Photo by Nick Breedlove
In May of 2016, a film crew descended upon the small mountain town of Sylva to create what would become an Oscar-winning blockbuster movie. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, follows the interaction between an angry mother (Frances McDormand) and the local police force that has yet to solve her daughter’s murder. Martin McDonagh, the director of the film, chose to shoot the movie in Sylva because of the town’s mountain vistas and community feel. “The scenic beauty here is unparalleled, and in the film, that softens the emotionally-heavy storyline,” says Nick Breedlove, director of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority (TDA).
Though production for the film wrapped in June of 2016, the TDA and other business owners are working to keep the Hollywood magic alive with behind-the-scenes tours and information for movie-loving visitors. “The fact that Ebbing is a fictional town leads a lot of people to ask where it is, then they find out it’s actually a town in North Carolina,” says Breedlove. “The fictional nature of the town has a lot more people talking about Sylva and wanting to visit.” Visitors have come from as far as Iceland and Australia to see where the movie was made.
Leap Frog Tours was also inspired to organize a specific tour for the movie locations in Sylva. “When we found out that the movie was filmed in Sylva and Black Mountain, we thought a behind-the-scenes tour might be fun and interesting,” says Ann Smith, co-owner of Leap Frog Tours. The staff went on a group field trip to see the movie and brainstorm the tour. “We loved the movie, and we talked about all of the different locations that we recognized, the symbolism and ideas we had for the tour,” Smith says. “It’s great exposure for both Sylva and Western North Carolina. It puts the town on the map.”
For more information about the movie, visit the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority’s “behind the scenes” blog at jax.onl/3B. For more information about Leap Frog Tours, visit leapfrogtours.com
