fictional locations

Fictional Locations: 12 Made-Up Destinations We Wish We Could Visit

By Dane Cobain

Updated

Thanks to various forms of fiction, popular culture is rife with different fictional locations from Hogwarts to the Mushroom Kingdom.

These fictional locations range from the hidden country of Wakanda to that place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away where we met the Skywalkers.

Overview: Fictional Locations

Unfortunately, none are real. Some of them are almost inhospitable. Others are a paradise. Most of them fall somewhere in the middle.

These places exist in our imagination as much as they do in our favorite stories and works of fiction. They’re every bit as real as real life, except for the not existing part.

But curling up with a good book or watching a good film allow people to travel through space and time. It even allows us to step outside of reality. At least, mentally.

But have you ever wondered what it might be like to actually walk around in some of the amazing locations that you’ve read about?

Downsides of Visiting Fictional Locations

Perhaps you’ve even weighed up some of the pros and cons of actually visiting these sites.

For example, as cool as it might be to visit the Shire in Middle Earth, it would suck to be captured by orcs and roasted alive for their dinner. And it would really not do to get lost in an enchanted forest, of which there are several from myriad movies and books. Or maybe you’d like to spend a long weekend in one of many fictional cities and towns, such as Gotham City or Derry.

No harm so long as you don’t run afoul of the Joker or Stephen King’s It.

Although, perhaps you could avoid the worst if you take a decent tour guide. Maybe even your favorite in-world character. Batman’s not typically busy during the day, right?

Today, we’re aiming to dodge a few of those pit falls. We put together the best possible travel itinerary for our favorite fictional locations across movies, novels, and more.

If only they were real. Sit back and buckle up. It’s time to go traveling. 

12 Fictional Locations We Wish We Could Visit

1) Oxford (His Dark Materials)

Fictional Locations - Oxford - His Dark Materials

We’ve always loved Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, but the recent adaptation along with his new Book of Dust tie-ins have rekindled our love for Pullman’s worlds and world building.

In it, he creates a sort of steampunk take on Victorian England while depicting a version of the city of Oxford, England, that’s similar to ours and yet subtly different.

One of the downsides of going to Pullman’s Oxford is that they don’t have the same level of technology, but they do have blimps and armored bears. And of course, daemons.

In Pullman’s world, daemons are essentially visible representations of the other half of our souls. They take the form of animals, and we can talk to them and ask them for advice. Although, we also can’t stray too far from them.

Be warned, though, that even in a setting as civilized as Jordan College in Oxford, the long arm of the church can still be felt.

Be sure not to say anything against them or you risk running up against the wrath of the magisterium – and if they can get away with Bolvangar, they can get away with anything.

2) Pallet Town (Pokemon)

Fictional Locations - Pallet Town - Pokemon

We want to be the very best, like no one ever was.

That’s why we’d like to travel to Pallet Town in the Pokemon universe. We could stop by Professor Oak’s laboratory and learn whatever he’ll teach us about catching and training Pokemon. With a bit of luck, he’ll even give us a starter Pokemon to help us to get started.

Sure, it’s not the most spacious city if you’re going off game screens alone, but we’d love to imagine a sprawling town full of delightful Pokemon hi-jinks.

Plus, we figure once we’re there, what would be the harm in exploring the rest of the Pokemon universe? After all, we do have to catch them all.

3) Springfield (The Simpsons)

Springfield - The Simpsons

Springfield is the home of the Simpson family, as well as their ensemble cast of friends and neighbors.

This one would be a great place to visit because you’d get to keep all of your home comforts (like electricity and the internet) while still experiencing a little slice of cultural history.

And think of the people you’d meet!

For us, we’d probably try to catch one of Krusty’s shows or pay tribute at Bleeding Gums Murphy’s grave before going for a drink or two at Moe’s Tavern.

And perhaps the following day you can pay a visit to Shelbyville – although it may be best not to let on while you’re spending time in Springfield. Maybe when we’re in the area we could finally learn what state it’s in.

4) Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory

Fictional Locations - Chocolate Factory - Willy Wonka

Even if you’re vegan and you can’t sample the milk chocolate or any of the sweets containing gelatin, you’d still be crazy to pass this one up.

Part of the reason for that is that Wonka’s chocolate factory is magical even if you don’t eat any of the candy. We’d settle for just taking a ride in his great glass elevator.

But of course, it’s the chocolate that’s the main attraction here and during your trip you’ll be able to tuck into such delectable treats as Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight, Swudge, Everlasting Gobstoppers, Fizzy Lifting Drinks, Lickable Wallpaper and the rare (but recently revealed in an unpublished chapter) Vanilla Fudge Mountain.

You can even float down the Chocolate River, although we’d warn you against trying the Chewing Gum Meal in case you end up like Violet Beauregarde.

Whether it’s the original film, the remake, or the novel on which it was all based, we like to imagine what the world of pure imagination would be like to visit.

5) Wonderland (Alice in Wonderland)

Fictional Locations - Wonderland - Alice in Wonderland

Introduced to us by Lewis Carroll in his phenomenal Alice in Wonderland books, this fictional location is the land where one pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small.

There’s no telling what might happen when you go down the rabbit hole, but perhaps it’s just the thing you need to start seeing the world from a different perspective.

If you’re new to the area or if you’re trying to keep a low profile, be sure not to interfere with the Queen of Hearts and her retinue or to eat or drink anything suspicious.

Oh, and don’t be alarmed if you meet Mad Hatters, Cheshire Cats, and other curious creatures during your journey.

This location gives you the charm of Disney but with so much more devilishly good danger and intrigue, regardless of which version(s) you choose to visit–book or movie.

6) The Island of Sodor (Thomas the Tank Engine)

Fictional Locations - Island of Sodor - Thomas the Tank Engine

Home to the Fat Controller, Thomas and his friends, the Island of Sodor has a thriving local tourism scene and a cute (if old-fashioned) way of life that’s sure to make you feel nostalgic for the good old days.

The transport links here are fantastic, and there’s the added bonus that you’ll get to take a ride in a talking train.

The talking train population on the Island of Sodor has gone through something of a boom in recent years, and if you can remember everyone’s name then you’ve got a better memory than we do.

Just a few of the friendly faces that you can expect to see include Bert, Henry, Edward, Emily, Mike, Gordon, Thomas, Toby, Annie and Clarabel.

7) The Land of Take-What-You-Want (Faraway Tree)

Fictional Locations - Land of Take-What-You-Want - Faraway Tree

Introduced in The Enchanted Wood, the first novel in Enid Blyton’s stunning Faraway Tree series of children’s books, the Land of Take-What-You-Want is at the top of the Faraway Tree.

The tree itself is worth a visit, because it’s home to a range of friendly inhabitants including Moon-Face, Silky the Fairy and the Saucepan Man.

You can even slide down the inside of the tree to get down to the bottom in a hurry.

This is all pretty cool in itself, but it’s also only the beginning. Right at the top of the Faraway Tree, its branches reach into the clouds and allow the kids in the books to climb through into a different new land.

Some of them are unpleasant, such as the Rocking Land, where you can’t take one step forward without taking ten steps back.

As for us, we’d quite like to visit the Land of Do-As-You-Please, but we’d like to visit the Land of Take-What-You-Want even more. But perhaps that’s just because we’re greedy.

8) Thugz Mansion (Tupac)

Thugz Mansion - Tupac

This one might be a bit of a stretch as a fictional location. Although strangely enough, depending on your religious beliefs, it’s the location on this list most likely to be real.

Tupac’s Thugz Mansion is essentially an alternative version of heaven which sounds way more fun.

Notable residents include Marvin Gaye, Jackie Wilson and Billie Holiday, and we hear that their house band is phenomenal. We imagine Tupac is up there now, too. And while it may be a stretch, maybe even The Notorious B.I.G.

If you can catch a live show, you’re in for a treat that you’ll remember forever. Although we expect it’s pretty difficult to get there. The price of admission alone is deathly expensive.

9) Discworld (Terry Pratchett)

Fictional Locations - Discworld

Visiting Pratchett’s Discworld might be a bit of a risk, but we’ll take it as it appears in the later books when there’s a little more stability and such modern conveniences. For example, the Disc’s first train and the clacks towers for sending messages at long distances.

Okay, there might be problems with poverty and some areas, such as The Shades in Ankh Morpork. They’re effectively out of bounds. But there’s still plenty to see.

For example, there are the Pyramids in Ephebe, Unseen University in Ankh Morpork and the vast plains of Sto Lat.

Immortality even beckons if you’re lucky/unlucky enough to be turned into a vampire. Just be sure to become a member of the temperance movement and to wear a black ribbon to show that you only drink animal blood.

The Disc itself is also interesting, especially if you happen to be a flat Earther. That’s because the Disc is flat and suspended on the back of four elephants, who themselves are stood on the back of a giant space turtle called the Great A’Tuin.

If you head to the rim, you might even be able to head off on a mission into outer space over the edge of the giant water fall named Rimfall.

10) The TARDIS (Doctor Who)

The Tardis - Doctor Who

Okay, perhaps this one is cheating a bit.

It’s true that we’ve love to see the inside of the TARDIS so it could blow our minds with its relative time dilation. You could get lost in there, depending on how big it really is, which somewhat depends on which Doctor is piloting it. But that’s not the only reason.

But if we could visit the TARDIS, we could commandeer it to take us anywhere we wanted at any point in history, whether it’s a fictional location or a real location. All with the click of a few buttons.

What’s really great is that you can park it and know it’s not going anywhere. Even in the worst of conditions like lava or space, its passengers are completely safe. That’s partly why we think this one gets a pass, because we’d be willing to stick to the inside of the police box walls.

Of course, this is all assuming that we’d be able to get The Doctor to agree to take us.

11) Bedrock (The Flintstones)

Fictional Locations - Bedrock - Flintstones

We were thinking about including Jurassic Park on this list so that we could go and see some dinosaurs. But the more we thought about it, the more a day in the park started to seem like a really bad idea.

Bedrock makes for a good alternative, because you get to see dinosaurs up close and personal without risking being torn limb from limb.

First introduced in 1960, Bedrock is the prehistoric town in which The Flintstones is set. If you want to see the city in style, you can hire a car. Although you’ll have to power it with your feet. Or just ask one of the locals to show you around.

We’re sure if you offer Barney Rubble a beer or two, he’ll be more than happy to take on the job.

Bedrock is a great choice if you’ve always wondered what a dinosaur steak tastes like or if you want to take a break away from technology. We just hope you don’t have nomophobia, because there aren’t any electrical outlets in Bedrock.

12) Milliways: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)

Fictional Locations - Milliways The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Located in Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, this five-star restaurant is located exactly where it sounds – right at the end of the universe, where time and matter no longer exists.

Don’t worry too much about reserving a seat or paying your bill, because you can make a reservation after you’ve visited when you return to your own time. You can also pay the bill by opening a bank account and putting a penny in there, because compound interest will take care of the rest for you.

Of course, one downside of visiting Milliways, as the restaurant is officially known, is that you’ll need a TARDIS or a ship with an infinite improbability drive to get there.

The good news is that if you do make it, they do a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster that’s to die for.

Conclusion: Fictional Locations

This list of locations that we wish we could visit is far from complete, but we think it’s a pretty good start.

With that said, with so many fictional worlds and fictional locations out there for us to explore from books, movies and TV shows to legends, mythos and folklore, there was no way that we could ever hope to cover everything.

We certainly missed Atlantis, Gravity Falls, Twin Peaks, all of Lord of the Rings (despite mentioning the Shire in passing), and countless other locales from your favorite movie, TV show, comic book, game, or work of literature.

Then there’s the fact that there are plenty of fictional locations that would be interesting to visit, but only if you knew that you couldn’t die. The continent of Westeros would be fascinating to explore, for example. However, it and Essos are not exactly the safest place to go for a holiday.

At the very least, you wouldn’t want to take the kids.

Come to think of it, they wouldn’t even be entirely safe in Narnia with all the fighting and so forth.

Plus, there are multiple planet, city, and even city-planet options in Star Wars. And we wouldn’t mind a castle or two from King Arthur myths or any number of fairy tale kingdoms, castle or not.

Where To Next?

By now, you’ve read our list of the 12 fictional locations that we wish we could visit, and so now it’s your turn.

Whether you want to spend Christmas playing a game of Quidditch at Hogwarts with Harry Potter or whether you want to rub shoulders with the locals in the lost country/city of El Dorado, we want to know. Narnia, anyone?

Be sure to drop by our Facebook page and leave us a comment to let us know where you most want to go. Happy travels!

Author

  • Dane Cobain

    Dane Cobain is an indie author, book blogger and BookTuber, as well as a freelance writer, editor and proofreader. When he’s not working on his clients or creating content, he can usually be found with a book in his hand or with his flashcard app open to improve his written and spoken French. His books are available at danecobain.com/amazon.

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Alberte Weber

Just look at this place. The lush greenery, the surrounding sea, the fact that Wonder Woman lives here, along with other amazing women, all of it is simply amazing. Yes, we are concluding this list of fictional places with this one, and we are letting the world know that we would love to visit Themyscira. From a tiny Texas town of 300, I made my way to the University of Texas at Austin to study journalism, which spurred me on to write for publications like New York’s Resident Magazine, Austin Home and Us Weekly and to cover events such as South by Southwest, Austin Film Festival and New York Fashion Week. Now, I have my own side gig, where I’m able to create social media posts, press releases, news pitches and more. When I’m not writing, I’m probably playing with my cat, vacationing with my family or watching Netflix with my husband.

Bob

Hill valley from back to the future and maybe drive a deloreon around up to 88mph

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