PHOTO: Spain's majestic Alcazar de Segovia served as an inspiration for Cinderella's Castle. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Fairytales; they gave us sweet dreams as kids, made us believe in true love, and taught us that good always trumps evil.  Now that their stories have become a great chunk of our childhood doesn’t mean the fantasy has to be over once adulthood settles in; especially when their magic lives on in each of the following five destinations. 

If you were charmed by Sleepy, Dopey and Doc, come see where Snow White was birthed. And if Disney’s Cinderella Castle tugs at your heart strings then visit the real castle that inspired it all.  Not only are these destinations treasure troves that gleam with jewels linking us to our favorite stories, they are living proof that happily-ever-after does exist.

Hobbiton Village, New Zealand

They were the movies that made children believe in magic and adults drift off in the fanaticisms of Middle-Earth. And even once the hype surrounding the upcoming sixth and final movie, The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies comes to an end, there will still remain a quaint town in New Zealand to keep these sagas alive for fans everywhere. Hobbiton Village magically emerged out of the green pastures of the North Island in New Zealand when director Peter Jackson realized that the lush farmland would make the perfect home for the magical characters. 

Fortunately, once filming ended, Hobbiton Village became an instant attraction for fans by staying true to its appearance as The Shire. Not only are visitors encouraged to tour the village’s landscape that includes the Hobbit holes and cottages, but also that familiar place where the villagers met for discussions, The Green Dragon Inn, which cordially invites visitors to pull up a seat and feast like a Hobbit.

Lohr am Maine, Germany

Regardless of the evil queen’s determination to become the fairest of them all, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was the first of its kind to make romantics believe in the notion of prince charming saving the day. But was it all a hoax that was conjured by the Brothers Grimm before Walt Disney transformed it into an awe-inspiring animation?

One of the legends says that Schneewittchen, the German name for Snow White, was inspired by Maria Sophia Margaretha Catharina von Erthal, a royal living in a castle in the German city of Lohr.  She too suffered under a cruel stepmother who was given a mirror by Maria’s father, Prince Philipp Christoph von Erthal.  The “Talking Mirror” now sits in the Lohr Castle which is now known as the Spessart Museum along with the the plant used to poison the apple that killed Maria. 

Colmar, France

If you weren’t blinded by Belle’s natural beauty in Beauty and the Beast then you may recall the picturesque town she lived in and how she lovingly greeted the townsfolk with a melodic harmony.  And believe it not, that charismatic place does exist in a region called Alsace in France. In fact, it is a collection of cities that make this area a dream come true. 

One destination in particular is Colmar which is decorated with colorful wooden architectural gems standing head-to-toe along its cobblestone streets, the Unterlinden museum which once served as a monastery and the tranquil Colmar Canal flowing through its center.  A stroll along this beautiful town has the power to make any lady feel like Belle.

Segovia, Spain

Not even the hustle and bustle of Madrid could penetrate the sleepy town known as Segovia, which is a blessing in disguise when exploring its enchanted landscape.  And the more dreamy the city, the more treasures it conceals; especially in the Alcazar de Segovia, a 12^th century castle that stands so majestically among the Spanish hills even Disney took notice when he used it as inspiration for Cinderella’s Castle. 

Oxford, England

If you were intrigued by the wild imagination of a young girl named Alice, then the city of Oxford is calling your name. But before her fantasies were brought to life on the big screen in Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll wrote a series of stories that were inspired by Alice Liddell, a daughter of the dean of a nearby college. 

One particular scene of the novel “Through the Looking-Glass” is captured in Oxford at Alice’s Shop.  Although the merchandise is not likely to magically float away as it did in the book, the pages of the story unfold with trinkets fashioned to bring Wonderland to life. The city also takes its infatuation a bit further on Alice’s Day, in which attendees show off their best Alice in Wonderland digs as an homage to the famous tale in July.