its own right, Onieal's became famous in "Sex and the City."
Onieal's was transformed into Scout, a bar owned by Carrie's boyfriend Aidan and Miranda's boyfriend Steve.
HBO
In the show, the dark, mahogany interior of the bar has been created by Carrie's furniture-designer boyfriend, Aidan.
Today, 19.79% of Onieal's reviews mention "Sex and the City," placing it 10th on Holiday Cottages' list.
9. Mystic Grill in Covington, Georgia, gained fame from "The Vampire Diaries."
Mystic Grill
Mystic Grill is ranked No. 2 among all of Covington, Georgia, restaurants. Its TripAdvisor page says, "Fans of the Vampire Diaries eat here."
The restaurant also has a gift shop and museum where fans can see props and costumes from the show.
Beyond its connection to the show, it also has great food and ambiance ratings.
"Vampire Diaries" characters Stefan and Elena were often seen at the Georgia cafe.
The CW
In the show, Mystic Grill is in Mystic Falls, Virginia, where the show takes place. It was actually mainly filmed in Covington, Georgia, the site of the real Mystic Grill.
Today, 25.37% of Mystic Grill's TripAdvisor reviews mention "The Vampire Diaries."
8. The Philadelphia Museum of Art in Pennsylvania was famously in "Rocky."
f11photo/Shutterstock
Though a tourist attraction before "Rocky," the museum garnered an entirely new crowd of visitors after the movie's release in 1976.
The museum steps became known as the "Rocky Steps" and there's even a "Rocky" statue outside the museum.
Bastiaan Slabbers/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The steps are part of his iconic training montage, which E! ranked No. 13 in its "101 Most Awesome Moments in Entertainment."
The statue and steps have become two of the most popular tourist attractions in Philadelphia.
Today, 26.64% of Philadelphia Museum of Art's TripAdvisor reviews mention "Rocky."
7. Vasquez Rocks Natural Area in Agua Dulce, California, was an iconic part of the "Star Trek" set.
Ron and Patty Thomas/Getty Images
Prior to the premiere of "Star Trek" in 1966, Vasquez Rocks Natural Area was actually a hideout spot for outlaws.
The rocks are named for Tiburcio Vasquez, who stole a 500-pound silver ingot. He was later captured in Hollywood and executed for his crimes.
The rocks have become a destination site for "Star Trek" fans.
Getty Images
Many iconic "Star Trek" scenes were shot in Agra Dulce. The rocks were even nicknamed "Kirk's Rock," after he appeared there fighting alien lizards and helping an Amazon queen give birth.
Today, 26.7% of Vasquez Rocks Natural Area's TripAdvisor reviews mention "Star Trek."
6. The Marshall Point Lighthouse in Maine became famous thanks to "Forrest Gump."
Stan Dzugan/Getty Images
Located in Port Clyde, Maine, the lighthouse wasn't a major tourist attraction before "Forrest Gump" was released in 1994.
The lighthouse is one of the locations Gump visits on his cross-country run.
Paramount Pictures
One review by TripAdvisor user Jan G is entitled, "Good enough for Forrest Gump."
Today, 30.77% of Marshall Point Lighthouse TripAdvisor reviews mention "Forrest Gump."
5. The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio, was the site of "The Shawshank Redemption."
Walter Bibikow/Getty Images
An actual prison, the Ohio State Reformatory saw 154,000 inmates pass through its gates in the 94 years it was a working prison.
The prison officially closed its doors in 1990, and the film was shot there three years later.
Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins starred in the film about wrongful conviction and daring escape.
Columbia Pictures
The film brought tourists from all over the world to Mansfield. Lee Tasseff, the president of the Mansfield and Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau, told NPR how he started seeing an influx of visitors: "They were random, and we never knew where they were coming from. Sometimes it was somebody from Korea; the gentleman who hitchhiked from England just stopped into our door." They called them "Shawshank pilgrims."
Today, 44.41% of Ohio State Reformatory's TripAdvisor reviews mention "The Shawshank Redemption."
4. The Forks Chamber of Commerce in Washington was just a small municipal building before "Twilight."
Chris Melzer/picture alliance via Getty Images
Before Stephenie Meyer's first book came out in 2005, the town got between 5,000 and 10,000 visitors per year, but by 2009, a year after the first "Twilight" movie came out, the town saw around 70,000 visitors.
Meyer actually never visited the small northwestern town before writing the book.
The film's spooky and romantic woodland scenes put Forks, Washington, on the map, and inspired hoards of fans to visit.
Bella and Edward in "Twilight."
Summit Entertainment via YouTube
In 2009, the Forks Chamber of Commerce reported lodging occupancy was up, and the first eight months of the year saw visitors more than triple.
Marcia Bingham, of the Forks Chamber of Commerce, told the New York Times, "You used to say you were from Forks and people would stare, now when they hear where you're from, they're breathless."
Today, 62.75% of Forks Chamber of Commerce's TripAdvisor reviews mention "Twilight."
3. After "The Walking Dead" was shot in Senoia, the Senoia Welcome Center in Georgia saw a boom in reviews.
Visions of America/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
According to IMDb, "The Walking Dead" has had 27 different filming locations so far, and all of them are in Georgia.
The third season was shot in Senoia, which was renamed Woodbury in the show.
Gene Page / AMC
The 10th season of the show was also shot in Senoia, Georgia. There's now a series of companies that run "Walking Dead" tours in Senoia, including Georgia Tour Company, The Walking Dead Studio Tour, and Big Zombie Bus & Walking Tours.
Today, 68.51% of Senoia Welcome Center's TripAdvisor reviews mention "The Walking Dead."
2. Tom's Restaurant in Manhattan was the "Seinfeld" gang's go-to spot.
NBC
Located in Morningside Heights on West 112th Street, Tom's Restaurant was known as "Monk's Cafe" in "Seinfeld."
Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer could be seen there in nearly every episode.
IMDb/NBC
Tom's Restaurant was in nearly every episode of "Seinfeld," and Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine almost always sat in the booth pictured above.
Today, 72.36% of Tom's Restaurant's TripAdvisor reviews mention "Seinfeld."
1. Twisters in Albuquerque, New Mexico, became famous thanks to "Breaking Bad."
Netflix
Located on a highway in a "dusty, barren" part of town, as one reporter described it, Twisters didn't used to be much of a tourist attraction.
Of all the places examined by Country Houses, Twisters had the highest percentage of reviews mentioning the show.
But it was transformed into Los Pollos Hermanos, the restaurant owned by meth boss Gus Fring.
AMC/"Breaking Bad"
AMC/"Breaking Bad"
Los Pollos Hermanos is nearly synonymous with the show. It was the cover for Gus Fring's massive meth business, and Walter White and Jesse Pinkman were seen there in many episodes.
Today, 74.4% of Twisters' TripAdvisor reviews mention "Breaking Bad."
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