Growing up my family used to go on camping trips that involved visiting many famous cowboy spots, including graveyards. It’s not as morbid as it sounds – they were set up like standard American tourist destinations.On other trips, I’ve seen pop culture iconography like the fountain from the Sound of Music or the fountain, which I found much more exciting for some strange reason, from I Was a Male Order War Bride (with Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan). I adore watching a movie and thinking “I’ve been there!” or going on a trip and realizing “I’ve seen this before!” My trips through western Europe included lots of such exclamations.

When Wonder Boy and I went on our honeymoon, it inadvertently became a pop culture pilgrimage for some of his favorite things. We saw Hobitton, which I am willing to admit was actually pretty awesome. Less awesome was the day trip we made to the exciting town of Te Awamutu, New Zealand.

The is nothing wrong with Te Awamutu. I just don’t think it’s the sort of place many people travel to for holiday. (Lest you think I am being harsh, I offer up the fact that TripAdvisor lists two hotels or motels or lodges within the town.) The reason for going there? It’s the birthplace of Neil and Tim Finn of Split Enz and Crowded House and the town honored their famous citizens with a museum.

Marriage is about compromise so I went along for the ride. The detour to Te Awamutu took a few hours and it must have been on a weekend because when we got there, the teeny, tiny town was dead. And the museum was quite closed. We went to look in the windows and the museum appeared to also be about the size of our moderately-sized master bedroom. Wonder Boy suggested staying overnight so we could see the museum in the morning, but my ability to compromise has limits so we moved on.

This summer Wonder Boy and I are planning a whirlwind trip out West and are already planning on what we’ll see, with most of our knowledge coming from pop culture (television, books, movies, etc.). It should be a fun adventure.

Have you ever been on a pop culture pilgrimage? What’s your reaction to seeing something in person that you’ve only seen before on screen or read about in books? I’m always scared the real thing won’t live up to my expectations.

This post originally appeared on Kate’s Point of View. © Kate. All rights reserved.