"I cannot tell you how long this road shall be, but fear not the obstacles in your path, for fate has vouchsafed your reward. Though the road may wind, yea, your hearts grow weary, still shall ye follow them, even unto your salvation."
These words, spoken by a blind seer to Everett, Pete, and Delmar before they embarked on their adventure in the Coen Brothers' movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou, apply to the America's Byways traveler as well. Like that southern remake of Homer's Odyssey, which was filmed on Lower Mississippi Great River Road, many of America's most celebrated movies immortalize places along these byways. Take a tour through genres and decades as you relive some of your favorite moments in cinema.
Devoted movie fans regularly make pilgrimages to the west in hopes of catching glimpses of favorite movie locales. Spend a day in South Pasadena along Arroyo Seco Historic Parkway to relive some of Marty McFly's time-traveling adventure in Back to the Future. Tour Doc Brown's house, now a California Historic Landmark, or drive by Marty, Lorraine, and George McFly's houses. In Idaho, take the Pioneer Historic Byway to Preston and participate in the Napoleon Dynamite Festival in July. Dress up and enter the dance contest or just stroll around the tiny town. Locals are so proud of the independent hit that the state legislature officially commended the film's creators.
Monument Valley on the Horizon (UT) [3]
The southwestern U.S. boasts the surreal desert scenery that filmmakers love to capture as dramatic backdrops. Drive the lonely strip of road through Monument Valley on the Trail of the Ancients in Utah. Here, the legendary John Ford directed a string of immortal western films, including Stagecoach, Fort Apache, and The Searchers. While the valley's buttes and mesas created stunning black-and-white scenery in those timeless works, these multi-hued monoliths provide a humbling experience as they tower above you in full color. Turn onto Historic Route 66 farther south and visit Gallup, Laguna Pueblo, and Santa Rosa in New Mexico and Topock, Arizona. In these deserts, Ford filmed scenes for the quintessential Great Depression film, The Grapes of Wrath. Travel in comparative luxury and imagine the Joad's jalopy bouncing across the nation as the family sought a new life.
Continuing east across the country, head up to North Dakota on the Peter Norbeck Scenic Byway and stand beneath one of the nation's iconic monuments, Mount Rushmore. Here, Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint were chased across the top of the president's faces on this massive sculpture in the climactic scene of Hitchcock's spy caper North by Northwest. Hopefully your trip, while interesting, will be less perilous.
Some film sites have become destinations for movie-lovers seeking to live out their favorite films. While traveling the Great River Road in Iowa, visit the small town of Dyersville and throw some pitches from the mound where Field of Dreams was filmed. Drawing an estimated 65,000 visitors a year, the baseball diamond hosts constant pickup games. Peruse movie memorabilia at the souvenir shop or borrow a bat and knock a ball or two out into the cornfield. For another nostalgic trip based on All-American themes, head to Cleveland on the Lake Erie Coastal Trail to see Ralphie's house from A Christmas Story. While originally used only for exterior shots, the interior of the house has been meticulously restored to replicate the Parker's home. It's open for visitors; just look for the glowing leg lamp in the window.
Idyllic New England architecture and neighborhoods created the ideal setting for a pair of sardonic takes on modern suburbia. On the Merritt Parkway, you can admire the several towns that served as locations for the picture-perfect town of Stepford, Connecticut. The community concealed some dark secrets in the 1975 social commentary The Stepford Wives. In Beetlejuice, young newlyweds face the challenges of the "recently deceased" after they perish in one of Vermont's famous covered bridges. Drive the Connecticut River Byway in East Corinth where it was filmed, and see why Adam and Barbara wanted to stay, even after their demise.
"You seek a great fortune, you three who are now in chains. You will find a fortune, though it will not be the one you seek. But first... first you must travel a long and difficult road, a road fraught with peril. Mm-hmm. You shall see thangs, wonderful to tell." (O Brother, Where Art Thou)
With the broad variety of cities and towns, mountains and fields, the United States attracts filmmakers from all over. Embark on your own odyssey on America's Byways and visit memorable sites from your favorite films. Whichever byways you decide to travel, your trip will add new layers to your movie-watching experience.
