‘Stranger Things’ Fans Are Binging Netflix Hit Ahead of Season 5 as First Four Seasons Enter Charts
There’s a very specific kind of wanderlust being felt right now—not for beaches or cities, but for places that feel like they slipped through a crack in reality. As Deadline reports, *Stranger Things* has pulled off a wild streaming feat: all four previous seasons are back in Netflix’s global Top 10 at the same time as fans binge hard ahead of Season 5. In other words, the world is collectively packing its metaphorical backpack and heading back to Hawkins, Indiana.
But what if that craving for supernatural nostalgia and ’80s-style adventure didn’t have to stay on your screen? If you’re glued to the show while it dominates the charts, this is your sign: channel that *Stranger Things* energy into your next real-world adventure trip. No Demogorgons required—just a willingness to follow the weird, the wild, and the wonderfully uncanny.
Below are five adventure experiences and destinations that feel like they were storyboarded in the Duffer Brothers’ writers’ room—rooted in the real world, but buzzing with that same “kids-on-bikes, stakes-are-high” adrenaline that’s driving this massive rewatch wave right now.
1. Bike Through Your Own ‘Hawkins’ in Small-Town America
If *Stranger Things* binging has you yearning for cracked pavement, cul-de-sacs, and the kind of main street where everyone knows your name, build a trip around small-town backroads instead of big-city skylines.
Head to towns like Jackson, Georgia (one of the real filming locations for Hawkins’ downtown), or similar American small towns in the Midwest and South. Rent a bike for a long weekend and design your own “Hawkins loop”: an early-morning ride to a mom-and-pop diner, coasting past old brick storefronts and faded movie theaters, then veering off onto quiet country roads that feel a step removed from time. Bring a camera and a notebook. Part of the magic of *Stranger Things* is how much adventure hides in the ordinary—the school, the mall, the culverts nobody really looks at.
Treat this as a “story-collecting ride.” Talk to locals on porches, in thrift stores, at gas stations. Ask about old legends, the town’s forgotten buildings, that one place kids weren’t allowed to go after dark. You’ll come home with polaroid-style memories—and probably enough material to write your own Hawkins-adjacent tale.
**Tip:** Travel light like the Party. A small daypack, a bike repair kit, a paper map (yes, really), and a headlamp are enough. When your phone dies, the ride gets more interesting.
2. Descend Into ‘Upside Down’ Caves and Lava Tubes
Fans are streaming *Stranger Things* partly because the Upside Down is such a vivid, terrifying “what if?” world. You can get a safer version of that eerie, otherworldly vibe by heading underground—into caves, lava tubes, and deep caverns.
Consider places like:
- **Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky (USA)** – The world’s longest known cave system, with tours that range from easy walks to belly-crawling expeditions through narrow passages.
- **Lava tubes in Iceland or the Canary Islands** – Ancient volcanic tunnels that feel like nature carved secret levels beneath the earth.
- **Postojna Cave, Slovenia** – A subterranean world of stalactites, underground rivers, and echoing chambers.
Descending into the dark with only a headlamp to carve a path through the shadows, you feel that same mix of dread and curiosity that Dustin and the gang did when they pushed deeper into the tunnels. Every drip of water, every sudden shift in echo makes you acutely aware that you’re out of your natural element—and that’s exactly what makes it unforgettable.
**Tip:** Choose guided adventure tours run by reputable cave or park authorities. Not only is it safer, but guides often share local myths and real stories that turn a simple cave visit into a full-blown narrative journey—perfect for Story Modoo travelers.
3. Chase ’80s Arcades and Neon Nights in Retro Cities
While viewers rewatch all four seasons on Netflix charts, a lot of the nostalgia love is landing on the show’s neon-soaked malls and arcade scenes. Translate that into travel by planning a retro-themed adventure in cities where neon, synthwave, and late-night streets still hum together.
Think about:
- **Tokyo, Japan (Akihabara and Shinjuku)** – Multi-story arcades, pulsing signs, and the sense that every side alley could lead to its own side quest.
- **Seoul, South Korea (Hongdae and Gangnam arcades)** – PC bangs, claw machines, and rhythm games that stay open deep into the night.
- **Portland, Oregon (USA)** – Home to iconic “barcades” where vintage pinball meets craft beer, and you can mash buttons on cabinets older than you are.
Give yourself a mission: hit three different game spots in one night, only walking public streets and back alleys between them. No rideshares unless absolutely necessary; part of the fun is the on-foot exploration, the unexpected record shop or ramen stall that becomes your party’s new base of operations. When you’ve lost track of time, laughing with strangers over high scores and bad pizza, you’re essentially living out the lighter, pre-Demogorgon episodes of the series.
**Tip:** Build a soundtrack before you go—’80s tracks, the official *Stranger Things* score, or modern synthwave. Drop your phone into airplane mode, hit play, and let the city become a moving set.
4. Hike Forests That Feel One Dimension Away From the Upside Down
The show’s most haunting moments often happen in the woods—lights flickering through bare trees, walkie-talkies crackling under a canopy that seems to be listening. If you’re among the millions revisiting these scenes right now, it might be time to lace up your boots and head for real forests that give you that “almost magical, slightly unsettling” atmosphere.
Consider:
- **Pacific Northwest (USA)** – The moss-drenched trails of Olympic National Park or the Columbia River Gorge feel like the Upside Down minus the monsters—fog, towering evergreens, and a quiet so deep it’s almost loud.
- **Black Forest, Germany** – Fairy-tale dark, with legends thick as the undergrowth.
- **Hokkaido, Japan** – Misty forests, volcanic landscapes, and isolated onsens that make you feel very far from your everyday life.
Set out at dawn or just before sunset, when the light goes strange and the woods shift from friendly to mysterious. Bring a small group, but walk in silence for stretches of trail. Let your imagination off the leash—if a branch snaps in the distance, don’t dismiss it immediately. One of the reasons people are binging *Stranger Things* again is to re-feel that edge-of-your-seat tension. On a forest trail, that edge becomes real, but in a way you can always hike out of.
**Tip:** Download offline maps and mark a clear turnaround time. Adventure is compelling when you push your comfort zone, not your safety margin.
5. Sleep in Remote Cabins and Watch the Sky for ‘Portals’
As anticipation builds for Season 5 and keeps earlier seasons afloat in the Top 10, fan theories about portals, rifts, and alternate realities are everywhere online. Take that obsession offline by booking a trip where the biggest special effect isn’t CGI—it’s the night sky.
Look for remote cabins, A-frames, or tiny houses in:
- **Rural Finland, Sweden, or Norway** – Where glass-roof cabins let you watch the aurora borealis paint rifts across the sky.
- **Deserts in Utah or Arizona (USA)** – Dark-sky reserves where the Milky Way looks like a special effect.
- **Patagonia (Chile/Argentina)** – Wind, stars, and mountains that make you feel like you’re standing on the edge of the map.
Your mission: go fully analog after sunset. No Netflix, no streaming, no scrolling through fan theories. Step outside, lie back, and watch for “anomalies”—meteors, satellites, auroras, sudden bursts of cloud. You’ll realize that the reason *Stranger Things* is rewiring everyone’s watchlists again is because it taps into something ancient: the fear and wonder of looking up and thinking, “What if?”
**Tip:** Bring a red-light headlamp (easier on your night vision), a journal, and a star map app you use only when you really need it. Write down everything you notice between dusk and dawn. In the morning, read it back—you’ll see how “ordinary” skywatching turns into a full-blown adventure narrative.
Conclusion
Right now, as Deadline notes, all four seasons of *Stranger Things* are climbing the Netflix charts together—a rare, real-time pop culture moment. Millions of people around the world are escaping into Hawkins, rejoining Eleven and the Party for one last ride before Season 5 arrives.
Use that momentum.
Let the rewatch be your pre-trip montage, not your whole story. Take the mood, the mystery, and that kids-on-bikes courage and pour it into your next adventure trip—through small-town streets, underground caverns, neon-lit arcades, haunted-feeling forests, and sky-splitting nights far from home.
Hawkins may be fictional, but the feeling it gives you is not. And that feeling is your best compass for planning the kind of trip you’ll still be talking about when the credits finally roll on the series for good.