A Movie Location I Never Thought I'd Visit!

Have you ever seen a gorgeous movie and immediately thought— Where is that and are they accepting visitors?

Recently, I felt exactly that about the Woody Allen movie, Magic in the Moonlight with Colin Firth and Emma Stone, set in the French Riviera. I’ve been working through all of Woody Allen’s movies because even though so many of them have left me disappointed, I do love the locations his films are set and I love how strange some of his characters are. The location for this movie was BLOOMING, sunny, quiet, and green. It felt other-worldly and colorful. It felt sophisicated and ridiculous. And I love a good ridiculous vacation.

Now that I’m writing, making a travel bucket list based on movie locations is something I think I would really enjoy. Maybe I’ll start one. :) Since movies are becoming so much more diverse and locations are also becoming diverse, I’m curious what movies and locations would show up on your list? 

Well, instead of visiting Europe for my Magic in the Moonlight escapades, I recently visited the location of… a different..er… less romantic movie. 

I mean, who doesn’t watch The Shining and think— I gotta get to that hotel immediately?!

Yes, this is also the hotel where Dumb and Dumber was filmed. 

I’ve never been a fan of Dumb and Dumber (although that laxative date scene makes me feel seen and heard when it comes to suffering from untimely tummy problems) and I’ve never seen The Shining because I can’t handle scary movies (although I appreciated its re-creation in Ready Player One). But it didn’t matter because visiting The Stanley Hotel was seriously one of the coolest parts about our vacation to Colorado a few weeks ago, whether or not I’ll ever salute those movies.

The lobby, the ghost tours, the carpet, the HUGE whiskey collection, and the views made hanging out there one of my favorite things we did while in Estes Park. 

We watched people search for ghosts with cameras and metal detectors.

We raced through their garden labyrinth and laughed that the ornate women’s bathroom had a shrine of artwork dedicated to Dumb and Dumber. It’s such a ridiculous movie for such an elegant looking hotel.

And I’m not sure the hotel would even be there if it weren’t for the movies it’s known for. The Stanley Hotel literally filed for bankruptcy a year before Dumb and Dumber came out, and after The Shining was filmed there, tourism actually went up. Crazy what movies can do. 

I felt like we took a few steps back in time at this hotel, and even though it wasn’t the French Riviera, I’m grateful we got to go!