The Great Smoky Mountains may attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, but these gorgeous hills are a draw for Hollywood as well. It’s no surprise – with its towering mountains, thick forests, and the iconic white haze – that this ancient chain of mountains would be a coveted backdrop for visual storytelling. All that natural beauty makes for some amazing movie shots. Read on to explore some of the most iconic film locations in all of the Smokies, then go visit them in person!
Last of the Mohicans (Chimney Rock, NC)
Released in 1992, this adaptation of James Fenimore Cooper’s classic 18th century novel starred Daniel Day- Lewis and Madeleine Stowe. Set deep in Hickory Nut Gorge, the location scouts discovered a true gem in the 535-million-year-old monolith that rises out of the gorge. Chimney Rock provides the setting for some of the most remarkable scenes in the entire film, including the final chase and epic fight scenes.
Dirty Dancing (Lake Lure, NC)
This late-80s movie set in the early 1960s had every teenage girl plastering her walls with pinups of Patrick Swayze and dreaming of their own summer romance at Kellerman’s resort. In addition to the Mountain Resort in Southwest Virginia, the fictitious resort was partially filmed at Lake Lure in western North Carolina, located between Asheville and Charlotte. This man-made lake is nestled in the canyon walls of Hickory Nut Gorge and offers boat tours to the exact spot in the water where Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey practiced the famous lift. You can also visit the Lake Lure Inn where the big dance finale was filmed and Swayze said the famous phrase, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
Bull Durham (Asheville, NC)
This 1988 box office hit may have been all about a minor league baseball team from Durham, NC, but the big ballpark scenes were filmed in Asheville at the historic McCormick Field. Stars Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins showcased America’s greatest pastime and this great mountain town.
The Hunger Games (Multiple Locations in Western North Carolina)
The cast and crew made their way around western North Carolina for the filming of this popular movie. The landscape of Katniss Everdeen’s District 12 and a few other scenes were shot in the Asheville area. Over near Morganton, NC, the location scouts chose Henry River Mill Village near Morganton, NC as the characters’ home. It had been abandoned since the 1970s, which made it the perfect depiction for a lowly District 12 family. (You can visit the village for tours and special events! All proceeds go to the restoration and preservation of the town.) And the popular scene where Peeta camouflages himself into a rock was filmed at Triple Falls in DuPont State Forest, NC.
The Fugitive (Multiple Locations in Western North Carolina)
In this hit 1993 thriller, Harrison Ford played Dr. Richard Kimble, a man wrongly accused of killing his wife. While he was allegedly being transported to a prison in Illinois, the iconic train wreck and escape scene was actually filmed along a stretch of the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad in Sylva, NC, using a real train and bus. Other scenes were filmed in Bryson City, NC and Blount County, Tennessee.
Forrest Gump (Grandfather Mountain, NC)
As Fleetwood Mac’s ballad “Go Your Own Way” is playing in the background, Forrest runs around the bend of Grandfather Mountain on the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. Long before the film, though, this spot was a Smoky Mountain attraction with its own renown. Visitors come from all over the world for exciting activities and events, including the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, where Scottish clans from North Carolina gather to compete in bagpiping competitions, sword dances, sheep herding, wrestling, and track and field events.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Sylva, NC)
One of the most widely acclaimed movies to be filmed in Western North Carolina is Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The film and supporting cast won numerous academy awards, and a large portion was filmed in downtown Sylva, approximately 50 minutes from Asheville. Throughout the movie, the beautiful Jackson County Courthouse can be seen looming in the background, and Maggie Valley’s J Arthur’s restaurant is used for the awkward date scene between James and Mildred, played by Peter Dinklage and Frances McDormand.
