Without a question, The Hunger Games series has grown to be one of the most popular and lucrative among young adults, a wildly successful book and film from author Suzanne Collins and production company Lionsgate.
The Hunger Games series earned 2.3 billion dollars total worldwide in the box office upon release, a number comparable to Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Fast and Furious.
The first three films grossed over $2.3 billion worldwide, launched careers and started trends. (By Lisa Respers France, CNN)
With highly impressive statistics economy-wise and highly impressive popularity within the worldwide culture in general, it is no surprise that certain areas in the world are turning this series into physical entertainment meccas.
There are a few different options out and about right now as far as Hunger Games related travel goes, from on-location tours and multi-day road trips to future multi-billion dollar theme parks. Within the United States, Georgia and the Carolinas to be more specific, you will find the actual filming locations from District 12, the Capitol, and the Quarter Quell arena.
If your student group is interested in an entertainment-packed trip to 'District 12' then these are the perfect opportunities for you, and hey, both you and your students can take heart in the fact that this is, of course, also a very literature related tour (education first, right?).
Hunger Games Unofficial Fan Tours
Leigh Trapp and Tammy Hopkins have put together what many fans, as well as many publications such as the NY Times and USA Today, consider to be the ultimate Hunger Games based tour. Both of these experienced and enthusiastic guides will take you to various film locations such as Mill Village, the spot used to film a few District 12 scenes, and DuPont State Recreational Forest, the site of several nature scenes throughout the series.
Groups can choose between a 3 or 5-hour tour on Saturdays and Sundays, the tickets extremely affordable and well worth both the time and money while here. There will be several hands-on activities throughout each tour, such as archery lessons, makeup camouflage tutorials, archery tag, and of course, several epic photo opportunities. You will also have an excellent bonus of enjoying a true Hunger Games lunch, eating things that Katniss and Peeta would have survived on during the games.
- Visit North Carolina - 4-Day Behind the Scenes Itinerary
The North Carolina board of tourism has a really great suggestion if you are looking to spend 4 to 5 days touring the area, the itinerary utilizing most of the same spots from the Unofficial Fan Tours. Check out the itinerary.The road to Panem starts in North Carolina, where the first movie based on the bestselling book trilogy was filmed.
Explore Georgia - Hunger Games Film Tour
This is a really fun option for longer trips, the Explore Georgia tourism board providing a list of various spots near Atlanta your group can visit to get a really excellent Hunger Games experience (well, excellent Hunger Games travel experience, a true Hunger Games experience wouldn't be so pleasant). "Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay" parts 1 and 2 were all filmed in Georgia, the backdrops of the scenes during the Victor's Tour and Capitol recognizable throughout Atlanta.
Here is what you can look forward to seeing during this self-paced tour:
- Atlanta Marriott Marquis - Futuristic tribute headquarters in Mockingjay
- Sweetwater Creek State Park - Spot of a particularly tender Katniss and Gale moment.
- Swan House Atlanta History Center - President Snow's mansion.
- International/ Clayton County Park - The shoreline within the park is used for the beach scenes that take place in the Quarter Quell arena.
- Chestatee Wildlife Preserve - Scenes of elk hunting in District 13.
- Charles Hill Lake - Backdrop for several train ride scenes, the landscape blurring by in the background.
Atlanta Movie Tours - Victory Tour
Atlanta Movie Tours offers several different tour options covering various highly popular filming locations in the area, from The Walking Dead to Spiderman. The company is well-known for putting together entertaining and informative tours in the area, an always-fun option for entertainment lovers of any sort.
The Victory Tour, however, is one solely dedicated to The Hunger Games series, visiting locations such as the Swan House within the Atlanta History Tour (President Snow's Mansion) and various spots used as District backdrops. This behind the scenes experience lasts a total of 3 hours.
Avatron Smart Park- 2019 - Atlanta
This won't be an option until 2019, and honestly, the overall production possibility has lately been in question, possibly pushing back the opening date even further. Avatron Smart Park is a $625 million project that is set to be located just 1 hour north of Atlanta. The proposed plan is for various rides and activities with a Hunger Games twist, allowing guests to feel as if they are in Panem themselves (because who doesn't want to be thrown into their very own Hunger Games arena?). The park is also purported to feature Step Up, Divergent, You See Me, and Twilight feature areas.
However, remember that the overall reality of this park getting the funding it needs and opening in 2019 is ultimately unknown.
Macau China -
With plans to open in late 2018, Macau, China, is also planning on getting an Avatron Smark Park installment.
In one deal, Lionsgate is backing Chinese developer Lia Fung and parent eSun as they build a 22,000 square-meter entertainment center in Hengqin, China, a town near Macau. The Lai Sun theme park will feature interactive fan experiences and attractions from six Lionsgate movie properties, including the Hunger Games, Divergent and Now You See Me franchises. (Etan Vlessing HollywoodReporter)
Lionsgate Movie World - 2019 - South Korea
Also set to open in 2019 is a theme park by the name of Lionsgate Movie World, a proposed 1.3 million square foot addition to Jeju Island's Jeju Shinhwa World in South Korea. Backed by the Lionsgate industry, this proposed park will feature 7 different 'zones' based on different hit films, the known zones as of now being The Hunger Games, Twilight Robin Hood, and Now You See Me. There will be scenes straight from the streets of the films, rides transporting you into the action, and restaurants allowing you to eat as your favorite characters do.
