If you’re a major Lord of the Rings fan, you’ve probably considered visiting New Zealand before. The reason is obvious: the films were shot in the rolling mountains of this beautiful country. However, what you may not know is that the set for Hobbiton was actually maintained, and you can visit it!
Where It Is
All of the scenes that took place in the Shire were filmed in a place called Waikato, New Zealand. The set took place on Alexander Farm, a sheep farm that extends a whopping 1,250 acres long. When Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson first saw it, he knew he had found the perfect place to film the Shire.
What To Do There
There are actually tons of cool things you can do there, in addition to walking around and being astounded by the various Hobbit holes. You can grab a pint in the Green Dragon Inn, and take a tour of the whole location.
The History Behind It
Speaking of tours, you’ll learn all about how the Hobbiton set was maintained. The set was initially destroyed after the filming wrapped up, but once the films became incredibly successful, Jackson knew that it needed to be renovated so that fans could visit this location. So when The Hobbit was filmed in 2009, the production company built another 44 Hobbit holes! From then on, the Shire was a real place we could all visit!