![]() ![]() After a weeklong lockdown, regular work operations resumed, and the Capitol bombed the factory where plans for the uprising began. The plan was enacted the night of Katniss and Peeta's televised proposal in the Capitol, but despite its initial success, the movement was put down within forty-eight hours. It shows that the same divide Collins puts forth in The Hunger Games is also very much alive in the real world.District 8 was the first known district to carry out a full-scale uprising against the Capitol since the First Rebellion. Driving through some of the less-traveled parts of Atlanta and then into the core of its wealth really struck a chord with me. Collins took the name “Panem” for her world from the Latin panem et circenses, or “bread and circuses,” distracting the public by offering entertainment instead of services. Hunger Games fans will enjoy seeing the familiar sights and behind-the-scenes insight that Atlanta Movie Tours’ Girl on Fire tour offers, but the eagle-eyed patron will come away with a deeper appreciation for the symbolism in Suzanne Collins’ works. She had been flipping through TV channels and found seemingly nothing but coverage of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and reality television programs. What really stuck with me though was how Suzanne Collins came up with the idea for her books. ![]() Visitors to the Girl on Fire tour will have the opportunity to snap a photo at President Snow’s desk in the Swan House. Along the way, we were treated to more behind-the-scenes stories and other entertainment that really make the Atlanta Movie Tours worthwhile. After mulling about the historic home for 20 minutes, we returned to our bus and began the trek through Midtown and back to Castleberry Hill. Various props, set pieces, script pages, and call sheets have been preserved, as well as President Snow’s desk, which doubles as a wonderful photo op for fans. Aside from viewing the memorabilia preserved by the Atlanta History Center, we were invited into parts of the house reserved for citizens of Panem. The Swan House-which is part of the Atlanta History Center-is featured in an AHC Hunger Games package, but most of its features are covered with Atlanta Movie Tours’ Girl on Fire offerings. It’s easy to see why Panem was ripe for rebellion when you can see, just maybe, what it would have been like for Katniss and Peeta to arrive in the Capitol for the very first time. At this point, considering the first sites of our tour and what we had seen along the way, driving through Buckhead may very well have been an entirely different world. The bus traversed Northside Drive and into Buckhead’s stately environs to the Swan House, which was used as President Snow’s mansion. This is the archway that Katniss was escorted through along the way to her second reaping in Catching Fire. We stopped to see where Gale was whipped, where the Hob was burned down, and to admire the coal on the ground, some of which was left after filming. Among the chickens, goats, and creative-types, we found ourselves retracing the very steps Katniss took during her second reaping. (Who knew? J-Law got into a car wreck because she thought she saw Honey Boo Boo.) Our next destination would be The Goat Farm, known to many for its artists and galleries, but to us as District 12. Our guide kept us entertained between stops with stories of filming, Suzanne Collins’ inspiration for the series, and of Jennifer Lawrence being Jennifer Lawrence. We returned to the bus and continued traveling up Peachtree. ![]() One of President Snow’s (Donald Sutherland) prop white roses from filming. From behind a sleepy warehouse, we saw “The odds are never in our favor” written exactly as it was during Catching Fire. We continued southward, learning about the state of the movie industry in Georgia (spoiler alert, it’s still going strong), passing by the old Atlanta farmers’ market that stood in for District 11 during Catching Fire, and arriving at curious bit of ATL filming history-turned-street art hidden near Adair Park. The area had been used as a large basecamp, and our guide also quickly pointed out the abandoned Norfolk Southern building, which had a brief moment of fame when it was adorned with a large blue screen for M ockingjay Part I’s rappelling scenes. Our group departed from Atlanta Movie Tours’ Castleberry Hill office and immediately out the door, we were given our first bit of Hunger Games history courtesy of the nearby Gulch. We previewed the adventure recently and learned a little about Atlanta along the way. Atlanta Movie Tours is preparing to launch its newest offering, the Girl on Fire tour based on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay Part I, on February 8. Cold, gray, and rainy-you couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day to step into the dystopian world of The Hunger Games. ![]()
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