There's been a serious tourism boom in a small town on the Washington State peninsula, Forks, because the popular young adult saga Twilight is set there. The "vampire tourism," as it's called, has given the "timber town where logging's decline left a graveyard of rusting timber mills and unemployment" a bit of a renaissance, thanks to the nearly 100 Twilight fans per day who come to see the real-life city where the spooky tale takes place. Tourists can pick up vampire-related souvenirs and even eat a "Bella Burger" at a local drive-in.
Although I'm not planning a trip to Forks anytime soon (though I've been camping in the Washington State rainforest and would highly recommend it), I have always had a funny urge to visit Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West. I've also heard about some folks putting together their own adventure abroad based on Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir Eat, Pray, Love. And does anyone else recall the fate that befell a group of Da Vinci Code fans at the hands of Adam Goldberg's character in 2 Days in Paris?
I'm curious: What places that you'd like to visit have you discovered through a book? Anyone headed to Forks?
Dolce & Gabbana
Nuovegioie
Bric's
Life of Pi made me want to visit India, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil makes me want to go Savannah. Honestly, every time that I get sucked into a new book it makes me want to visit the setting.
1I've always wanted to visit New Orleans simply because of Anne Rice's books
And Rome & Greece always, no matter where I read about them, I want to go RIGHT NOW!
2I would love to do a Da Vinci code tour....I would also like to go to stratford upon avon to see where Shakespeare lived.
My dad's family is from Hannibal, MO-home of Mark Twain so I have been through all of the caves that inspired Tom Sawyer. Also, I went to Canterbury when I was in England to see some of the landmarks in the Canterbury tales. I think that it is interesting to see the inspiration behind great books.
3I was inspired to read Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil AFTER visiting Savannah...does that count?
4I don't know if it counts as a book, but when I was taking Spanish in College, the way the textbook described Argentina, from Igualsu to Tapas Bars, made me want to visit there in the worst way.
And my little town of Washington is pretty popular as far as "filming" towns. Anyone remember a little show called, "Twin Peaks"? That was also filmed here, in and around Seattle, in a little town called Great Falls and also in and around North Bend. People STILL go there!
5after reading mrs. dalloway i have always wanted to go to london and walk the path she does in the beginning of the book
6I really want to visit platform 9 and 3/4 (Harry Potter, obviously) in London as well as Rome (The Da Vinci Code) and while visiting Middle Earth is out of the question, in the LOTR movies New Zealand looked just beautiful.
7lil, I'm glad you said that, because the HP books make me want to go to England too, even though most of the "sites" in that book are fictional. LOL
8I'd love a Pride and Prejudice tour of the English countryside!
9Stephen King makes me want to visit Maine. You know, when zombies, devil dogs, and evil cars aren't hanging there, that is...
10yeah i am not going to forks anytime soon. lol
11I've always wanted to visit Prince Edward Island because of the Anne of Green Gables books. Someday I'll go!
12After reading Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil I have always wanted to go to Savannah, Georgia.
13i'm not into the vampire culture but i can say that i've seen a movie or read a book and have wanted to go somewhere. i'm all about finding the romanticism about places
14After I read Lightning in the Sun, I wanted to travel to Cambodia.
15After reading The Historian it really made me want to visit Eastern Europe. It is an amazing book that focuses on the historical events of the area (like The Da Vinci Code) while entangling fictional aspects as well. Beautifully written.
And while I am not an enthusiast of the recent vampire phenom, for those of you who are, this book will interest you.
Happy reading!
16jacrabbit84 - The Anne of Green Gables books made me want to visit Prince Edward Island too! My friend and I made a pact to go there many years ago. I think it would be so cool.
I also wanted to see Platform 9 3/4 and other places in the Harry Potter books. Platform 9 3/4 IS REAL by the way - at least in a sense. Two of my friends recently went to London and sent me pictures of them posing with these carts half submerged in a wall like in the movie. I guess the train station set it up so it would be a photo spot for tourists.
17I've been to Forks. The rainforest is beautiful but otherwise it's extremely boring. There is a large quantity of monkey puzzle trees, and a really good pizza place.....and that's really it. I haven't read Twilight, didn't realize it was in the PNW.
I've always wanted to do a Jane Austen tour of England.
18A Tale of Two Cities made me want to visit Europe.
19besamemucho - you should come to new orleans. it's great!
20New Orlands- Ann Rice and New York- A Tree Grows in Brokland and Sex and the City.
21Yeah, after I read the Da vinci Code, I soooo wanted to go 2 europe and I did, in the end I didn't visit all the locations from the book (just the louvre) but I'm glad I needed that push to go, it was awesome, can't wait 2 go again.
22I have been to Hemingways house, its okay, lots of 6 toed cats.
the anne rice new orleans thing? cheesy as all get out.
23I went to Scotland after reading Outlander by Diana Gabledon. It was an amazing trip! While we were there we visited (among many other places) a small town in Ireland where a romance novel I had read had been set, and the platform 9 and 3/4 at the train station in London.
24I've been wanting to go to Carmel-by-the-Sea, Ca. ever since reading about it in Meg Cabot's Mediator series.
25I HEART TWILIGHT!!!
26I would love to visit Forks. I just began to read New Moon, I read Twilight in 3 days! I become so hooked that I am able to invision everything in my head as the book plays out. Its great!!
27CoralAmber - Carmel is beautiful, I've been there several times. It's less than an hour from my house.
28I saw the monuments mention in Angels and Demons in Rome.
29Yeah, I've always wanted to go to New Orleans because of Anne Rice.
30Erm...I want to go back to Rome/Vatican because of Angels & Demons.
And yes, Forks please xD
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