Holiday Movie Destinations

It’s holiday time, and that means it’s time to watch some of the best classic holiday movies.

However, you may not know that you can actually plan your next trip around one of your favorites:

A Christmas Story

Travel to Cleveland, Ohio where you can stay at the actual house this 1983 movie was filmed in. (It can accommodate up to 6 guests per night.)

A Christmas Story House is located directly across the street from the official A Christmas Story House Museum, which features original props, including the family car, costumes and memorabilia and, yes, the holy grail of props from the movie: the air rifle. On December 17, they will host A Christmas Story Live Watch Party.

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White Christmas

Travel to Spokane, Washington, and tour actor and singer Bing Crosby’s house.

One of the leads in White Christmas, Crosby was raised in Spokane, and his childhood home was built by his father and two uncles. It includes 200 items such as gold records, trophies, awards and Bing's Academy Award for "Going My Way."

The Sound of Music

Travel to Stowe, Vermont, where you can stay at the real-life Trapp Family Lodge, a 2,500-acre mountain resort which is actually inspired by Austrian architecture. The Lodge opened in 1950 and was remodeled after a fire in 1980.

You can take a tour while staying at the resort. You can also enjoy horse-drawn carriage rides, sleigh rides in the winter, 35 miles of wooded hiking trails, the von Trapp gardens and maple sugaring tours.

There is also a von Trapp Brewing center, which has been open since 2010 and produces more than 2,000 barrels of lager per year. It is the brainchild of Johannes von Trapp, the youngest son of Maria and the Baron.

READ MORE: How Much Do TV and Movies Affect Travel?

It’s a Wonderful Life

There are two places you can visit. First, fans of the legendary Jimmy Stewart, who played George Bailey, will want to visit The Jimmy Stewart Museum in the actor’s hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania. The museum presents film presentations and gallery talks, photos from his career, family life and his military days.

Also, add a trip to Seneca Falls, New York to your itinerary because there is an entire museum dedicated to the movie. It’s A Wonderful Life was directed, produced and written by Frank Capra and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor. (It only took home one—the Technical Achievement Award—though it did win a Golden Globe for Best Director of a Motion Picture.)

According to the museum’s website, Capra visited Seneca Falls while writing the script.

Each year, Seneca Falls hosts an It's A Wonderful Life Festival the second weekend in December. The current list of appearances is posted on their website and includes Jimmy Hawkins, who portrayed Tommy Bailey.

Pre-order Lisa Iannucci's book On Location: A Film & TV Lover's Travel Guide here.