The islands of Hawaii are a hot spot for movie fanatics and producers as much as it is a paradise for bike, history and food lovers. Say aloha to these (motion) picture-perfect places on Oahu where some of the biggest blockbusters and TV shows were filmed.
1. Kualoa Ranch
Along Oahuâs windward coast youâll discover Kualoa Ranch, a family-owned cattle ranch and nature reserve that encompasses almost 4,000-acres and is only about 30 minutes from Honolulu Airport (HNL). Itâs dubbed âHollywoodâs go-to backlotâ because many famous movies have been filmed there. Its backdrop of lush jungles, green mountains, soaring waterfalls and cliffs make it easy to feel like youâre in a movie itself. Take the Hollywood Movie Sites Tour by foot, ATV or horseback to see iconic movie scenes and sets below, IRL.
- âJurassic Parkâ and âJurassic Worldâ â Soar above the Kaâaâawa Valley, aka Jurassic Valley, on the Jurassic Valley Zipline tour. Youâll get to see raptor trainer Owen Gradyâs (Chris Pratt) rundown bungalow and the original site where the Gallimimus stampede took place.
- âJumanji: Welcome to the Jungleâ and âJumanji: The Next Levelâ â Brave the same unknown and unmapped land that Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson), Professor Sheldon Oberon (Jack Black), Franklin Finbar (Kevin Hart), Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gillan) and Jefferson McDonough (Nick Jonas) escaped from twice now.
- â50 First Datesâ â See where Henry (Adam Sandler) and Lucy (Drew Barymore) met time after time at the Hukilau CafĂ©.
2. Turtle Bay Resort
Only 45 minutes away from Honolulu and Waikiki youâll find nearly five miles of beachfront surrounding the only destination resort on Oahuâs North Shore, Turtle Bay Resort. National Geographic describes it as being âone of the wonders of the world â one of the planetâs most awesome places.â We think so too, especially during action, family and comedy TV and movie moments filmed here like these.
- âSoul Surferâ â Travel to the exact bay that transformed from Turtle Bay into Phuket, Thailand where Kauai surfer Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb) decided to surf competitively again after a tragic shark attack.
- âForgetting Sarah Marshallâ â This rom-comâs entire plot mostly revolves around this resort. Peter Bretter (Jason Siegel) takes a Hawaiian vacation after a break up and ironically bumps into his ex-girlfriend Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) staying at the same place with her new lover.
- âThe Hunger Games: Catching Fireâ â Bring your bow and arrow and may the odds forever be in your favor as you stand along Kawela Bayâs shore, where Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) appeared atop the saltwater lake ready to battle in the Quarter Quell, the 75th Hunger Games competition. Most of the sequel was filmed on the U.S. mainland but when Waimea Valley transformed into Panem, cast members stayed here since itâs just 30 minutes away from the valley.
3. Byodo-In Temple
Nestled at the foot of the Koâolau Mountains in Oahuâs Kaneohe region, youâll be up-close-and-personal with the beautiful Byodo-In Temple. Here, in the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park, one of Hawaiiâs best parks to visit is a replica of the almost 10,000-year-old Byodo-In Temple in Kyoto, Japanâs southern outskirts. It was built in the 1960s to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Japanese immigrant workersâ arrivals. This peaceful non-practicing Buddhist temple maintains its warm, welcoming ambience with a large reflecting pond, meditation niches and tiny waterfalls. Hawaii is the stand-in destination for any place in the world, especially during these memorable TV show scenes filmed here.
- âLostâ â Cross the wooden bridge where Sun and Jin got engaged in what is supposed to be Sunâs fatherâs home during a business party, somewhere in South Korea.
- âHawaii Five-Oâ â Visit the temple that Kono and Adam went to the night before Adam went away.
Have you visited any other interesting filming locations across Hawaii? Let us know in the comments below!
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