‘Walking Dead’ in Georgia: Film tourism comes to life

At least in Georgia.

Fans of the wildly popular AMC series “The Walking Dead” are making their way to Atlanta and surrounding small-town Georgia to sniff out traces of Rick Grimes’ crew of survivors and the voracious zombies on their trail.

On one recent Sunday, two “Big Zombie” bus tours drew mostly out-of-state visitors with fans from Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Washington and places across the Southeast, plus a fan from Brazil on a monthlong American odyssey.

Many planned their trips especially to see “The Walking Dead” locations up close.

Mary Kolodziej and her husband, Eric, flew into Atlanta from Indianapolis for a zombie-centered getaway.

The couple have been fans of the show, now in its fifth season, since Day One and have attended Comic Con in Chicago more than once to meet the cast.

“Everybody’s always like, ‘What if, what if something happens? I don’t know what I would do.’ Well, the show kind of shows you what people would do,” said Kolodziej, 48, while waiting to start her second zombie tour of the weekend. “Everybody can relate to somebody on this show.”

Still, lucky fans might see more than “Walking Dead” sets.

Before the recent tour, some fans spotted Maggie (Lauren Cohan) at the new coffee shop in the Woodbury Shoppe. Filming is scheduled to go on right outside Senoia’s town center until mid-November.

And back in Atlanta, there’s at least one classic institution that boasts more than its fair share of celebrity sightings. Jennifer Lawrence, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Bill Murray, Jack Black and Jon Hamm have all been spotted at the gritty yet beloved Clermont Lounge.

“The Walking Dead” character Glenn, played by Steven Yeun, recommended the Clermont to Conan O’Brien during a 2013 appearance on his show, describing it as a “really fun, divey place” with “an open stripping area” with “mostly older, beautiful ladies.”

While you’re in town, live a little.

MORE: 6 reasons to love Atlanta

CNN