Our family enjoyed an action-packed day at Universal Studios Hollywood with the Hollywood Studio Tour, Hollywood-themed rides and many more.

Universal Studios Hollywood

 

Universal Studios CityWalk

Before we entered the theme park itself, we explored the Universal Studios CityWalk just outside the theme park entrance. There were a lot of shops and eateries.

Universal Studios CityWalk

 

Universal Studios Hollywood Studio Tour

I was glad that I bought the tickets online because the ticketing queue was extremely long.  The first thing we did after we entered the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park was to queue up for the famous Hollywood Studio Tour.  I regretted spending time at the Citywalk first because by the time we got to the entrance of the Hollywood Studio Tour, the queue was extremely long and we had to wait for about an hour in the blazing sun.  Summer vacation has not even started at that time.

Nevertheless, the Hollywood Studio Tour was worth the time queueing.  The tour brought us behind the scene through Hollywood’s most famous backlot.  We saw the Bates Motel from the movie “Psycho”, the Lyon Estate entrance from the movie “Back to the Future” and many more.

Universal Studios Studio Tour

 

We also drove around Wisteria Lane from the TV series “Desperate Housewives”.

Universal Studios Studio Tour

 

The plane crash scene from the movie “War of the Worlds” was amazing.  A lot of detail has gone in to make the scene realistic.

Universal Studios Studio Tour

 

There were also scenes from the movie “Jurassic Park”.

Universal Studios Studio Tour

 

We got to see numerous cars from various movies like “Back to the Future” and “Fast and Furious”.  My son enjoyed the explosive special effects from Fast and Furious: Extreme Close-up.

Universal Studios Studio Tour

 

The special effects for earthquake and flooding were pretty amazing as well.

Universal Studios Studio Tour

 

After the Hollywood Studio Tour, we explored the rest of the theme park.  Strolling around were Hollywood celebrity-lookalike, like Marilyn Monroe,  the Blues Brothers, Doc from the movie Back to the Future and many more.

Universal Studios

 

NEXT DAY: Disneyland Park California

 

Where to Stay

We stayed near Disneyland California, at Anaheim Desert Inn and Suites. Click for other accommodations near Disneyland California.

Click for accommodations near Universal Studios Hollywood.

 

Our visit to Universal Studios was part of our 8-day California adventures.