Lake Lure, North Carolina, is a familiar place to anyone who has seen "Dirty Dancing," and every August, the town pays homage to the classic film with the Dirty Dancing Festival, according to USA Today.
A large part of the popular film, including the famous lift scene, was filmed at Lake Lure. The town takes great pride in its connection to the film and celebrates with the yearly festival that includes dance lessons, music, games, parties, and a viewing of the film on an outdoor screen.
Lake Lure is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, approximately 40 minutes from Asheville. The town is located in a weather pattern known as the Isothermal Belt, which gives it warm weather, even as the area just to the north gets snow.
National Geographic has named Lake Lure as one of the most beautiful man-made lakes in the world. The lake was created in the 1920s, when Dr. Lucius Morse dammed the Rocky Broad River, creating the lake.
The nearby Lake Lure Inn provided accommodation for the films stars, Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze, during the filming of the movie. Guests can stay in the rooms they used, or choose rooms used by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Calvin Coolidge or Emily Post, who also spent time at the hotel.
Another option is the Esmeralda Inn, a hotel that has hosted Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Gloria Swanson. Though it burned down in 1996, it has been rebuilt using the floor that was used in the gymnasium scene in "Dirty Dancing."
That film isn't the areas only Hollywood connection. Nearby Chimney Rock State Park hosted Daniel Day-Lewis as the film "Last of the Mohicans" was filmed in the park. Nearby, there is DuPont Forest, the location where parts of "The Hunger Games" was filmed.
The wife of Dr. Morse named the lake. She named it after the attraction she felt for the area, an attraction that is shared by many, both real and fictional.
Behind the scenes of filming the lift scene in 'Dirty Dancing.'
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
