Dashboards and Saddlebags the Destination Magazine™ Issue 016 July 2012 | Page 13

‘The Hunger Games’ 4-Day Itinerary
Part Two

Days one and two are published
in the June issue of Dashboards
and Saddlebags Magazine. If you
missed it you can catch it on line at
DashboardsandSaddlebags.com

R

eady to experience “The
Hunger Games”? You’ve come
to the right place. The road to
Panem starts and ends in North
Carolina, where the eagerly awaited
movie was shot.

This four-day itinerary, which loops
from Charlotte to Asheville and
back, leads to film locations, choice
star hangouts and sites that connect
to elements of the Suzanne Collins
novel. It also notes training options
to learn skills a Tribute could use.
Day 1-Imagine you’re Effie, leaving the decadence of the Capitol
(Charlotte), dropping by District
12 (Hildebran), then landing in a
fun-loving place that makes film
stars feel at home (Asheville).
Day 2 -Having eaten as well as the
Tributes during training, prepare
to enter the Arena (DuPont State
Recreational Forest between
Brevard and Hendersonville).
Day 3 -Journey from the heart of
District 12 (Shelby) to the belly of
the Capitol (Charlotte) and sense
the atmospheric change from
small-town warmth to urban cool.

unassuming town of Shelby might
boast the world’s highest concentration of “Hunger Games” readers.
The Reaping and Hob scenes were
filmed in private warehouse space
near the heart of town. If you have
trouble picking out the buildings
used in the film, or if you want to
know where the paparazzi perched,
ask somebody on Lafayette Street
as you shop for Hob-worthy items
— just as the crew did. And you
never know what you might find
at Celebrity Consignment Boutique,
which is owned by the late Whitney
Houston’s sister-in-law. For lunch,
try NiFen Wine and Tapas, which
scored with the cast.
Allow 50 minutes for the drive to
Charlotte plus time to check in at
your lodging (several of the stars
stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, Charlotte, crew members at Dunhill
Hotel).

D a y 4 - E x p l o re t h e C a p i t o l
(Charlotte), which turns out to be
Haymitch’s kind of place.

DAY 3
About 80 miles east of Brevard, the

NoDa Arts District
Continued On Page 29

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