A Year-Round Guide to Franklin and Nantahala

1910s The North Carolina mountains become a popular location for production companies, some settling in Asheville and Hendersonville. This trend continues until the late 1920s, when the advent of “talkies”

Rosemary and Goat Cheese Strata

1910s The North Carolina mountains become a popular location for production companies, some settling in Asheville and Hendersonville. This trend continues until the late 1920s, when the advent of “talkies”

Old North Spotlight

Movie projector

1910s

The North Carolina mountains become a popular location for production companies, some settling in Asheville and Hendersonville. This trend continues until the late 1920s, when the advent of “talkies” makes open landscapes less ideal for filming.


1920s

W.S. Scales, one of the few Black film producers of his era, opens North State Film Corporation in Winston-Salem, likely the first in-state studio established by a North Carolinian.


1922

Ava Gardner is born in rural Grabtown near Smithfield. The actress stars in movies like Mogambo and The Night of the Iguana during her 45-year career.


1960

Mount Airy native Andy Griffith stars as the sheriff in The Andy Griffith Show. Following the show’s success, Griffith headlines in the acclaimed series Matlock and television films.


1980

Gov. James B. Hunt creates the North Carolina Film Office. Over the next 20 years, the state’s economy gets an estimated $5 billion boost from the film industry, and Wilmington is nicknamed “Hollywood of the East.”


1987

Dirty Dancing premieres, and it’s a hit. Several scenes are shot in a former sleepaway camp at Lake Lure, most notably Baby and Johnny’s iconic dance routine.


1994

In Forrest Gump, Gump’s cross-country run features many scenic shots, including one at Grandfather Mountain. This picturesque location is now known as “Forrest Gump Curve.”


2011

Filming for The Hunger Games begins near Asheville and Charlotte, utilizing the Henry River Mill Village for opening scenes. The following year, filming for Iron Man 3 begins in Wilmington and Cary, the largest production to date in North Carolina.


2019

The Peanut Butter Falcon premieres. The plot centers on a young man with Down syndrome and his friendship with a fisherman on the run, with much of their journey filmed in the Outer Banks.

This story was published on Oct 29, 2024