For any movie buff, a holiday in the USA is a great chance to visit the locations of some of the greatest films of all time, and with a wealth of great American tours on offer from American Sky, there has never been a better time to take in all of the great filming spots throughout the United States.

To help plan the perfect film enthusiast’s holiday, we have compiled a run down of some of the must-see movie locations:

Monument Valley
Monument Valley, on the border between Utah and Arizona, is an icon of the American south west, with its instantly recognisable red-rock formations made famous from dozens of classic western movies.

Legendary director John Ford set scenes of many of his most famous films, like Stagecoach and The Searchers, in the valley. Cast and crew used to stay at Goulding’s Lodge, and this atmospheric property remains the only hotel you can stay at within Monument Valley itself. It forms one of the stop offs on American Sky’s Canyon Country Adventure tour.

Las Vegas
Glittering Las Vegas is the set of many a Hollywood blockbuster, like Ocean’s 11, Viva Las Vegas and the classic James Bond movie Diamonds are Forever, to name but a few.

Wander down the world famous Las Vegas Strip and take in the electrifying atmosphere of the ‘entertainment capital of the world’. You could stay at the world class Bellagio hotel, the setting for the recent blockbuster film Ocean’s 13, featuring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, and walk the very streets that were used to film such movies as Casino, Honeymoon in Vegas and the recently-released 21.

Los Angeles
Los Angeles is the motion picture capital of the world and an essential stop on any film lover’s itinerary. City tours take you round the palm tree-lined Hollywood streets and past celebrity mansions.

You can also step inside several of the top film studios for an insight into the movie-making process and a real taste of Hollywood.

The most famous and best of these studios is undoubtedly Universal Studios, while other spots not to miss are the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Beverly Hills, where you might even spot a star shopping in one of the super-extravagant boutiques on Rodeo Drive.

Of course the city itself has also graced many classic films and you can stroll the streets seen in films like LA Confidential, Falling Down, The Graduate and Chinatown.

Florida
Florida has plenty of movie credibility, and if you’re in Orlando, then a visit to its Universal Studios site is a must.
But that’s not all the state has to offer film buffs. Jacksonville, one of the state’s largest cities, was a major movie-making destination, especially in the winter months, before Hollywood took over in the 1920s.

Down the coast from Jacksonville in Miami you can soak up the atmosphere of this very Latin city, glamorously portrayed in films like Miami Vice, Bad Boys, True Lies and Scarface.

Three Bond films have also featured scenes in Miami - Goldfinger, Thunderball and Casino Royale.

New York
Visitors to New York often say that the city is like one big movie set, it has been portrayed so often on the silver screen. From Fifth Avenue to the Empire State Building, and Central Park to the streets of Manhattan, so many of the city’s sights will be familiar to film fans.

Times Square, the ‘Crossroads of the World’, is an iconic world landmark and the site of the annual New Years Eve ball drop, and also the setting for scenes in films like Spiderman and Vanilla Sky plus many more.

Ascend the heights of the Empire State Building, the location where King Kong clutched Fay Wray in the 1933 classic, and the recent remake by Peter Jackson. Stroll through Central Park, the location where Bruce Willis tore through in the Blockbuster hit Die Hard with a Vengeance.

In fact the whole city is a film set and wandering its action-packed streets you are sure to get a sense of déjà vu, as so many of its buildings and landmarks are familiar from the big screen.

Movie Lovers can also enjoy a trip through some of the best New York movie sites with Screen Tours.com.

Chicago
You may not immediately think of Chicago as a top movie destination, but think again – hundreds of films have been set in this dynamic metropolis, many of which trade in on the city’s notorious gangster past, like the hit musical Chicago, The Untouchables and Road to Perdition.

Washington DC
A trip to the capital city Washington DC will see you taking in some spectacular sights, like Capitol Hill, Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

Washington DC offers many locations for movie lovers. Walk the same streets as Forrest Gump and see the sights that feature in dozens of films, many of which are political thrillers like All the President’s Men, Arlington Road and The Pelican Brief.

American Sky offer many great tours which will take in many of the great filming locations of the US.

The Parks and Canyons Spectacular tour takes in many famous film spots along the way. Fans of North by Northwest can visit Mount Rushmore where the finale of the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller was shot. There is then the chance to see Monument Valley and then onto Las Vegas, the set of countless blockbuster movies.

Here are some more American Sky’s popular escorted tours in the USA which take in some truly spectacular cinematic locations along the way…

• The Great American Crossing Tour – New York City, Washington DC, Chicago, Mt Rushmore, Las Vegas, Los Angeles
• Western Panorama Tour – Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Yosemite, San Francisco
• Canyon Country Adventure – Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas

This is just a few of the tours available from American Sky, and should your requirements differ, you can always call American Sky to enquire about a tailor-made package to suit your specific needs, on 0870 9040 920.