

Nearby Camp Chimney Rock was also used, “including its original cabins, dining hall and gymnasium.


The lake scenes where they practice the lift were filmed at Lake Lure Inn & Spa, near Ashville, NC. Since Grossinger’s no longer exists, the producers found Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Va, about 60 miles west of Roanoke, to stand in for Grossinger’s. Open from 1919 to 1986, it was a kosher establishment open only during the summer that catered primarily to Jewish clients from New York City. Grossinger’s Catskill Resort and Hotel near Liberty, NY in the Catskill Mountains, was the largest Borscht Belt resort of the era. Eleanor Bergstein, who wrote the movie and was one of its producers, told me that the reasons were partly monetary: “Dirty Dancing” was made on a shoestring and New York State’s work rules would have made it expensive to film there.” Is it possible to visit the filming locations? Source: Peerspace If you are interested in the question of where was “Dirty Dancing” filmed, you should read on for insight into the decisions made by producers about filming locations.Īccording to this 2017 New York Times article celebrating 30 years since “Dirty Dancing” was filmed, “The fictional resort of the film, Kellerman’s, is inspired by Grossinger’s, the long-gone Catskill destination, but the movie was actually shot at two locations hundreds of miles south, at Mountain Lake Lodge in southwest Virginia and Lake Lure in western North Carolina. Film producers can’t always film in the locations where the story is set, so they must find filming locations that approximate the original intent of the story. Not everything appears as it seems Source: PeerspaceĪs we know, there is a lot of “smoke and mirrors” involved in filmmaking - not everything appears as it actually is. According to Wikipedia, “Dirty Dancing” was “based in large part on screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein’s own childhood: she is the younger daughter of a Jewish doctor from New York and had spent summers with her family at the legendary Grossinger’s Resort in the Catskill mountains of New York state where she participated in “Dirty Dancing” competitions.” A fun detail is that Bergstein also nicknamed her main character “Baby” as she was also nicknamed “Baby” as a girl. Most writers take seriously the adage to “write what you know” to make the story more compelling. Better still, guests will have the opportunity to show off their new Dirty Dancing-inspired dance routines at a Saturday night dance party at Mary's Barn.The secret to success? Write what you know Source: Peerspace Serious fans could also book a night in the Virginia Cottage, where Baby and her family stayed.

Not only will guests have the chance to stay in the real-life Kellerman's Mountain House, but they will also enjoy group dance lessons, a themed scavenger hunt, a movie screening and a tour of the locations that featured in the film. It has been a popular holiday destination for the best part of 90 years, and now Mountain Lake Lodge is paying homage to the film that made it famous with a special Dirty Dancing package, starting this weekend. Mountain Lake Lodge has a special Dirty Dancing package on offer The resort was built in the 1930s and features a large stone lodge, numerous log cabins and cottages, plus lakeside views, many of which are recognisable from the Oscar-winning film. While in the film Jennifer Grey's character Baby meets Johnny ( Patrick Swayze) at a camp in upstate New York's Catskill Mountains, in reality they stayed at the Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia, which is set at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
