I wish I could say that I thought up this idea on my own, but, alas, I stole it from my cousin Caleb . . . who in turn borrowed it from a friend. So here is my list of fictional places I’d like to visit.

10. The U.S.S. Enterprise 1701-D. From the clean lines and 1980s-influenced wood-grain of the bridge to the miles and miles of corridors to the state of the art look of main engineering, I fell in love with this starship when I was sixteen years old. Whether it was the ability to travel between solar systems in mere days or hours or the myriad of species the crew hosted aboard—or merely the presence of Lt. Worf on board—I would love to spend some time traversing the galaxy aboard this Galaxy-Class Starship.

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9. Green Gables. A while back, I posted this article about L.M. Montgomery and the beloved red-headed troublemaker she created, Anne Shirley. Green Gables is that perfect, idyllic place for a young orphan to have lived, a wonderful, supportive, and loving home—and Avonlea the perfect setting to give a young woman “scope for the imagination”—and a wonderfully romantic setting for the blooming of true love.

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8. Narnia. Even though I didn’t get into the story until the recent film versions released, they were enough to stir a love in me for the fantastical setting, as brought to life by the Walden Media productions. So far in the series, the location scouts have done a wonderful job of finding beautiful places to film in New Zealand, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Ireland, Argentina, and more, not to mention the sets they created.

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7. Minas Tirith. Maybe it’s not fair to treat places in Middle Earth separately, but it’s like saying, “I want to visit Europe” to just list Middle Earth. If you’ve ever listened to the cast commentary on the extended edition of Return of the King, you’ll know I’m quoting Billy Boyd when I say I love Minas Tirith. Tolkien envisioned a city built in in layers—circling back and forth up the side of a mountain, with a piece of the mountain jutting forth in the middle like a ship’s prow. At the top is the Citadel and Merethrond, the Hall of Feasts, and above even that is the Tower of Echthelion. In addition to its grandeur, the city features quiet streets and beautiful courtyards with spectacular views of the Pelennor Fields.

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6. Hogwarts. Actually, it’s more than just the school itself that I’d love to visit, though I would want to start there and see the Great Hall all decorated for Christmas, the Quidditch Pitch, Hagrid’s hut, the Forbidden Forest, the whomping willow, and the Gryffindor commonroom. Then, there’s Hogsmeade, the Ministry of Magic, Diagon Alley, Platform 9-3/4, and the Hogwarts Express. And that would just be a start!

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5. Sky Mountain Resort. I’m sure you’re scratching your head over this one. This is the resort featured in one of my new favorite Christmas movies, Christmas in the Clouds. Like the Inn of the Mountain Gods in New Mexico, the fictional Sky Mountain Resort is the setting for this romantic holiday comedy. I’m trying to figure out where it was actually filmed—because it’s definitely somewhere I’d want to go stay. With a beautiful lobby, great for sitting down to read a romance novel, magnificent views from the business office and the rooms, stunning sunrises, and romantic overlooks, this is one place I’d like to stay for quite some time.

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4. Cranford. I wrote at length last year about the miniseries that ran on PBS. I’ve watched it again recently and was once again struck by the quaint and yet somehow modern attitudes Elizabeth Gaskell wrote into the women characters that largely inhabit this fictional town. After all, who wouldn’t want to visit a place where, when a cow falls into a lime pit and loses all its hair, they make flannel pajamas for it?

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3. Edoras. Maybe it’s because I loved horses growing up. Or maybe it’s because my favorite character in the Lord of the Rings is Éomer. Or maybe it’s the extraordinary location that Peter Jackson and his crew found for it in the movies. But Edoras is my favorite place in all of Middle Earth. Tolkien described it as sitting atop a hill that sat in the middle of a plain ringed by snow-capped mountains. If anyone doubted that New Zealand was the right place to film the movies, all they have to do is see how the location where they built Edoras matches the description from the book. And look, they even have a bedchamber ready for me!

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2. Pemberley. Okay. Did you really expect I wouldn’t have some kind of reference to a Jane Austen novel in this list? Of course, I’d want to go and find a Mr. Darcy all of my own there! And that’s way too personal of a fantasy for me to say any more about it.

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1. Bonneterre, Louisiana. I’ve spent so much time developing this fictional city that it seems like I’ve been there. Though I wouldn’t want to go during the summer (I’m not a big fan of summertime in Louisiana—Tennessee is too hot for me as it is!), Bonneterre is a place where I’d love to have a winter home. I’ve mentioned many times on this blog about how I collect images of actors and actresses to use as visual templates for my characters. I’ve done this with Bonneterre as well. For example, here are three images of Schuyler park—the city park where Anne’s family celebrates the Fourth of July in Stand-in Groom (Image 1, Image 2, Image 3); the side of Town Square where Anne’s office is; looking down the alley beside The Wharf restaurant toward Riverwalk; a portion of Riverwalk; downtown Bonneterre from across the river; and Oak Alley Drive.

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Now it’s your turn. What are some fictional settings you’d love to visit?