Published April 2021
This past year in particular, movies have been an essential escape. We’ve streamed, streamed, and streamed some more to be transported to worlds of nomadic living, jazz riffs, and historic cultural shifts. So now, as the Academy prepares to dole out its famous gold statues, we thought we’d take that escapism to the next level and share six vacation rentals from coast to coast, inspired by the powerful stories and cinematography of this year’s nominees. Even though the awards are being handed out in person, and no virtual acceptances or sweatshirts (sorry, Jason Sudeikis) are allowed, you’re free to don your best loungewear, grab the popcorn, and root on your favorite films. They might just lead you to your next vacation.
While Fern’s journey takes her across the highways of the American West, where she finds a true sense of community on the road, this vintage RV park in Texas Hill Country gives guests a gateway to van life—with a few more amenities. You’ll have ample chances to build a rapport with fellow guests, between the retro resort’s communal fire pit, swimming pool, and gas grills for group cookouts. You might even meet a road trip buddy: the Linda May to your Fern.
In Pixar’s latest heart-warming hit, Joe chases his dream of becoming a jazz musician and searches for life’s purpose throughout the streets of New York City. But to truly seek a Soul-inspired adventure, you’ll need to head to the birthplace of jazz: New Orleans. This historic vacation home puts you just off Magazine Street, and a St. Charles Streetcar ride away from the syncopated rhythms and scat singing that The Big Easy made famous.
Taking viewers back to the black-and-white days of moving pictures, Mank tells the story of troubled screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as he races to finish Citizen Kane. The story jumps from flashbacks to the present day, but much of it takes place at a remote ranch in Victorville, California, where Mank’s recovering from an accident. Though he spent most of his time under the bed’s patchwork quilt, it’s not hard to see why a quiet retreat—like this one in Lake Arrowhead, just an hour away from where Mank wrote in real life—would be the ideal place to type out a masterpiece.
A Civil War veteran who travels from town to town reading the news brings an orphaned child across the Texas desert in this new take on a Western classic. As they make their way to San Antonio, the sprawling landscape provides a backdrop akin to the porch view from this 150-year-old log cabin in the National Historic District of Fredericksburg. Though this cabin is close to many of the area’s attractions, the rustic charm makes it just as easy to daydream about unplugging as it is to picture a stagecoach or tumbleweed passing by.
This visually stunning documentary follows the unique bond between a diver and an octopus in South Africa’s kelp forest—but until international travel is back on the table, you can find the giant Pacific octopus closer to home in Washington’s Puget Sound. Located on Whidbey Island, this charming beachfront vacation rental, with an octopus motif no less, will put you steps from the habitat of these graceful, intelligent creatures. Not scuba-certified and prefer to stay on land? No worries, the Seattle Aquarium is just a short ferry ride away.
Sound of Metal is about far more than music. The breakout film explores the sensation of sound through the lens of a heavy-metal drummer, Ruben, who loses his hearing. Many of the pivotal scenes take place at a rural New England farmhouse, where he wakes up early—coffee and donut in hand—to write page after page as a way to process his grief. Aside from looking like the Massachusetts home featured in the movie, this secluded vacation home could be a similarly serene place to find healing through the power of words.