NC Coast Sets The Stage for Nights In Rodanthe

The NC coast shines in “Nights In Rodanthe”; experience the ambiance of wild, unspoiled beauty and local charm along a two-day “Nights In Rodanthe” movie trail.

Raleigh, NC (Sept. 22, 2008) Take a lonely divorced mother from Rocky Mount, a spiritually damaged Raleigh doctor seeking redemption and put them alone in an Outer Banks inn during a powerful nor’easter. What have you got? A recipe for romance, and the basis for Nicolas Sparks’ “Nights In Rodanthe,” a best-selling novel and new movie starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere. The movie releases nationally on September 26.

While Lane and Gere take care of the acting in the film, the real star of the movie is North Carolina’s Outer Banks village of Rodanthe (pronounced roe-DANTH-e), where the novel was set and where much of the film was shot.

Rodanthe, an isolated wind-swept village perched on Hatteras Island, will captivate audiences with native wildlife, unspoiled beauty and local charm. “Rodanthe offers a compelling story itself,” says Lynn Minges, Executive Director of the North Carolina Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. “The cottage-dotted streets, the village’s historic preservation and unmatched seaside beauty provides the romantic backdrop in the film and offers a preview of the story Rodanthe visitors experience.”

Want to tour North Carolina’s coast? Here’s a two-day itinerary of "Nights In Rodanthe" location sites you can visit:

Day One
Start your movie trail in the town of Manteo, where scenes at the boat slips were shot downtown. Both Richard Gere and Diane Lane were spotted here often during filming, as both stayed at the Tranquil House Inn on Manteo’s waterfront. Treat yourself like a movie star by dining at the Inn’s restaurant, 1587, or explore the town’s rich history and boutique shopping.

From Manteo, cross the U.S. Highway 64 Bridge and head south on N.C. Highway 12. You will immediately enter the Cape Hatteras National Seashore and be drawn in by the amazing wind-swept coastal scenery. You may want to consider stopping at the 156-foot tall Bodie Island Lighthouse on your way.

About fifteen miles further, just before you get to Rodanthe, you will encounter a set of twists in the road. In the movie, on the ocean side of Highway 12, a scene was filmed with Diane Lane and a herd of ‘wild’ Outer Banks horses. While there are indeed wild ponies on the Outer Banks, the ones in the movie were imported. However, this particular stretch of beach is very real and very popular, thanks to its dynamic shore and natural beauty. If you want to see real wild ponies, tours are offered in Currituck County or you can take a boat from Beaufort to see them on the Shackelford Banks.

Continue south for a few miles, and those familiar with the film will immediately recognize the first structure on the left as you enter Rodanthe. This is a former vacation rental called the Serendipity, which stood in for the “Inn at Rodanthe” where Lane and Gere’s characters meet. Alas, the same dramatic proximity to the ocean that made Serendipity a movie star is also threatening its existence. You can no longer rent the house for your beach vacation, but for now, you can snap a picture of the house and the waves behind it and you can rent very similar beach houses throughout Rodanthe and the Outer Banks that offer the same experience. (Go to www.VisitNC.com for Outer Banks rental options).

An interesting story about the filming here: although a big storm (a nor’easter in the book, a hurricane in the movie) plays a major role in "Nights In Rodanthe," the filmmakers were not happy when a real-life nor’easter (which eventually became Subtropical Storm Andrea) blew in while filming was about to get underway, and did minor damage to the Serendipity. The crew almost gave up and went somewhere else, but decided to wait it out. Ironically, the fierce rain you see pounding the Inn in the movie came not from Mother Nature but from a fire hose.

After capturing photos at the Serendipity, head a little further down the road to the Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station. No filming was actually shot here, but the woman who will likely greet you at the Station, Linda Molloy, played the small but pivotal role of Jill Torrelson in the film. Linda will be happy to tell you about her experiences during the making of the film, and she might even show you the picture of her with Richard Gere in hospital scrubs!

Continue south on Highway 12 for two more film stops in Rodanthe: JoBob’s General Store, where exteriors of residents buying storm supplies were filmed, and the Hatteras Island Fishing Pier, which was the scene of the ‘We Survived The Hurricane’ party villagers throw themselves after the storm passes. The scene was shot with about 400 extras and most of the principal cast. The wind speed on the night of filming was between 25-30 miles per hour, and filming lasted until four in the morning. It was a night that won’t soon be forgotten by the locals here.

Further down Highway 12, enjoy a dinner at The Captain’s Table or Diamond Shoals restaurants located in the heart of Buxton Village, and as you decide where to stay for the night, check around with locals to see if Katy Mitchell, Jules Garrish or the band Coyote are playing music nearby. All appear in the "Nights In Rodanthe" movie, and all regularly perform on Hatteras or Ocracoke Islands.

Day Two
Begin your second day of the movie trail by driving on board the free Hatteras-Ocracoke Ferry, which departs every half-hour from May through October. Scenes with Richard Gere were filmed on this route, as Gere’s character Paul Flanner arrives on the island after driving from Raleigh.

After the 45-minute ferry ride, enjoy your 16-mile drive on Ocracoke Island. A few scenes for the movie were also shot in Ocracoke Village, so enjoy sights such as the Ocracoke Lighthouse, the Banker Pony Pens and Teach’s Hole Blackbeard Exhibit and Pyrate Specialty Shop.

Then, it’s time to get on board the Cedar Island-Ocracoke Ferry (toll ferry) for a 2-hour and 40 minute ride across Pamlico Sound to Cedar Island. Enjoy the views of Portsmouth, the pristine beaches at the end of the island and the various wildlife on the Sound. After you exit the ferry at Cedar Island, enjoy your drive through Beaufort, Morehead City and Jacksonville on your way to Wilmington.

Once in Wilmington, visit the EUE/Screen Gems Studios, located at 1223 North 23rd Street. Several of Rodanthe’s interior scenes were shot here, including a ‘dingy bar’ and hospital scenes. The creek and the woods behind the studio became the jungles of South America in the movie.

If you’re here on the weekend, take a tour of the facility that has essentially become the headquarters of filmmaking in North Carolina. You’ll see the set of the television series "One Tree Hill", which is filmed here. Then discover how and why Wilmington became “Hollywood East” for movie producers and directors, including the ones that came all the way to the Outer Banks to make “Nights In Rodanthe”!

Where To Eat:
1587 (Manteo) – dinner
The Captain’s Table (Buxton) – lunch, dinner
Diamond Shoals (Buxton) – breakfast, lunch, dinner

For More Information:
www.VisitNC.com

Find the downloadable ferry schedule at:
www.visitnc.com/tools_brochure_download.asp

For more information about the North Carolina film business, visit www.ncfilm.com.

To view the Nights in Rodanthe movie trailer, visit http://nightsinrodanthe.warnerbros.com