A big joy for movie fans is getting to go to the real world locations where some of their favorite movies filmed. For example, the Redwood Forest isn't just a hotspot for hikers but also for Star Wars fans visiting the set of Endor and trying not to race around like they're on a speeder bike. Another popular location is the Mountain Lake Lodge in Pembroke, Virginia, which served as the location of the 1987 film Dirty Dancing. The lodge doubled as the fictional Kellerman Resort, where Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze) met and danced their hearts out. Well, now you too can dirty dance there, because the Mountain Lake Lodge is having a special "Dirty Dancing Weekend".
According to ABC News, the Mountain Lake Lodge, an actual resort open to the public, holds three "Dirty Dancing Weekends" a year. Guests who come to stay at the resort can take part in activities based on the film and visit iconic locations. Some of the activities include dance lessons, trivia, and a scavenger hunt. You can also visit the lake where Johnny and Baby practiced their famous lift maneuver. Packages start at $330 per person for the weekend (it's a pretty swanky place).
They don't say this in the brochure, but I'm sure falling in love with your dance instructor is frowned upon. Those men are there to do a job, not mess around. The weekend event is apparently a very popular destination for a ladies getaway, but people can also bring their husbands and boyfriends so that everyone can have the time of their life. Again this isn't the brochure, but I imagine people who want a truly authentic Dirty Dancing experience will bring their fathers so they can sit off to the side and silently judge the poor life choices of their children.
The Mountain Lake area actually has a pretty long history of being used as a vacation spot. In the early 1800s the property was used as a stopping off point for stagecoach travelers. By the middle of the century, many families came to the area on a yearly basis during summers, building cabins that are often still in use to this day. The full resort was in use by 1937.
This seems like a pretty fun time for any fan of the movie. The chance to stay in the actual place where Baby and Johnny fell in love, while practicing forbidden dance moves and hanging out with people who would have surely been deemed beneath Baby by her parents, is just one that's too good to pass up. There is no doubt in my mind that every time a "Dirty Dancing Weekend" comes around, someone finds an excuse to yell "Nobody puts Baby in a corner!"
Anyone looking to get down and dirty this summer should definitely consider heading down to the Mountain Lake Lodge. It should be a memorable experience for any big time fans, and any boyfriends or husbands who go along will get some real brownie points with their ladies for tagging along.
