ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the disjuncture of virtual and actual tourism and how expectations can lead to different experiences. It argues that cinematic and televisual places are hyperreal simulations, where the virtual, actual, and experiential combine in new ways to create meaningful connections. Americans were introduced to Orange County in 2003 when a television show called The OC debuted on Fox. Given that The OC and Orange County share the same name, it is no wonder that devoted fans of these shows would seek to find The OC in Orange County. Such tourists would hardly be the first. From Ramona-seekers in Southern California at the turn of the century to Sex and the City bus tours of Manhattan one hundred years later, media depictions of place have captivated and lured many seeking to extend their mediated experience, to mobilise their virtual/actual place-making through an actual/virtual tour.
