6 Legendary Film Sites You Can Visit

The framing narrative in Forrest Gump sees the title character sitting on a bench in Chippewa Square, Georgia, recounting his life story to the strangers who sit next to him while he waits for his bus. The bench was actually a prop, and can be found at the Savannah History Museum, but Chippewa Square itself can be visited at any time.

Although it was overshadowed by the cultural phenomenon of Star Wars at the time of its release, Steven Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind has since emerged as a sci-fi classic. Devils Tower, a rock formation in Wyoming, is an integral part of the plot. The government fudges reports about a toxic nerve gas spill to evacuate the area in time for the arrival of the alien mothership, with Richard Dreyfuss famously recreating the butte with mashed potatoes.

The breathtaking opening sequence from GoldenEye sees James Bond bungee-jumping off the Contra Dam on the Verzasca River in the Val Verzasca of Ticino, Switzerland. The bungee jump stunt from GoldenEye is often ranked among the greatest stunts in film history, and deservingly so. No CGI was involved in creating the scene.

The firehouse that served as the titular organization’s headquarters in Ghostbusters was built in 1903 and remained in operation long after the movie was released. Hook & Ladder Company 8’s firefighters were among the first responders on September 11, 2001. The city almost shut down the firehouse a few years ago, but due to a number of endorsements (including one from actor and former firefighter Steve Buscemi), it was given a $6 million renovation.

Al-Khazneh, one of the most complex temples in Petra, Jordan, served as the filming location for the action-packed finale in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, arguably the best Raiders of the Lost Ark follow-up. After the movie was released, tourist visitors to Petra went from the thousands to the millions, and it remains a popular attraction for Indy fans to this day.

In the final moments of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Rey flies out to Ahch-To and finds a grizzled, self-isolated Luke Skywalker living on an island.This island is actually a twin-pinnacled crag called Skellig Michael. It can be located off the coast of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.