Im writing a review that came from 2016. A month after it opened. Can you believe that. If you…read morebelieve in magic yes you do. I remember I wanted to go when it *slowed* down when it wasn't overly packed. We made the right call. Just like anything new in Los Angeles something this big of a magnitude its going to attract a lot of people and is should be. It's a decent size section in universal. They have a lot of the famous land marks and especially a lot of themes and attractions just like in the harry potter world. From Diagon Alley, to the Hogwarts Castle to the train station. I had so much fun when we went here. There are rides and lots of photo ops. They do have a show they host I remember. parking you pay just like anything and that's what i can remember from this trip. I wasn't a yelper back then but better late than never.

Universal really does a great job of immersing you into any world…read more And when you are here you really do feel like you are in the movies And let me say this butter beer is soooo good but my preference is the warm or hot But it's super fun to go into the stores shop for wands and outfits and fudge mmmm Let yourself be a kid and wander around

LOVED this event host by Universal! I didn't get a chance to do last year's Jujutsu Kaisen, so when…read moreI saw that Sailormoon was one of the fan fest events, I just had to book at tickets for the Universal Fan Fest Nights! I ended up going on a Friday evening, with the event start time at 7:30 P.M, which went until a little bit after 1:00 A.M. Universal put so much into making each franchise feel like its own immersive mini event rather than just random photo ops scattered around the park! The One Piece area was probably one of the highlights for me. The live action themed dining location was packed with energy and themed food, and the atmosphere felt like stepping into the world of the Straw Hats for a bit! Even if you're not a superfan of the One Piece anime, the amount of detail and excitement around was really cool. The live action show that was in place for the Water World was one of the best themed shows I've ever seen! The Sailor Moon experiences were another huge standout. The meet and greet was super popular, long lines though, but really well done! Seeing the DreamWorks Theatre completely transformed for the Sailor Moon show was amazing! I've watched the Sailormoon anime series growing up and was so excited about this event! The whole performance had this energetic, theatrical anime concert vibe that I absolutely loved! The crowd energy during the show alone made it memorable especially at the end of the show! The event was so varied! One minute you're walking through a magical Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey themed walkthrough experience, and the next you're running into Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! characters and other fandom surprises throughout the park especially at the backlot area of Universal Studios. It felt like there was something happening around every corner, which kept the whole night feeling exciting! The entertainment, themed food, character interactions, walkthroughs, and shows all felt designed for fans who genuinely care about these franchises! It had a very convention meets theme park atmosphere that worked well! Universal Fan Fest Nights ended up being one of the most unique theme park events I've been to in a long time! If you're into anime, movies, fandom culture, or just immersive experiences in general, I highly recommend going to one of these events! It felt like Universal experimenting with something really special and I hope they keep expanding it in the future! Maybe next year we can get Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba or Dragonball Z!

AN IMMERSIVE NIGHTTIME EVENT for UNIVERSAL DIEHARDS! My parents and I visited FanFest for the first…read moretime and we are itching to return for the festivities next year! During our first visit we had the pleasure of journeying through the lands of One Piece, Dungeons & Dragons, Scooby Doo x Universal Monsters, and Sailor Moon! Unfortunately, we couldn't hit up every spot as there was SO much to do, lesson learned. I'd recommend visiting a few nights per FanFest season as some attractions end early (ex. Super Nintendo Land's Yoshi Experience). I was bummed that some experiences were closed too early, I felt like SNW could've been open till closing as Mario is super popular! Additionally, some of the signage regarding attraction locations could've been better, as several patrons were scrambling, us included! Overall, we still had an incredible time. Anime was a highlight this year. One Piece converted Waterworld's stage into an original Luffy stage play with stunts and character cameos. Photo-ops were available with the cast after the show. I spotted several One Piece-themed eateries with yummy options. Next, Sailor Moon took over the Dreamworks theater and presented a standalone 3-D adventure featuring all the magical girl energy you could ever want. I really liked the Dungeons & Dragons experience as it was a walkthrough of a medieval fantasy adventure with fighters and monsters. The animatronics were absolutely amazing! I loved the costumes and special effects, it was very cinematic. My highlight of the night was the Scooby x Universal Monsters expansion. The classic universal tram transported us to a unique experience. We had the opportunity to walk around a USH lot that was transformed into a Scooby mystery with stations that included clues and Mystery Inc. character meet-n-greets. All performers were top-notch, we took a picture with Scooby! The Bride of Frankenstein. Wolf Man, Dracula, Invisible Man, and Frankenstein's Monster ALL made appearances, performed incredible skits, and walked around the lot while interacting with visitors. Frankenstein and the Wolf Man SLAYED! I loved them! Merch was excellent at FanFest, they had plenty of shirts, backpacks, and enamel pins commemorating the event. I bought a Nope shirt because I'm lame and couldn't wait to buy it during a regular USH visit. I also spotted loads of collectible penny stations, I bought a few sets of collectible pennies! Staff at the gift shops were super polite and friendly. Note, this is a grueling experience if you had a full day before you arrive. It's incredibly fun but not for the faint of heart. We left at 1 am (which is closing time). Our feet were killing us but we have no regrets!

This park has so much fun stuff going on. I have pictures of my boys with the giant sloth going…read moreback years. Lots of tar pit activity to engage the curious. Little bridges crossing the idea of a stream. Lots of large trees and shade. On either side of the park, you have LACMA (where local kids can get free admission through nextgen and bring a parent as a plus one!) and the other is the Page Museum. aka the tar pits museum where kids roll down the big grassy hill and admire the saber tooth cats engaging in furious battle. **This museum closes for renovation 7/6 for a couple of years so get in while you can. Wish there were more shaded picnic benches. The only ones they have are right under the unforgiving sun. Fruit guy usually at the corner right outside the La Brea entrance. A guy selling soft serve inside the park out of a little pink car. (Not so friendly though, my kid ran to ask him for a napkin and he just kept repeating "Sold out!" Dude, chill, and listen.) Highly recommend this park.

A great spacious park to walk through. It's connected through the Brea Tar Pits and the grass is…read morewell maintained. Street parking can be found or one can choose to park in the private lot (unsure of price). They much prefer dogs to be kept on their leash here due to high traffic.

This was really a wild setup in the weirdest location possible. I don't know if I would have gone…read moreif someone else hadn't paid but I had a really fun time exploring everything! Worth it for a dad/daughter day for sure but ultimately it could have been a bit more of an experience for the hefty cost. We got the VIP pass and I'm not quite sure if it really made a difference or was worth it but my dad was happy so I guess nothing else matters. Especially considering he paid.

Went on a Friday at 5pm and hardly anyone was there. Most photos have no one around. It was great…read more We parked on the street (free), walked in, had some $18 champagne then stepped inside this amazing show. The staff were fun and the bartender was sassy. There are 2 main rooms and then you exit through the gift shop. We spent probably an hour in there watching all of the movies and installations. There was a timed lighting performance where the carousels and things would move. Along with the music that was pumped throughout, made you feel the magic of it all. We paid for the general admission as we didn't need to pay for the extra stuff which was within the show but they had attendants at the entrances but you can clearly see what was inside. So if you need to take a selfie inside, by all means you should pay the extra money. I too thought it should have been included in the price. If you think of all of the effort to shipping it to Los Angeles, Unpacking and assembling it all, its a small price to pay for being able to experience it as close to what it was back when it was first presented. It's not a permanent exhibit and they have to pack it all up again once the show is over. It's literally a once in a lifetime experience. Oh and I found the soundtrack on Spotify, just look up LUNA LUNA. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/05IzNmROaErTwXug3sFne8

Súper fun ride where you aren't on a track but you feel like you are moving because it does move…read moreside to side and rumble and all that as you watch the screen of the ride you are on Lines can be long as many of the rides there are It's funny and a good time for all ages

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is a fun, silly break from the bigger thrill rides at Universal Studios…read moreHollywood. The queue is entertaining on its own, packed with Minion humor and Gru's over-the-top gadgets. The ride itself is a motion simulator, so you're not going anywhere physically, but it does a great job of making you feel like you're being launched into Minion chaos. It's loud, fast-paced, and filled with enough banana jokes to keep kids and adults laughing. Not the most intense ride in the park, but it's a solid option when you want to sit down for a few minutes and get blasted with animated mayhem. If you're even slightly a fan of the Minions, it's definitely worth hopping in line.

My kids love carousels, and they might particularly love the Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel…read more It's full of colorful animals (or as my one-year-old calls them, "dogs"), a musical merry-go-round that adds extra joy to a day at the L.A. Zoo. My boys are both too small to ride on their own, but they're allowed on with an adult each to accompany them. Tickets cost $3 apiece, but you only need one per rider (adults acting as human seat belts for tiny children ride for free). It's a fair price for how happy the carousel makes the kids, and how cute they look bobbing up and down on their animals. There are all kinds of cool animals on that merry-go-round, but my three-year-old only has eyes for the jumping giraffe (there are two giraffes, but one is stationary). Thankfully his brother is more agreeable, content to ride on the neighboring warthog (which, to be honest, would not be my first choice). Both children are hard to pry loose when the ride is done. My kids love the live animals, but the carousel might well be their favorite part of the zoo. I dread the day when they no longer enjoy the simple pleasure of a merry-go-round. I hope there will be many more rides before then.

Merry-go-rounds are my jammm…read more The Tom Mankiewicz Conservation Carousel is one of the finest ones in a lovely setting. Two peacocks happened to screech and roam in this area next to a pavilion during my visit. Roosters got nothin' on 'em. If you hear them, let them amuse you while you purchase ride tokens at the kiosk. Note: get those tokens *early*. Else the kiosk may not be open. Riding on the Carousel is so nostalgic, cheery and just good old-fashioned fun. All sorts of zoo and non-zoo animals to choose as your trusty steed. For five or ten minutes you go up, down, and round and round, grinning with joy, like a child without a care in the world. Don't we all need to re-capture that feeling sometimes? The Carousel at the Los Angeles Zoo. Just do it. :D One of the Mankiewiczes might even acknowledge your Carousel check-in via Twitter. Check out trivia, stats and fun facts about this wonderful Zoo fixture at: http://www.carouselworks.com/carPages/laZoo.htm

Back in my day, we didn't need a 400-ft LED screen to make the dinosaurs feel real... but I will…read moresay the "new" Mosasaurus addition at the beginning of this ride is awesome! This ride is on the lower lot of Universal Studios, the last time I won on this was almost 20-years ago. They've done a great job at keeping this attraction fresh, with the addition of the Indominus Rex & T-Rex fight, a few extra spitting dimos, and aforementioned Mosasaurus. I took my seven-year-old son on this, who is a huge Jurassic Park lover, but I did not tell him about the 80-ft drop at the end. His face on the ride drop picture was totally worth it! He loved the ride so much that he rode it again with his mom. A few things... - Definitely get a poncho. We didn't do this and got a little wet, but not too bad! - Don't want to wait in line? If you ride solo you can hop right on Pro Tip: If you have child or attendee with you that's neurodivergent you can ask for a guest accessibility card or "IBCCES" through the Universal Studios website. You'll need to apply for this about a week before your visit. This card allows you to skip the line for rides or come back to the ride at scheduled time.

Not too shabby of a wait! Line moves steadily. Ride had cool features and exhibits. Seats 20 per…read morecar! It's just funny to see the folks wearing ponchos..? What's the point. You'll dry off eventually but getting wet in jeans will ensure an uncomfortable ride home..

Great vibe with lots of fun people watching. Parking wasn't too bad with the meters…read more There were shops on board walk as well.

What could be better than watching your 8-year old grandson play basketball on a perfect, sunny,…read moreSunday morning at Venice Beach? I really enjoyed the vibe here and it was relaxed, fun and enjoyable. There is aooo much to see here and with the LAPD substation a mere ten yards away from the basketball courts, you would hope that everyone would do the right thing which during my visit, it was all about fun and having a good time. There are many food options in the area and many stores to purchase souvenirs. The basketball courts are in GREAT condition and well-maintained. On this day, several former NBA players came out to coach the younger kids and a fun time was had by all. Definitely a place to visit and relax while working on your tan