Los Angeles is the epicenter of media — the epicenter of, arguably, the entire world. It’s not hyperbole to say that either; Hollywood grew from a rural, dusty town with orange groves to become the seat of a media empire, influencing not only American culture but the world as well. Many people want to visit L.A. simply for all the entertainment-related attractions, and it would be torture even attempting to fit all important spots into one trip. But I do find the selection I’ve curated below, which can take as little as 4 days and as many as 8-10 depending on your speed and leisure, hits many of the important spots that anyone visiting the City of Angels for the first time would want to see.
Now without further ado, here’s my selection of the places you must visit in Los Angeles if you’re a pop culture aficionado like me.
It simply wouldn’t be a trip to Los Angeles without visiting the corner of the legendary Hollywood and Vine. Not only is it a great place to start your walking tour of the Hollywood Walk of Fame (which includes over 2,700 stars across 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street), if you proceed west on Hollywood, you will eventually run into the next few attractions I’ll be discussing, so the route is a time-saver and visually enriching. Plan ahead and find out where your favorite star’s star is situated so you can use your time effectively. While in the area, take a gander at the beautiful Art Deco movie palace-turned-performing arts center, the Pantages Theatre.
The historic Max Factor cosmetics headquarters is home to The Hollywood Museum, which features over 11,000 different media artifacts on public display. These items range from Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “million-dollar dress”; to an entire selection of memorabilia dedicated to “I Love Lucy”; a recreation of Hannibal Lecter’s cell from “Silence of the Lambs”; an exhibit dedicated to Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark; and one of the most popular artifacts in the collection, the original makeup rooms pioneered by Max Factor, with each one corresponding to a different hair color. You can also learn about how Max Factor was the preferred makeup brand for many silver screen legends such as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Mae West, and Katharine Hepburn.
The Chinese electronics giant TCL bought the naming rights to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in 2013, but rest assured nearly everyone still refers to it by its historic name. This grand movie house, built in the 1920s in the Exotic Revival style already popularized by Sid Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre a couple of blocks away, became the site of countless movie premieres in its heyday, such as “Star Wars” and the original 1937 version of “A Star is Born”. Of course another iconic feature of the Chinese Theatre is the massive collection of various celebrities’ handprints in cement. This tradition started with the theatre’s opening in 1927 and still continues to this day. From Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford to Regina King and Kenneth Branagh, you can have as much fun spotting your favorite actors’ handprints as you would on the Walk of Fame itself.
The Dolby Theatre is notable because it is the venue for the Academy Awards, held in this space every year since the theater opened in 2001. Not only does it host the Oscars, but in the past it has also hosted seasons of “American Idol” and also many seasons of “America’s Got Talent”. With such varied history in this comparatively recently-built space, it’s best to arrange a guided tour from the docents inside the theater. You will be able to see the main theater hall, where celebrities sit every Oscar night, as well as some behind-the-scenes areas not typically accessible to the public. Imagine the pomp and the spectacle of being in this space when awards are being handed out. You’ll be able to feel that same energy when you visit, even if the Oscars have passed.
Now we move into the Hollywood Hills. The Hollywood Bowl, opened to the public in July 1922, is known the world over for its iconic bandshell and the sheer size of the amphitheatre complex, built in such a way to ensure great acoustics no matter where you or any of the other 17,500 people are sitting. You might wonder how a place associated with music is also associated with film and television. Many productions have been filmed at The Hollywood Bowl for screening or broadcast later, such as The Beatles’ performance in 1964, the comedy troupe Monty Python’s legendary 1980 show, and even a television special conceptualized by children’s TV legends Sid and Marty Krofft. It’s embedded itself across all forms of American media, and it’s a great place to tour when concerts are not scheduled.
The Hollywood Heritage Museum is located across from the Hollywood Bowl on Highland Avenue and has so much film history within its modest walls. Also called “the Lasky-DeMille Barn“, this barn was the second-ever studio in Hollywood, functioning as such from 1912 onwards. In 1913, DeMille and Lasky founded the Jesse L. Lasky Feature Play Company, which would eventually become Paramount Pictures. By the late 1920s, the barn served as a gym for Paramount stars and employees, and it would continue to be such until the late 1970s, when it was finally retired. A few years later, it became the museum we know now. The collection features memorabilia from Hollywood’s earliest days, with many artifacts sourced directly from the estates of DeMille and Lasky. If you’re a silent movie buff and you want to know more about Hollywood’s early rural days, then this is a great place for you.
When you’re booking your Los Angeles vacation with us at Tripmasters, and you’re choosing which tours you would like to do, consider adding a Hollywood Sign walking tour from one of the many we offer at our Los Angeles URL above. Many tours of this particular circuit take about 2 1/2 hours to complete, with the most popular route taking visitors past Griffith Observatory to an area a short distance below the Hollywood Sign (it is illegal to get up-close to the sign itself). But once you get to the safe and legal distance (represented roughly by where the berries can be seen in the photograph), you can take some selfies and show off to friends back home that you indeed did get to go to Hollywood, and you have the proof!
Now we head over to Burbank for the next site that will be of interest to the media-savvy traveler. This one needs no introduction, but I’ll give it nonetheless: It’s one of the oldest continuously-operating film studios in the world, none other than Warner Bros. Here, you can buy tickets for their studio tour, which will allow you to dive into the heart of cinematic history. Here, you can walk through iconic backlots, explore the props and costumes of your favorite movies and TV shows, and maybe even catch a glimpse of stars in action. It’s a must-visit for film enthusiasts eager to experience the magic of Hollywood filmmaking up close, whether you want to learn more about what goes on behind the camera or in front of it.
One unique aspect of Universal Studios Hollywood is that it offers a theme park experience, combined with working studio sets. If you’ve been to Universal Studios Orlando in the past, you might be familiar with such a tour. At Universal Studios Hollywood, you have two tour options: the regular tour, which is offered in the price of admission for a park ticket, meaning you don’t have to pay extra for the privilege; or a VIP tour for an added fee which includes even more backstage areas that are not available to every parkgoer. Whether you want to see what “Jaws” was like to make, or if you’re ready to see the carnage from “Jurassic Park” (pictured), Universal Studios Hollywood offers many chances for you to connect with some of your favorite film and TV properties.
The state-of-the-art Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City is another stop you must make while you’re in the Los Angeles area. These tours are offered each weekday, excluding some holidays, and must be reserved in advance by visiting the Sony Pictures Studio Tour’s website. Whether you want to see the studio where “The Wizard of Oz” was filmed or are itching to see the iconic sets of “Jeopardy!” or “Wheel of Fortune”, the guides at Sony Pictures Studios try their best to accommodate any request that is possible at that time. You can even learn about the blockbusters “Men in Black” and “Spider-Man” and what filming was like for the actors and crew in those films. There’s also a possibility that you might run into some famous people while on the move!
Now we move closer to downtown Los Angeles for a very special tour, another one that needs to be coordinated in advance. This is the tour of the Paramount lot, the only major movie studio to be based in Los Angeles city limits. You have the option to reserve one of two tours: the basic two-hour tour, which is a walking tour conducted by a Paramount page, or the VIP cart-driven 4 1/2-hour tour, which includes added features such as visiting working soundstages and seeing glamorous costumes from current and past Paramount films. The VIP pass even gets you a souvenir photo and a gourmet lunch! Do other studio tours roll out the red carpet for travelers in the L.A. area quite like this? Not very many, I’ll tell you that!
Bus tours that drive past pivotal filming locations for movies are fairly ubiquitous, born from the old-school “celebrity homes” bus tours of the 1930s and 1940s. Today these tours not only drive past dozens of famous celebrity homes, allowing you to glimpse at the glamorous dwellings of the stars, but also past various locations used in memorable scenes from movies and television. You can pick and choose which movie location bus tour is good for you when you customize your Los Angeles vacation package on the Tripmasters website. No matter which one you pick (and you can pick more than one!), we have confidence that you will be happy with your choice, sharing photos and memories with all your friends.
Now this one isn’t related to film or television directly so I decided to place it at the end. Located on Olympic Boulevard, the Grammy Museum L.A. Live is the place that celebrates all things in popular music, and that includes how the songs that shaped our lives also did so through their placements in various iconic movies and television shows. While you’re touring this interactive space, you can learn all about the history and winners of the music industry’s highest honor. Thought-provoking exhibits, historical artifacts, and personal items from Grammy winners offer a deep dive into the world’s most famous music awards.
Finally, what’s a trip out to L.A. without attending a taping of a television show? Now this is something you might have to do some research on and figure out how this will fit into your schedule. In many cases, this requires you to find the website for the TV show you’re interested in seeing and then requesting tickets, which can take weeks or even months to arrive in the mail. While some talk shows, game shows, and the like accept walk-ups, this isn’t guaranteed. Popular game shows like “The Price is Right” not only require tickets in advance, but also waiting in line a very long time to get in, so if you want to attend a taping, depending on the show of your choice, you may have to budget a whole day. But it’s so worth it!
Want more travel inspiration? We offer customizable vacation packages for destinations in over 130 countries and territories throughout the world. The best part about a Tripmasters vacation is that it’s all in your hands: you can tweak any of our packages based on your desires, interests, and specifications, or you can even make your own itinerary!
You can click here to get started!
Pingback: A Sampling of 13 Destinations You Can Visit on a Film Tour Getaway - Tripmasters Travel