Groundhog Day is one of those movies that almost anyone has probably seen at least once. It’s up there with Caddyshack which is of course another Harold Ramis masterpiece.
Like many movies, the story does not actually take place in the village being described in the plot. Punxsutawney, PA is actually Woodstock, IL, a town about 50 miles from Chicago. In Woodstock, you’ll find all the buildings in about the same state they were when the movie was shot.
One building that is about to change, is a 3 story house on Madison street. This 114 year old Victorian style house was recently purchased by Everton Martin, a pilot with American Airlines who was on the lookout for something he could convert to a bed and breakfast.
Despite being depicted as the bed and breakfast where Bill Murray relived the same day over and over again, this house was actually never really used for guests.
Everton Martin and his wife Karla Stewart Martin are awaiting permission from the Woodstock city council to convert the structure into a bed and breakfast. If all goes to plan, the first guests will be able to relive their own Groundhog Day by summer of 2009.
If you can’t wait that long, and want to visit the village, check out “Awake to Woodstock” where you’ll find information about the town, their shops and even how to plan your own guided tour of all the Groundhog Day filming locations.