by Kim
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Lifestyle, TIPS, Travel

5 Book Settings You Can Visit In Real Life

From the Hogwarts train station to Dracula’s castle, you can go off the page and into the world of your favorite books by visiting the real life versions of the literary settings.

Above is a list of classic books with real-world mirrors that can make you feel as if you’re in the scenes, living alongside your beloved characters. These selections were compiled in part with the Placing Literature site, which allows you to search for an author, title and location to match settings to your favorite novels.

The Stanley Hotel from Stephen King’s The Shining

Stephen King and his wife stayed the night in room 217, and The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado reportedly has a mysterious presence which is touted as the inspiration for the Overlook Hotel, the ominous setting of his 1977 best-selling novel The Shining.

Tours are available on-site for King fans who want a scare or two, and there are ghost stories and guidebooks available in the gift shop as well.

Courtesy of The Stanley Hotel
Margaret Mitchell House, Atlanta, Georgia

Mitchell, aka Peggy Marsh wrote Gone With The Wind in the bottom floor apartment of this building that is now nestled in the heart of downtown Atlanta.

While Mitchell’s Atlanta looked completely different from the Atlanta of today (the black actors from the film weren’t even allowed to attend the premiere!) you can learn about the history behind the book and the area in the museum.

Courtesy of the Margaret Mitchell House and Atlanta History Museum
New Slains Castle from Bram Stoker’s Dracula

New Slains Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland is said to be one of the inspirations for Bram Stoker’s Dracula after the author visited the area in 1895.

Unfortunately, the castle is not open to the public as renovation plans have been on hold since 2009 and currently the structure is “roofless ruin” according to Wikipedia.

Photo courtesy of Martyn Gorman

 

New Slains Castle from Bram Stoker’s Dracula
Notre-Dame de Paris from the Hunchback of Notre Dame

From Wikipedia:

“Victor Hugo began writing Notre-Dame de Paris in 1829, largely to make his contemporaries more aware of the value of the Gothic architecture, which was neglected and often destroyed to be replaced by new buildings or defaced by replacement of parts of buildings in a newer style. ”

Today the building is primarily used as a place of worship, though tourists still flock to the site to get a glimpse of the elaborately described architecture from the novel.

Notre-Dame de Paris from the Hunchback of Notre Dame
Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station in London, UK

If you’re in London, go the full tourist route and pretend you’ve finally received your acceptance letter to Hogwarts by visiting King’s Cross railway station in London.

The station is referenced by J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter book series, and as a tribute, there is a small sign and a shopping trolley stuck between platforms 9 and 10.

Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Station in London, UK
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My name is Kim and I am a writer, voice actress, entrepreneur, and traveler. This blog was created to offer some sights and advice for fellow tourists who want to experience the world and what it has to offer - but want to keep things simple and casual. Read more...
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