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Sci-Fi Summer Travel Guide


Extraterrestrial Highway

If you’re like millions of sci-fi loving Americans these days, you’re probably searching for inexpensive, yet still extremely entertaining ways to spend the remaining days of your summer months. With this in mind we have scoured the internet in search of everything from roadside attractions to legendary movie set locations in all parts of the country. Whether it’s scouting for UFO’s in Roswell or a trip to the original movie theater used in The Blob, there’s something for everyone and many of these may be a stone’s throw from your back door. So, rally the troops, jump in the car and hit the road for a few science fiction adventures you’ll not soon forget!

EAST COAST:

Mothman Museum

Point Pleasant, West Virginia

http://www.mothmanlives.com/

The Mothman Museum focuses on the paranormal urban legend of the Mothman, a demonic, winged creature thought to be associated with horrible tragedies in the small rural town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia. The museum is the perfect place for those fascinated with urban paranormal legends to research this phenomenon, from eyewitness accounts to historic documentation.

The Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum

Atlantic City, NJ

http://www.ripleysatlanticcity.com/

Based on the popular television show from the 1980’s by the same name, the Ripley’s Believe It or Not museum hosts a variety of bizarre and amusing installation pieces from Bakur the Gypsy to a Fiji Island mermaid.

Kennedy Space Center

Florida

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html

The ultimate in exploration in space, the home of NASA, offers a variety of tours and viewings of space shuttle launches and landings. What better place than the Kennedy Space Center to get an up close and personal experience with Space Shuttle Launch Pad viewings, trips to Cape Canaveral, America's first satellite at the Air Force Space & Missile Museum, the Apollo/Saturn V Center, and educational visits to the International Space Station Center and LC 39 Observation Gantry.

Movie Theater From “The Blob”

The Colonial Theater

225 Bridge St.

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

http://www.thecolonialtheatre.com/

Experience the original 1988 B-movie classic The Blob first-hand with a trip to the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. The Colonial Theater will also be hosting the BlobFest Friday Night Running Out Re-Enactment Revelry on July 10th at 8pm, which will feature a live stage show hosted by Dr. Frank N. Stone & Ghoul-A-Go-Go and music by The Neanderthals.

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If you’re a movie fan, then New York City is your playground. Over the decades it has been the production home of thousands of films of all genres, from action-adventure to science fiction. Here are few distinct locations you can visit that have been highlighted in some of this century’s most memorable films.

Ghostbusters:

The headquarters of the Ghostbusters

Hook and Ladder 8, 14 N. Moore St., Manhattan, New York City, New York

Dana Barrett's Apartment (aka Spook Central)

55 Central Park West, Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York

New York Public Library Ghostbusters Tour

5th Ave. between 40th and 42nd Streets, Manhattan, New York City, New York

I Am Legend:

At the beginning of the movie we see a desolate (CGI created) Times Square with The Fresh Prince himself hunting deers…

Times Square, Broadway between 43rd and 46th Street

Manhattan, New York City

DVD rental scene

Tower Records, 692 Broadway (West 4th Avenue)

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Driving Range Scene

Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum

Pier 86 at West 46th Street

Manhattan, New York City

Museum Pond

Metropolitan Museum of Art

5th Ave at 82nd St, Upper East Side

Manhattan, New York

Men In Black:

MIB Headquarters

Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority

2 Broadway, Manhattan

New York City, New York

The Alien Space Craft

After taking off in the space craft, Edgar flys over Shea Stadium causing a baseball player to miss his catch. While over the stadium Jay and Kay shoot at the craft to bring it down.

Observatory Towers, Flushing Meadow

Queens, New York City, New York

Unisphere

After Jay and Kay shoot down the spacecraft it comes back down to earth crashing through the Flushing Meadow Unisphere.

Flushing Meadow, Queens

New York City, New York

Night at the Museum:

American Museum of Natural History

79th Street and Central Park West

Upper West Side, Manhattan

New York City, New York

Spider-Man:

The Daily Bugle Offices

“Flat Iron Building”

5th Ave between 22nd and 23rd St.

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Diner where Mary Jane Works

Moondance Diner

6th Avenue and Canal Street

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Battle where Spider-man first meets Green Goblin

Times Square

Broadway between 43rd and 46th Street

Manhattan, New York City, New York

Dropping off MJ at the Rooftop Garden

Rockerfeller Roof Gardens

5th Avenue between 49th & 50th Streets

Manhattan, New York City, New York

The abandoned building where Spider-Man fights the Green Goblin

Roosevelt Island

Smallpox Hospital (Renwick Ruin)

Located near the southern end of Manhattan Island

East 52nd Street

http://www.rihs.us/landmarks/renwick.html

Spider-Man 2:

Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History

The direct entrance on the north side of the Museum on West 81st Street, just west of Central Park West. Access is also available through the Museum from Central Park West at 79th Street.

http://www.amnh.org/rose/

The Day the Earth Stood Still (original):

Klaatu arrives on Earth

When Klaatu lands his spaceship here on earth, he parks it at The Elipse which is situated between the White House and the Washington Monument…

The Eclipse

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC

The Dark Knight:

Joker’s crew robs ‘Gotham National Bank’

Chicago Post Office, 404 West Harrison – though the exterior seen is the northern corner at West Van Buren Street and Canal Street, where a fake extension was built on the adjoining vacant lot.

Taking down the Scarecrow

The parking garage at 200 West Randolph Street

**also the same garage which was the start of the Tumbler’s rooftop chase in Batman Begins

the HQ of ‘Wayne Enterprises’

Richard J Daley Center

On Washington Street between Clark and Dearborn Streets.

MIDWEST:

The birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk

Riverside, Iowa

http://www.riversideiowa.org/

Official city slogan: “Where the Trek begins.”

Riverside is the self-proclaimed future birthplace of fictional character Captain James T. Kirk of USS Enterprise and Star Trek fame. In 2005, Riverside was the site of Invasion Iowa, a reality television series produced by Spike TV. The series starred, among other actors and Riverside residents, William Shatner. The Riverside Area Community Club (RACC) hosts an annual “TrekFest” Star Trek celebration.

WEST COAST:

Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame

Located in the landmark Frank Gehry building at the base of the Space Needle, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame pays tribute to the lives, works and ongoing legacies of the genres’ greatest minds. The 2009 inductees include editor and publisher Edward L. Ferman, artist Michael Whelan, artist Frank R. Paul and author Connie Willis.

325 5th Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109.

http://www.empsfm.org/exhibitions/index.asp?categoryID=203

Vancouver, British Columbia

http://vancouver.ca/

Not only is this part of the country absolutely breathtaking in its natural beauty, but Vancouver, British Columbia has been the filming location of countless science fiction series and movies from Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Supernatural, Dark Angel, New Moon, Andromeda, Alien vs. Predator, Stephen King’s It, The Fog, Stargate Atlantis and The X-Files.

***

The west coast has also been the filming location of countless iconic science fiction and dark fantasy films over the years BLADERUNNER to TWILIGHT! Here are a few spots you may want to check out for yourselves!

Star Trek (2009):

Surface of planet Vulcan

Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park

10700 West Escondido Canyon Road

Near Agua Dulce Springs, about an hour north of Los Angeles

Starfleet Academy in ‘San Francisco’

Oviatt Library at Cal-State University

Northridge, alongside San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge

Kirk and Spock face off over the Kobayashi Maru exercise - but Kirk becomes Captain of the Enterprise

Long Beach City Hall

333 West Ocean Boulevard, alongside Lincoln Park

Star Trek IV:

Park where Kirk and company initially land.

Will Rogers State Park

14253 Sunset Blvd.

Pacific Palisades

Los Angeles, CA

Cetacean Institute

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey, CA

Star Trek V:

Kirk meets ‘God’ on the planet ‘Shakari’.

Trona Pinnacles

Trona, CA

Nimbus III in the Neutral Zone, the Planet of Galactic Peace

Owens Dry Lake in the Mojave Desert

South of Lone Pine, central California

**Also the location of ‘Calima’, the birthplace of ape civilization, in Tim Burton’s 2001 ‘re-imagining’ of the classic Planet of the Apes.

Twilight:

The View Point Inn

The location where the prom scenes from the Twilight movie were shot.

Forks, WA

http://theviewpointinn.com/

Bella Italia

Have dinner at the same restaurant Edward & Bella dine at.

Forks, WA

http://www.bellaitaliapa.com/

Back to the Future:

Doc Brown's 1955 House

Gamble House, 4 West Moreland Place, Pasadena, California

Twin Pines Mall

Puente Hills Mall, Colima Road, City Of Industry, California

Donnie Darko:

Donnie Darko's House

4225 Country Club Drive, Long Beach, California

2 for Evil Dead Please

Aero Theater

1328 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, California

Donnie's School

Loyola High School

1901 Venice Blvd, Los Angeles, California

Jim Cunningham's House

4252 Country Club Drive

Long Beach, California

The Terminator:

Nice night for walk

The Terminator arrives to our time as only the Terminator could, butt naked. He heads stright to Griffith Park Observatory and challenges 3 punks for their clothes.

Griffith Park Observatory

4730 Crystal Springs Drive

Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California

Sarah Conner's Restaurant

Carrows Restaurant

815 Fremont Ave

South Pasadena, Los Angeles, California

Terminator 2: Judgment Day:

The post-apocalyptic battle scenes were filmed at the former mining facility at Kaiser Eagle Mountain.

Desert Center, Riverside County

Parts of the mall scenes (the arcade, back hallways, and crashing through the window) were filmed at Santa Monica Place at 4th Street & Colorado Avenue.

Santa Monica, Los Angeles County

The finale was filmed at California Steel Industries' Bop Shop which has since been demolished.

Fontana, San Bernardino County

The Lakeview Terrace Medical Center was used in the Pescadero State Hospital, parking lot, and biker bar scenes.

Sylmar, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County

Terminal Island Freeway, State Route 47 / 103 was the site of the helicopter and tanker truck crashes.

Wilmington, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County

E.T.:

Elliot’s House

7121 Lonzo St

Tujunga, CA 91042

**This location was also seen in the movie Charlie’s Angels.

The redwoods scene at the beginning of the film

Fort Dick, CA

**Land owned by Miller-Rellim Redwood Co.

A face down and dying E.T.

Little Mill Creek

Cresent City, CA

Elliot’s school

Culver City High School

Elenda Street at Franklin Ave.

Los Angeles, CA

Tree-lined street from which Elliot and E.T. take off

White Oak Ave. (a few blocks north of Chatsworth St. and south of San Fernando Mission Blvd.)

Porter Ranch

Granada Hills, CA

Bladerunner:

Deckard’s final showdown with Batty in Sebastian’s waterlogged home

Bradbury Building

304 South Broadway

Los Angeles, CA

Deckard is taken to the cop station

Union Station

South Alameda Street

Los Angeles, CA

The interior of the ‘Yukon Hotel’

Pan Am Building

South Broadway at Third Street

Los Angeles, CA

The exterior of Deckard’s apartment building

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis-Brown House

607 Glendower Avenue

Silverlake, below Griffith Park

Los Angeles, CA

SOUTH/SOUTWEST:

International UFO Museum and Research Center

114 N. Main

Roswell, NM

http://www.roswellufomuseum.com/

Founded by public information officer Lt. Walter Haut in early 1990, the International UFO Museum and Research Center is a home for information on the Roswell Incident and other UFO phenomena. Museum exhibits include information on Roswell, crop circles, sightings, Area 51, ancient astronauts and alien abductions. Visitors are encouraged to ask questions. Also within the area resides the New Mexico Museum of Space History, the Billy the Kid Museum and the Carlsbad Caverns National Parks.

Space Center of Houston

1601 NASA Parkway

Houston, Texas

http://www.spacecenter.org/

The Space Center of Houston offers a variety of NASA related exhibitions and tours including the Space Center Theater, Blast Off Theater, NASA Tour, Astronaut Gallery, Feel of Space, Starship Gallery and Kids Space Place. They are also launching the APOLLO 11 40th Anniversary Splashdown Celebration this summer, beginning July 24th, a family-centric event that will feature Apollo-era guest speakers, the music of The Rockit Scientists and a movie artifact exhibit entitled “The Cinema of George Lucas”.

Extraterrestrial Highway

Rachel, NV

http://www.rachel-nevada.com/

In April 1996 Nevada State Highway 375 was officially named the Extraterrestrial Highway for the many UFO sightings along this lonely stretch of road. The highway is close to the mysterious Area 51, a super-secret Air Force test facility, and in the 1980's and 1990's there have been many sightings of unidentified objects near the base. Even today visitors and locals alike often see strange lights in the night-sky while driving down the highway.

Dinosaur Monument:

Canyon Area Visitor Center

4545 Highway 40

Dinosaur, CO

http://www.nps.gov/dino/

Are you a dinosaur fan? Then you might want to check out Dinosaur Monument, Colorado. Here you can camp out and explore terrain riddled with dinosaur fossils. While the main fossil quarry is closed due to structural hazards, many of the prominent fossils are still visible. You can also go whitewater rafting!

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The southern region of the United States has also been a destination for countless movies over the years…

Cheyenne Mountain:

3225 Broadmoor Valley Road

Colorado Springs, CO

Cheyenne Mountain has been the location for shows such as STARGATE SG-1. The mountain is also home to several civilian facilities, including the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun.

http://www.cheyennemountain.com/

Texas Chainsaw Massacre:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Film Locations

Austin, TX

http://www.texaschainsawtours.com

Robocop:

OCP Headquarters

City Hall

1500 Marilla Street

Dallas, Texas

Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse”:

Death Proof: Texas Chili Parlor

Texas Chili Parlor

1409 Lavaca Street, Austin, Texas

Death Proof: Guero’s

Guero's

1412 S Congress Ave, Austin, Texas

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