9 Abandoned Movie Sets You Can Still Visit

Movie sets are designed to transport audiences into entirely different worlds, often with incredible attention to detail. While many are taken down once filming ends, others are left behind in remote or unexpected places. Over time, these abandoned sets have taken on a second life, becoming unusual destinations that offer a behind-the-scenes look at how films and television shows are made.

In this slideshow, we explore nine abandoned movie sets you can still visit today, from old Western towns in the desert to haunting village backdrops used in major productions. Some have been partially preserved, while others have been left to weather and decay, creating a mix of history and atmosphere. For travelers and film fans alike, these locations provide a rare opportunity to step into the remains of stories once brought to life on screen.

• Starting our list of the most incredible abandoned movie sets you can visit in the US is from the film, Pirates of the Caribbean. Bits and pieces of the Port Royale set remain in Wallilabou Anchorage, St. Vincent. If you want to see this set, you’re in luck as multiple tours take visitors to the movie set, which features abandoned movie props.

• Next is one of the most amazing abandoned movie sets that sit frozen in time, District 12 from the Hunger Games film. The first film in the Hunger Games series was released on March 23, 2012, and grossed over $690 million worldwide.
• So, where was District 12 filmed? The producers of the film shot this movie in Henry River Mill Village, a real ghost town abandoned since the 1970s in North Carolina. Guided tours of this unique abandoned movie set are offered year-round. Visitors can also stay in a restored mill house.

• In Matla, is another abandoned movie set you can visit, Popeye’s Sweethaven Village. This gorgeous and colorful village was built for the film and still stands in Mellieha.
• While abandoned by the film, this playful village operates as a small attraction fun park. Fun fact, it took a crew of 165 people to complete this set in four months. This charming village has something for everyone, including daily shows and incredibly themed play areas.

• This abandoned film set is a little different from the rest on our list, as it no longer stands. Session 9, a 2001 American psychological horror film, was released on August 10, 2001. Brad Anderson filmed this thrilling movie in the abandoned Danvers State Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts.
• This state hospital first opened its doors in 1878 and has gone by many names. Previously, this hospital was called the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers and the Danvers Lunatic Asylum.
• A few years after the film was completed, the property was sold to AvalonBay Communities. Most of the buildings were destroyed by June 2006. Now, what stands atop Danvers State Hospital are residential buildings.

• Technically, Trail Dust Town is another abandoned movie set, although it operates as a shopping center. This unique movie set in Tucson, Arizona is really the remains of an uncompleted film. Strolling along the streets is like going back in time.
• During the early 1950s, Trail Dust Town (before it got its name) was the site of a never-completed 1951 Glenn Ford film. Not much is known about this abandoned movie. A decade later, in 1960, W. Howard Hamm and a few other businessmen purchased the land and turned it into the western wonderland it is today.

• Arguably one of the most iconic sets in the world is the Shire from the film series, Lord of the Rings. This gorgeous set though isn’t just on screen, it still exists today and is very well-maintained.
• The Shire from this film was shot in the Waikato region of New Zealand near Matamata. It’s a popular tourist spot attracting thousands of visitors every year. Although no longer a filming set, the Shire features 44 permanently reconstructed Hobbit Holes. Guided walking tours through the enchanting Shire are available.

• Did you know that the iconic baseball field from the film, Field of Dreams, still stands today? The baseball field was built in 1988 on two farms in Dyersville, Iowa.
• After the movie was filmed, the baseball field was left behind. It didn’t take long for Field of Dreams fans though to find the baseball field and visit. Fun events take place on the field each year, like Ghost Saturdays.

• Somehow, bits and pieces of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, still remain, notably Sad Hill Cemetery. You can find this cemetery in Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos, Spain.
• Sad Hill Cemetery though isn’t a real cemetery. It was built for the last sequence of this 1966 film. After the filming, it was abandoned and for fifty years it remained this way. In 2015 though, a group of volunteers from all over the world restored the filming site. You can see how the volunteers found and restored this site in the documentary, Sad Hill Unearthed.

• Even if you’ve never seen the film, the Fugitive, you likely know of the intense bus scene. Interestingly, this bus scene was never taken down.
• In the film, there is a scene where a train and bus crash. The remains of the scene still sit in Dillsboro, North Carolina, and are quite a sight to see. You can see these remains on the Tuckasegee River Excursion.

• In the Tunisian desert, you can find various remains of Star Wars buildings used in filming. This abandoned film set was once a successful and thriving tourist attraction. A lot of abandoned movie props and buildings remain in varying levels of decay.
• For example, within Tunisia, visitors can still see parts of the fictional, Tatooine, which was based on the town of Tataouine.