Today we are going to explore the locations of one of Hollywood’s most popular movies. We are talking about Top Gun and its sequel Maverick. Find out how to plan an itinerary to retrace Tom Cruise’s steps.
Alert: Spoilers! If you are reading this article, it is very likely that you have already seen Top Gun but, if not, keep in mind that as if you continue reading the article you may encounter major spoilers!
Contents
The Success of the Movie
“On March 3, 1969, the United States Navy established an elite school for the top one percent of its pilots. Its purpose was to teach the lost art of aerial combat and to ensure that the handful of men and women who graduated were the best fighter pilots in the world. They succeeded. Today, the Navy calls it Fighter Weapons School. The flyers call it: TOP GUN.”
The 1986 film, directed by Tony Scott, was a worldwide success and launched the Hollywood career of the young, talented and handsome Tom Cruise. Many teenagers at the time while the Cold War was raging between the United States and the Soviet Union, looked up to the reckless U.S. Marine Air Force pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell.
Indeed, the film’s protagonist was the undisputed icon for a new generation who saw themselves wearing legendary Ray Ban Aviators just like him and dreamed of flying around in the legendary black and red Kawasaki GPZ900R ridden by Tom Cruise himself in some scenes of the movie.
For many, this film might represent an ode to machismo and Reaganian patriotism, however, Top Gun, thanks to the perfect recipe of linear scenery, intense direction, beloved soundtrack and epic dialogues, became a decisive turning point in Hollywood history.
Where Was Top Gun Filmed?
The spectacular aerial shots filmed near the Fellon military base in Nevada, although they play a very important role in the film, are certainly difficult to capture because of the altitude and lack of landmarks. Many other locations, fortunately, can be visited on the “mainland.” The most iconic locations are in the beautiful city of San Diego, and more generally in sunny Southern California. Even the sequel to the first 1986 film, “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022), was filmed mainly in San Diego, which is only about 120 miles south of Los Angeles.
Top Gun Filming Locations
The female protagonist, Charlotte “Charlie” Blackwood (Kelly McGillis), an astrophysicist and instructor in the aviator course program with whom the protagonist falls in love, lives in a cottage overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This mansion was located on the intersection of Seagaze Drive & N Pacific Street, a coastal city located in San Diego County.
A few years after filming, the late 19th-century house was eventually totally abandoned. The plot of land was then purchased by some investors to build new, modern apartment buildings. However, the fame of the house prompted some people to take care of it, restoring and decorating and restoring it to the way it looked in the movie.
The entire house was first moved to Parking Lot 26 in the Oceanside Pier & Beaches parking lot, and then, once the makeover was completed, it was permanently placed one block north of its original location. Today, homemade cakes are sold inside the house, and, in the garden, there is a replica of Maverick’s motorcycle. The current address is 250 N Pacific Street, or you can also just search “Top Gun House” on Google Maps.
Kansas City Barbeque, at 600 W Harbor Drive, is a San Diego restaurant still going strong and was used for two lengthy scenes in the movie. It is much different from how it appeared in the late 1980s, however, the interior has remained roughly the same, and the bar’s managers keep the memory of the movie alive.
In fact, photos of scenes filmed there hang in many places in the bar, and thus, even the most disinterested tourist cannot help but strike a pose like the actors and take a picture. The owners have also kept in excellent condition the upright piano played by Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), the hapless co-pilot and brotherly friend of the protagonist. The piano is not in the place where it appears in the movie. Instead, it has been moved to the opposite side of the venue.
At the moment, no totally accurate information can be found about the exact place where Maverick speeds off on his Kawasaki with Charlie after the fun evening they had together; however, the road the protagonist appears to be on appears to be North Harbor Drive, the curving waterfront that skirts San Diego’s sprawling harbor.
The colonnade that is supposed to be the exterior of the Navy offices in the movie is located at 2820 Roosevelt Road, also in San Diego. The complex (NTC Foundation) has nothing to do with the military. In fact, here you can find Solare Ristorante, an Italian restaurant and bar, and some art galleries. During the movie sequence, Maverick, offended by a reprimand, walks briskly all the way under the arcades followed by Charlie. As soon as he is on the street, he starts his motorcycle and speeds away.
Aboard her Porche Carrera, however, Charlie manages to catch up and stop Maverick at 519 West Laurel Street. Here the two clear the air under the fronds of a palm tree and share their first kiss. Unfortunately, we regret to inform you that the tree was cut down a few months ago.
The last San Diego location linked to the 1986 film is the home of Colonel Mike Viper Metcalf (Tom Skerritt), located on the rocky promontory of Point Loma, along Cabrillo Road, within the Cabrillo National Monument. The beautiful mansion of the highly decorated officer is located just behind the New Point Loma Lighthouse. The lighthouse was built in the mid-1800s and is one of nine lighthouses in the state that are still functioning. A late hour of the day is recommended for visiting this location, when, as the sun goes down, the sky is ablaze, and you can enjoy one of the most striking sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.
Top Gun Maverick Filming Locations
The daring 2022 sequel, directed by Joseph Kosinski in memory of Tony Scott, possesses a more modern style and less “epic” dialogue. The movie was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, climbing to the top of the box office charts.
The movie opens with Maverick grappling with the fine-tuning of an aircraft before heading to the final testing of a supersonic aircraft. The hangar is located at 1669 Airport Road at Inyokern Airport in the middle of the Mojave Desert in California (about 12 miles west of Ridgecrest).
Even in this sequel, however, San Diego is the primary setting for scenes on land. Maverick upon returning to “North Island,” stops his motorcycle under a miniature airplane placed at the entrance to Naval Air Station North Island not far from the visitors’ parking lot (Stockdale Blvd, Coronado, San Diego). Maverick, head of a squadron of fighter pilots, tries to get them to team build by playing a football game on the beach. The beach where the scene was filmed is Breakers Beach in San Diego, just north of the more famous Coronado Beach.
On the road to Point Loma, you will find the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at 1700 Cabrillo Memorial Drive. At this fascinating cemetery Maverick attends the military funeral of his old friend Admiral Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (Val Kilmer). The exact location is at these coordinates.
Find Accommodations
To visit most of the film’s locations, I recommend staying overnight in the beautiful city of San Diego, where attractions, beaches, entertainment, restaurants and bars are really not lacking. The downtown area is not very cheap. However, since it is small, if you have means of transportation to get around, you can stay overnight in less expensive areas and easily get to the many points of interest.
For our tips on the best areas of the city where to find accommodations and the top hotels, click on the link below:
Our tips on where to stay in San Diego
Places to Eat
Kansas City Barbeque is a restaurant in San Diego’s Seaport District (600 W Harbor Drive-not far from Seaport Village) and serves traditional American cuisine, including beef brisket, pulled pork, and BBQ ribs. Prices, despite the restaurant’s close connection with the popular Top Gun, are fair.
The Italian restaurant Solare Ristorante, 2820 Roosevelt Road, Liberty Station, Point Loma, San Diego, won “Best Restaurant” in 2023. Solare is one of the first restaurants in Liberty Station, an area that began as a dream for so many hardworking citizens and is now one of San Diego’s best cultural, artistic, and culinary venues. The restaurant has an indoor bar and two outdoor patios with a wide selection of wines, beers and craft cocktails. The restaurant’s main course prices are upscale as are the Italian dishes created by chef Filippo Piccini.
