Will you volunteer as tribute to go to North Carolina and explore some famous filming locations of The Hunger Games movies? Too bad, you're going whether you want to or not...your lot was just drawn by Effie Trinket herself. Pack up and head north, our train departs now for our final destination.

Abandoned Henry River Mill Village, used as District 12. Image by Brian Leon (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/).

Fortunately, the official NC tourism website has prepared our itenerary for the entire journey. We will be touring and hiking at various locales around Charlotte, Ashville, and Hildebran. We will dine at the favorite restaurants of Katniss, Peeta, and the crew. If you'd like to hang out for multiple days, as is recommended, you may also rest in Ashville at Hotel Indigo, as did the main cast!

For now, let us begin by touring the Henry River Mill Village proceeded by a stop at the Hildebran Heritage Museum.

Before we begin the truly physical part of the journey, let's dine where the actors dined! If you'd like Japanese cuisine, including sushi rolls, stop at Wasabi. For vegetarian and vegan travelers, or those who'd otherwise like to incorporate more vegetables into their diet, lunch at Laughing Seed Cafe.

Outside Laughing Seed Cafe in Ashville, NC. Image provided by Flickr (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/).

After filling up, we once again set out for a day of hiking and playing in the great outdoors. Many different locations were used in the various state parks that make up NC's share of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Most notably, the Craggy Pinnacle Trail, Douglas Falls, and the DuPont State Recreational Forest (including the Triple Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and High Falls). Take your pick and explore as many of these places as you desire. In the meantime, we will take a virtual ziplining adventure via Navitat Canopy Tours. This was the favorite activity of Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), who went a reported half dozen times!

Malaprop's Bookstore and Cafe

Outside Malaprop's bookstore, in front of a metal sculpture. Image provided by CondeNest Traveler (https://www.cntraveler.com/shops/malaprops-bookstorecafe/malaprops-bookstorecafe)

Whenever possible, shop local, shop indie! Check out Malaprop's, an indie bookstore that "championed The Hunger Games trilogy well before the cast came by." In business since 1982, the store and its staff are active, featuring numerous book clubs, kids' story times, and visits from authors (such as Ann Patchett) and other famous individuals with connections to the written word. They are also engaged in the community, working with non-profits, schools, and other local events and festivals. So, grab a book, grab a bite, and hopefully pick up the next big adventure coming to the big screen. If you can't make it to the physical store, check out their website (linked above) to make online orders or attend live-streamed events!

BONUS CONTENT!!!

Should you find yourself in Las Vegas, you MUST check out The Hunger Games: The Exhibit. Originally a traveling exhibit, it has found a permanent home on the Strip. This spectacle features many of the costumes, props, set reproductions from the movies, galleries, and interactive displays - including an archery challenge inside the Training Lab. The prices are quite reasonable, especially for Vegas. It's also family friendly. Check out the video below for a preview of what to expect:

Food is the most precious resource in all of Panem. The Capitol's vice-like grip on the people of all districts is through keeping their citizens on the brink of starvation, then making child emissaries from each district fight to the death for basic foodstuffs to keep their friends and families alive. Apropos, food is not a source of entertainment for our main cast. It is a means to an end. However, in the first novel, Katniss enjoys a lamb stew on the way to the Capitol, then has it again after winning the games, and such a delicacy gives her true pleasure. Share in that pleasure with the recipe below.

Lamb Stew with Plums

A bowl of lamb stew with dried plums. Image by Casey Barber (https://www.goodfoodstories.com/hunger-games-lamb-stew/)

Description - This savory dish has a rich broth with a perfect balance of salt and fat. The clove pairs with the tender lamb which sweetens the meat while providing an appealing aroma. The combination of onions and dried plums provide a variety of textures and contrasting flavors of bitterness and sweet. Serve over rice or with a side of bread!

If you might only live one more day, don't skip dessert, especially if it's apple tarts!

Apple and Goat Cheese Tarts

Apple and goat cheese tarts on a plate and a cooling rack. Image provided by Feast of Starlight (http://www.feastofstarlight.com/hunger-games-goat-cheese-apple-tarts/)

Description - These delicious pastries are courtesy of the Mellark family bakery. The thick crust, both lightly salty and sweet, hold in fresh tart apples courtesy of a sticky apricot glaze. Fresh goat cheese, lemon juice, and honey help round out the flavor, hitting all the notes of bitter, sweet, savory, and sour to provide a filling, satisfying treat.

When we finish a wonderful book series or watch the final episode of a gripping show that's been with us for a long time, there is often a sense of emptiness, of loss. Now, as the credits begin to roll on our Epic Fantasy Vacation, I hope you're filled instead with an unquenchable thirst to start your next long fantasy series, podcast, or show because the magic doesn't end here. Remember the wise words of Jo Rowling: 

J K Rowling holding a Harry Potter book with a quote. Image provided by AZQuotes (https://www.azquotes.com/picture-quotes/quote-it-is-important-to-remember-that-we-all-have-magic-inside-us-j-k-rowling-53-73-70.jpg)

As long as we keep engaging the thoughts and ideas we encounter through fantasy, we create our own magic. JRR Tolkien expressed the importance of Fantasy literature in our everyday lives in his essay, "On Fairy Tales." So, it is when we lose interest in imagining and depart from storytelling that we should be worried. But I have no doubt the next great adventure is just around the corner, or perhaps in an unexpecting cupboard filled with fur coats stuffed with mothballs. We need not look long or hard for it, because that next great adventure will surely find us.

Fare thee well!