At The Movies – Southern Sights

Arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana and transfer independently to your hotel for a 03 night stay.

What better way to explore this fantastic city than by foot and streetcar? Although there are many iconic neighborhoods in New Orleans, the French Quarter, also known as the Vieux Carré, is the oldest and arguably the most famous. Many movies, like “Live and Let Die,” “Pelican Brief” and “Tightrope” take place within the carnival atmosphere of Bourbon Street, where you’re likely to see party revelers in their bright beads and feathered masks, but there is far more to see in this historic neighborhood. Don’t miss the hanging gardens, antique gas lanterns and spectacular facades of Rue Royal, notably addresses 700 through 900, which were featured in “Interview with the Vampire.”

Just a short streetcar ride away you’ll find the Upper Garden District home of Anne Rice, who authored the book of the same name. Some of the most notable scenes of “Interview with the Vampire” are set in this district’s Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 and the Old Coliseum Theater; other notable films like “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” also made the most of this charming district’s scenery. Take a stroll along the river and return to the French Quarter on a streetcar just like the ones featured in movies like “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Enjoy dinner tonight at Napoleon House, one of the city’s oldest family-run restaurants which made a notable cameo in Oliver Stone’s “JFK,” before exploring the world-renowned nightlife of the Vieux Carré.

Follow the mighty Mississippi River through Cajun Country to Oak Alley Plantation, one of the South’s most famous mansions. Oak Alley served as the plantation house in the film “Interview with the Vampire” and was featured in the music video for Beyoncé’s hit song “Déjà Vu.” Take time to explore the house and grounds, making sure to include a stroll beneath the oak trees that line the iconic alley.

Continuing along the Mississippi River, your next stop will be the Houmas House Estate, a former sugarcane plantation that has been lovingly restored. Explore the spectacular gardens and take a guided tour of the house, which was the setting for Bette Davis-starring thriller “Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte.” The estate also is home to a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner.

After lunch, cross the Mississippi River and head back towards New Orleans along scenic Highway 1, making a stop at Laurel Valley Plantation. While the plantation house was destroyed during the Civil War, this is considered one of the largest surviving sugar plantation complexes in the United States, serving as the childhood home of Ray Charles in the Oscar-winning movie “Ray.” Back in New Orleans, visit The Sazerac Bar, the site of that famous John Candy scene in “JFK,” and take your picture in front of the renowned mural while enjoying a Sazerac cocktail.

Depart New Orleans and head northwest through one of the largest swamps in the United States, the Atchafalaya Basin. Make a stop in Morgan City, the setting for an early silent version of “Tarzan of the Apes,” and take an airboat tour to explore the swamp and its abundant wildlife. Continuing northwest, your next stop is the Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, both the on-screen and real-life setting of the based-on-a- true-story movie “Dead Man Walking,” starring Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon. The Angola Museum located on the prison grounds gives visitors insight into the prison’s history and the movies that have been filmed there. The day’s final stop, Natchitoches, is the setting for the quintessential Southern movie “Steel Magnolias.” Take a stroll along the riverfront tonight on historic Front Street and stop at Mama’s Oyster House for a relaxed dinner and live music.

Enjoy a full day to explore one of the oldest towns in Louisiana, with its historic downtown, quaint storefronts and Southern charm. Playwright Robert Harling drew on his experience of growing up in Natchitoches to create the fictional Chinquapin Parish, the setting of his play “Steel Magnolias” and its movie adaptation. Some of the film’s most iconic scenes were filmed at the Taylor-Cook House, now known as the Steel Magnolia House Bed and Breakfast, which you may recognize as the home of the character Shelby. Take one of the many tours or explore at your leisure to see other movie sites like Truvy’s Beauty Spot, Ouiser’s house and the church where Shelby’s pink wedding took place. Make time for lunch at Lasyone’s Meat Pie Restaurant, a cozy stop for authentic Creole cuisine, and try its signature handheld meat-filled pies.

Depart Natchitoches early today and travel into the state of Mississippi to Greenwood, where most of the movie “The Help” was filmed. The city operates tours of the key movie locations, or you can explore on your own. While many filming locations are private homes, you can still view them from outside. The houses of all the main characters can all be found here - Minny Jackson, Celia Foote, Hilly Holbrook and Skeeter Phelan – along with other famous locations such as the Jackson Bus Stop and the Baptist Church. This evening, visit some of the favorite hangouts of the cast and crew: Enjoy a beer at the Tallahatchie Tavern or dinner at Webster’s Food & Drink.

Depart the state of Mississippi and enter Alabama as you travel to the city of Selma. The Edmund Pettus Bridge was the real-life site of the Bloody Sunday march in 1965 and is featured in the award-winning movie about the Civil Rights Movement “Selma.” Snapping a photo on the iconic bridge is a must-do for any movie buff. The next stop today is Jackson Lake Island, the location of the fictional town of Spectre in the movie “Big Fish” starring Ewan McGregor. The town was custom-built for the movie and was never taken down afterward. Although the buildings are now unused, you can still visit and enter below the poles with the dangling shoes that marked the entrance to town in the movie. The final stop tonight is Montgomery, where you can see the site that marked the end of the Bloody Sunday march, the steps of the Alabama State Capitol on Dexter Avenue.

Take the short drive to Opelika, the setting for the Oscar-winning movie “Norma Rae” starring Sally Field. Unfortunately, the mill used in the movie was destroyed by fire in 2016, but the Golden Cherry Motel, where some scenes were filmed, is still in operation today. A little further north of Opelika is the town of LaFayette, where the town square scenes from “Mississippi Burning” were filmed. Continue northeast to Atlanta, Georgia, which is fast becoming a movie-making hotspot in the South. Visit the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, whose spacious and ornate atrium has made it a favorite filming location for directors. Most recently, the hotel appeared in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire:” Film buffs will recognize it from the scene with Johanna Mason in the clear elevator.

Today, explore some of the many notable movie locations in Atlanta, starting at Woodruff Park. This area, once known as Five Points, is a small park surrounded by tall buildings, which makes it a great on-screen stand-in for Central Park in New York City. The hilarious fight scene from “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” is possibly the most famous film appearance of the Woodruff Park, but it also provided the setting for movies like “Identity Thief” and “The Change-Up.” Just north of the park is the historic hotel Georgian Terrace, whose Grand Ballroom hosted a gala the night of the “Gone with the Wind” premiere in 1939.

Further north is Swan House at the Atlanta History Center, used as President Snow’s mansion in the “Hunger Games” movies. Visit the house and tour the rooms in which scenes from the movies were filmed. Heading back south, stop in Druid Hills to view the home of Jessica Tandy’s eponymous character in “Driving Miss Daisy.” The house is now privately owned, but you can snap a photo of it as you explore the Druid Hills neighborhood. The next stop is Agnes Scott College, voted one of the most beautiful campuses in the USA. The college’s manicured grounds and historic buildings appeared in “Scream 2,” “Driving Miss Daisy” and “Fried Green Tomatoes,” and the football fields were seen in the award-winning movie “The Blind Side.”

Just a half hour drive south, you’ll find the Porsche Driving Experience, whose sleek modern architecture served as the Avengers’ headquarters in “Captain America: Civil War.” Take time to explore this amazing facility, testing your driving skills on world-famous racetracks in the Simulator Lab and admiring the ever-changing collection of Porsche vehicles in the Heritage Gallery. Eat at South City Kitchen in the heart of Midtown, where you can savor their famous buttermilk fried chicken; you may even spot someone famous at this notable celebrity hangout.

Take a one-hour drive southeast to visit Juliette, as no movie tour of the South could be complete without lunch at the Whistle Stop Café. Made famous by the movie “Fried Green Tomatoes,” the town received so many visitors that they decided to open a Whistle Stop Café that mirrored the one seen in the film. Stop by to try such Southern favorites as country fried steak and the movie’s namesake fried green tomatoes. Your return to Atlanta takes you through the small Georgia town of Conyers, the filming location for the teen television show “The Originals,” a spinoff of popular series “The Vampire Diaries.” A stroll through Olde Town Conyers, which was transformed to resemble the show’s setting of New Orleans, includes many of the sets for the popular shows, such as Jardin Gris Voodoo Shop and The Cauldron.

Your tour ends when you return your rental car to the agreed drop-off point. Alternatively, speak with your Discover North America Travel Specialist about possible trip extensions.

Extension Idea: Take a short flight from Atlanta to Orlando, Florida, home to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Universal Orlando Resort and the Kennedy Space Center, where you’ll find more unforgettable movie experiences.