Kevin Costner's Most Iconic Filming Locations Create an Epic Road Trip

One of the most beloved movie stars of his generation, Kevin Costner has had more than a few iconic roles. He's a talented actor and filmmaker, renowned for his many Western films as well as his many sports films. Costner is one of those actors who really can do it all — good guy, bad guy, drama, comedy. He's really that good. The Oscar winner is soon hanging up his hat as the Dutton family patriarch in Yellowstone, a role that has easily brought him back to the A-list after a decades-long career. Costner is in the process of filming his multi-film Western epic Horizon, part of which was filmed in Utah, which got us thinking about where exactly some of his best-known roles have filmed.

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He's filmed projects all over the world, from Romania to the United Kingdom, but many of his best roles were captured right here in the United States. In the ultimate road trip for the passionate Costner fan, we'll loop you from Chicago all the way around to Texas, letting you relive some of his best onscreen moments along the way.

Illinois - The Untouchables

This 1987 film is a fictionalized account of infamous gangster Al Capone being brought to justice during the days of Prohibition. In the year 1930, Capone (played by Robert De Niro) has a booming illegal liquor operation and nearly controls the entire city of Chicago. Bureau of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness (Costner) is assigned the task of bringing down Capone's operation, which proves to be one difficult task. Sean Connery earned a Best Supporting Oscar for playing veteran officer Jimmy Malone, who gives his life helping Ness. This is a seriously good crime drama, earning multiple Oscar nominations and a Grammy win for the incredible Ennio Morricone for his score. The streets of Chicago may not look exactly the way they did in the '30s, but some of the historical buildings will definitely make you feel as if you're seeing what Capone and Ness saw nearly a century ago.

Iowa - Field of Dreams

Costner has starred in his fair share of baseball movies, and Field of Dreams is one of the most beloved. Based on the novel Shoeless Joe, Costner plays a farmer who builds a baseball field in his cornfield that draws in the ghosts of baseball legends of the past. Ray Kinsella's home was primarily filmed on Don Lansing's farm outside of Dyersville. You can visit the farm and field today, which have since been turned into a tourist destination. You can tour the Lansing farmhouse and learn about its history prior to being chosen as the Kinsella family farm, and you can even rent it out if you want the full experience. Admission to the baseball field out back is totally free, and there's even a special Field of Dreams store on-site.

South Dakota - Dances With Wolves

South Dakota is one of the few states in the country where you really do get some amazing, sweeping landscapes that feel untouched by time. Widely believed to be one of the most epic Westerns of all time, Costner's directorial debut earned a whopping 12 Oscar nominations in 1991, taking home seven including Best Picture and Best Director. The majority of the movie was filmed on location in South Dakota on ranches outside of Pierre and Rapid City as well as Badlands National Park, the Black Hills, the Sage Creek Wilderness Area and the Belle Fourche River area. The memorable bison hunt scene was specifically filmed at the Triple U Buffalo Ranch outside Fort Pierre.

Montana - Yellowstone 

Though early Yellowstone seasons split filming between Montana and Utah, the epic Western drama is now fully filmed on-site in Montana. Costner stars as modern rancher John Dutton, working hard against all foes who want to claim his massive property as their own. It's one of the most popular shows on television right now. And if you make it up to Montana, you can actually feel as if you stepped into Dutton's shoes. The Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby serves as the location of the Dutton property; and if there's no filming going on, you can actually visit. Yellowstone also filmed scenes in southern Montana at the Crow Indian Reservation as well as in downtown Hamilton.

Washington - The Postman 

Costner's second feature as a director was this post-apocalyptic adventure released in 1997. Based on David Brin's 1985 novel, the film follows a disestablished America after unspecified apocalyptic events destroy technology and have a devastating effect on humanity. Costner plays the titular character, a drifter who unintentionally becomes a national hero after finding an old postal uniform that helps restore hope throughout the country. The movie was technically considered a box office bomb, but it's a notable neo-Western if you love Costner. Filming locations in Washington state included Fidalgo Island as well as Metaline Falls, which served as the location of the film's community of Pineview.

Oregon - Mr. Brooks

This psychological thriller is not your typical Costner movie, and that's why I enjoy it. Costner stars as Mr. Brooks, a Portland businessman who is secretly a serial killer known as the "Thumbprint Killer." He tries to curb his strange addiction but finds himself caught in an effort to save his daughter as well as clear his name when an attractive detective (played by Demi Moore) starts investigating his murders. It's a really interesting film that was actually filmed in Portland (along with various scenes in Louisiana).

Nevada - 3,000 Miles to Graceland

Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell as Elvis Presley impersonators. Need I say more? Well, technically, they are impersonating Elvis impersonators while they rob a Las Vegas casino holding an Elvis convention. It's a fairly ridiculous movie, but the notable cast really makes it worthwhile. While there were certainly many scenes filmed along the iconic Vegas Strip, there were also scenes filmed in the remote desert town of Nelson.

California - The Bodyguard

It's one of Costner's most well-known movies; and though it had mixed reviews, The Bodyguard turned into a pop culture phenomenon since it was released in 1992. Costner's star power combined with the one and only Whitney Houston made this one of the highest-grossing films of all time when it was released. It followed the story of a pop star who falls for her new bodyguard, a former Secret Service agent. The script was actually written nearly 20 years prior and was meant for Steve McQueen and Diana Ross. The soundtrack won a Grammy and was a major hit, most notably for Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." The movie was filmed in Los Angeles (an understandable home for a pop star) with some notable locations you can visit including The Mayan, Park Plaza Hotel, Fontainebleau Miami Beach, Pantages Theater, Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles and Los Angeles City Hall.

Arizona - Wyatt Earp

1994 was an interesting year for Westerns. Within six months, Tombstone and Wyatt Earp were both released, bringing to life the legendary Wild West lawman and the shootout at the O.K. Corral. We like them both for different reasons, with Costner as the main draw for Wyatt Earp. He's obviously a shoo-in for the famous gunslinger in this story, which chronicles his early years and family through the infamous events in Tombstone. Technically, this movie wasn't filmed in Arizona, but you can actually still visit the town of Tombstone as a blast from the Wild West past to explore where the real Earp brought outlaws to justice.

New Mexico - Silverado

Costner has starred in some notable Westerns throughout his career, and one of his earliest big breaks was this gem from 1985. Co-starring Danny Glover, Kevin Kline and Scott Glenn, the movie follows a ragtag group of friends who come together to help protect the frontier town of Silverado. The majority of Silverado was filmed at New Mexico's Cook Ranch, which provided perfect Wild West landscapes as well as the ideal place to build the set for the town of Silverado.

Texas - The Highwaymen

Costner and Woody Harrelson proved to be the ideal choices to bring to life the real former Texas Rangers who brought down infamous criminals Bonnie and Clyde. While other movies focused on the criminals themselves, The Highwaymen focused entirely on the behind-the-scenes operation and what it took for two men to bring down the most notorious criminals in the country. The scene where Bonnie and Clyde are driving along the highway crossing Red River between Texas and Oklahoma was actually on an old U.S. Route 380 bridge outside of Newcastle and crossing the Brazos River.

Louisiana - JFK

Costner has filmed a few movies in Louisiana, but one of the best has to be JFK. The assassination of JFK has been covered in numerous films over the years, but this movie covers the tragic event from the perspective of New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (Costner). Garrison filed charges against a local businessman, Clay Shaw (played by Tommy Lee Jones), for his involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate the president, which brought him to trial. It was the highest-grossing film of the year in 1991, landing eight Oscar nominations. There are numerous places throughout New Orleans, specifically in the historic French Quarter, featured in the film. The beauty of the French Quarter is that it really remains untouched, so you're seeing many of the same historical buildings that not only Coster saw filming in the '90s but also that the real Garrison saw back in the '60s.

READ MORE: Kevin Costner's 11 Best Movies, Ranked