BlogKevin Costner has been entertaining and fascinating viewers for an entire generation, starring in more than 25 highly successful films, and now the hit show Yellowstone. He has earned several top acting honors, and earned at least a quarter billion dollars in the meantime. And today, it’s his 68th birthday, and the veteran actor has no plans to slow down.
Let’s check out some of the cool places Kevin owns, and some of the places important to his film career.
Dunbar Ranch, Aspen, Colorado
If he’s not filming the next season of his successful television show, he’s probably spending time with his wife and three kids at their gorgeous Aspen-area ranch. Kevin bought the 160-acre property ages ago, and was even married there in 2004. The ranch gets its name from Lieutenant Dunbar, the character Kevin played in Dances with Wolves.
The area has multiple homes, a large baseball field, pool, and even an ice skating rink and sledding area. The main house’s master suite has a door leading directly to an outdoor hot tub, which is so awesome for daring winter dips!
If you have a cool quarter million lying around, you can rent the entire property. While it’s “just” $36,000 a night, you have to commit to rent it for at least a week.
Property in Santa Barbara, California
In addition to his mountain home, Kevin and his family enjoy a home on one of California’s most desirable beaches. Kevin owns ten acres of prime beachfront property just south of Santa Barbara. He’s actually combined three parcels that total about 10 acres, including a former polo club. Crazy that in addition to the beach views, the property also has gorgeous views of the nearby Santa Ynez mountains!
In 2017, he put the property up for sale for a cool $60 million, only $32 million more than he paid in 2006. However, even after dropping the price significantly, the parcel didn’t sell, and he still owns the estate.
Field of Dreams Field, Dyersville, Iowa
Kevin Costner has starred in dozens of successful films, but his 1989 baseball movie Field of Dreams is considered a classic, and has even been preserved by the Library of Congress! The movie was mostly filmed in Dubuque County, Iowa, the heart of America’s corn country.
The farm house and baseball field from the film were filmed on site on a farm in Dyersville. The owner never turned the baseball field back into a corn field, but left it like the movie, and created a souvenir shop to encourage visitors.
The farm, with the field, a visitor parking lot, and the white house, all sold in 2011 for around $5 million. The movie was right: If you build it, they will come. In 2021 and 2022, the MLB has actually played real games on the field, with touching events allowing dads and their kids to play catch on the field before the players come out of the corn field to play ball.
Ranch Where Dances with Wolves was Filmed, Pierre, South Dakota
Kevin filmed and directed another American classic, Dances with Wolves, in 1990. The box office hit won Oscars for best directing and best film of the year. It cemented Kevin as a director and Hollywood star, and its this movie that he used to name his Aspen ranch: Dunbar Ranch.
Much of the filming was done on location in South Dakota, and a little was done in other western states. In 2015, Ted Turner purchased a large ranch in South Dakota that was used for filming. He paid about $32 million.
“Tatanka” Art Installation, Deadwood, South Dakota
Filming Dances with Wolves significantly impacted Kevin Costner, and he even went so far as to sponsor an art installation outside Deadwood, South Dakota to commemorate the bison of the Great Plains, called “Ta ‘Tanka” in Lakota.
The moving work of art displays Lakota hunters riding in pursuit of the bison. The life-size statues of men, horses and bison is one of the largest bronze sculptures in the world.
Along with seeing the work of art, visitors can shop at the nearby store, and learn so much about the way of life for Plains Indians before the buffalo were nearly extinct and the people were moved to reservations.
Kevin Costner has done so many amazing films, and been involved in some really awesome projects all around the US. From some blockbuster films to unique and creative projects, from directing to starring in television, he’s done it all. So, on his 68th birthday, it’s a great time to reflect on what he’s done, and gear up for some more cool adventures. Happy Birthday, Kevin Costner!
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