We purchased the 10:30 am Studio Plus tour for $160 but used our local resident discount for…read moreadditional savings. A full Two hour guided tour riding around the back lot on a 15 passenger electric cart. Super knowledgeable driver / tour guide (Zack) talks you through the various backlot sets and sound stages with video presentations on the monitors mounted in the cart. There are several stops where you can get off to experience and hear details about shows and movies that used these specific sets. Very interesting seeing the building facades and landscaped grounds and the history of the studio. Our tour included a snack / continental breakfast and a lunch at the Friends Central Perk cafe restaurant. Both offered a decent selection of food and drink items. In the morning they served juices, coffee, tea, water, chips, cookies, danish to munch on before the tour started. Caveat is you only have 15 minutes to relax and enjoy before leaving for the tour. Lunch break happened at the end of our two hour guided tour. The tour package lunch included a hot or cold entree, side dish and drink. We were surprised at the selection and quality of the food. Various hot and cold sandwiches, salads, chips and a full selection of hot or cold, large or small coffee drinks. Even some blended coffee drinks. We ordered the hot Cuban sandwich, Cobb salad and a large iced coffee latte drink. The Cuban was hot but a little bit soggy but still tasty. Cobb salad super fresh and healthy. Coffee drink was solid with creamy topping. After lunch you begin the self guided portion of the tour which is inside stage 48? Where the restaurant was located. Film technology and costumes on display with various interactive display to participate. Harry Potter, Batman, Superman and other blockbuster movies artwork, costumes and videos on display. So much to discover. Easily spent 2 hours in there. Surprisingly they told us we also had entry into the Superman Experience. We did not know this was part of the tour. It is not mentioned in the marketing online. Unfortunately we ran out of time and had to skip this. Too bad as I think it is super popular. Regardless the tour was unexpectedly very entertaining and enjoyable. Weather was great not too hot. Highly recommended for folks looking for a break from the theme parks. Totally different in a good way from Universal Studio tour.

This is a classic Hollywood experience that takes you behind the scenes of active and historical…read moremovie sets. The tour is done in a group of about 14 people, with an electric cart taking you around facades, sound stages, and other parts of the studio. You can park in the studio garage for $20. We came on a Saturday and found plenty of free street parking nearby. We parked on Avalon Street, around the corner. The arrival experience felt somewhat disorganized. There are two sets of doors to enter the facility, but neither was clearly marked as an entrance. Inside, there is a Starbucks on the left, bathrooms, and what appears to be a ticketing area. We had purchased online tickets for $69 per person as California residents. After going through a metal detector--which went off because of both my wife's and my belts--we were hand-scanned. Several attendants asked to see our tickets without actually scanning them, which added to the feeling that the entrance process could have been better organized. The tour begins with an exhibit about the Warner brothers, who tried their hands at several businesses before becoming successful in the movie industry. The exhibit emphasizes their success in making movies about ordinary people and their everyday problems. I was surprised, however, that it didn't mention that the brothers were Jewish or the antisemitism their family experienced. Given the emphasis on their family background and connection to ordinary people, I thought that historical context was missing. Our guide, Divey, took us around several buildings and lots of facades where movies such as Spider-Man and Inception, as well as numerous television shows, were filmed. We went inside a sound studio and visited several Stage buildings. I ended up learning much more about how movies and television are actually made than I expected. The second part of the tour included a Central Park café surrounded by the Foley sound exhibit, a Friends exhibit, and a gift shop dedicated to the show. We enjoyed cappuccinos while admiring the incredibly realistic cake props. We then boarded an electric tram for the final part of the visit. This was where the signage became confusing again. There was no clear indication that the tram would take us to the Harry Potter exhibit but the line was for the Superman area, which required an additional ticket we didn't have. There was also a minor seating mix-up: an attendant initially told the four of us to sit on the same bench and then asked us to move because only three people were allowed there. The Harry Potter exhibit itself was excellent. Harry's cupboard-under-the-stairs, the chimney with Hogwarts invitations, the Sorting Hat, and especially the Potions shop were spectacular. Overall, we had a great time. Compared with the Universal Studios tour, Warner Bros. felt much less crowded and more contemplative. We also noticed far fewer children than we typically see at Universal, which contributed to the quieter atmosphere. If you're interested in how movies and television are actually made--and especially if you enjoy classic Hollywood, Friends, or Harry Potter--this is a very worthwhile experience. Just expect some confusing signage and a somewhat disorganized arrival process.This version keeps the review positive but credible: the criticisms are specific rather than overwhelming, while the strongest parts of your experience get more emphasis.

I LOVE MINIONS. Like the beings themselves, I'm just okay with the Despicable Me franchise. This is…read morea small "land" but the theming is super cute and the merchandise that they have in the shop is pretty unique and great if you do like the franchise. There's a cafe, a small water park like attraction, the Minions Mayhem ride off to the side, a kiddie ride, some carnival games and the merchandise shop. You can meet a Minion near the Minions Mayhem ride entrance or you can do the photo op with the statues. I always make sure to take a picture with the little rubber ducky one. So cute. Short and quick visit if you don't have kiddos with you and just want to take a gander.

If you have kids or toddlers, you can't go wrong here, it's basically a playground paradise for…read morethem! Bonus points for the splash pad in the summer; the little ones will absolutely love it.

The staff is helpful, answers questions, and gives driving tips. Temp outside was in the middle…read more90's, and track temp wasn't unbearable - when you're on the track and driving it's fine. The actual carts have seen better days. Some are more irky jerky than others. They email and print your race standing. If I go again, I'd go to a different track because this one is kind of smallish and no tunnel.

We hosted a birthday party here for my 9 year old. I had many points of contact with both the party…read moreplanner at corporate and the location before the event. The service on the day was very disappointing. Often, we were unable to find our party host. The food was very delayed coming out despite my asking multiple times beforehand that it be delivered promptly. They do not provide any water to guests - part of the party package is one drink ticket per kid and the options are bottles of water, gatorade, or soda. You can imagine that every kid picked gatorade and was over-sugared and dehydrated. I asked for pitchers of water. The arcade is a room with about 10 games - only half of which work + all of which are filthy. They are very expensive. Our races started almost 30 minutes late. What should have been a fun party ended up being an extra hour long, and really expensive. I have not recommended this venue to friends. No one at corporate, or the venue, has addressed my issues as of April 14, 2026. 4/23/26 Update: Thanks for responding, Jane D. I emailed and called both corporate and the location and no one has gotten back to me. You can send me a direct number and I'll reach out.

We visited Universal Studios Hollywood primarily to attend Halloween Horror Night. We wanted to do…read morea comparison of Hhn and Knots Scary Farm, which we did the night before. During the daytime, the park was fun. We've been here several times, and almost everything was the same, with the exception of the fantastic new roller coaster, Fast and the Furious. This may be one of the best coasters I've ever been on, and definitely one of the most intense. We saw many people getting out of line as they saw what was in their future if they got on this coaster! Halloween Horror Nights at Universal studio really give me mixed feelings. The truth is that if you do not pay the extra $200-ish dollars for the express pass in addition to your $85 ticket, you are going to spend the majority of night standing in lines surrounded by tons of other people standing in lines. HHN is crowded and the houses are so spread out that you'll also spend a lot of time walking from area to area. Because Universal Studios is located on a hill, there's a lot of riding escalators up and down, and the H Lot, which has two houses, is a longgg walk down a reasonably steep Hill. Of course that means it's also a long walk up as step Hill to get back. The houses themselves are done well. This year my favorite houses were three house that was a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, the quinceanera themed house, and the house based on the movie Sinners. The sinner's house even had a flying Remmick, which was super cool. They had some less exciting houses including another year of Stranger Things (yawn). One of the things that I think works against Universal Studios is the sheer size of it compared to a place like Knott's Berry farms who also does Halloween nights. There are "scare zones," areas where scare actors walk around in costume interacting with guests. Basically, except for a few different colored lights, the scary zones at Universal Studios Hollywood are spread out and it really just feels like walking through the theme park on any other night with an occasional saw wielding maniac. I am a bonafide Halloween freak, but I have not come here every year, and I don't see that in my future either. To do it right, it's just too expensive for the payoff. Yes, it's fun, and I will be back for sure, it's just not the every year kind of place for me.

Visited Universal Studios Hollywood on a Friday for Grad Bash. We had an amazing time. I was…read morefortunate enough to be one of the parent chaperones for my child's school. This day was specifically for Grad Bash therefore Universal Studios was not congested and the wait times on attractions and rides were not too long. Staff at Universal Studios were helpful and courteous. The longest wait time we had which was not even that long was the tram. We waited about 10-15 minutes for the tram. We also had to stop thrice since our tram broke down and we had to wait for the replacement tram to arrive. We saw several attractions and went on several rides. It was a breeze for us. We didn't really that long to see the attractions nor get on rides. This was a fun and memorable day for all of us. Thank you Universal Studios Hollywood. Until next time.

So the train ride is a lot of fun and we love taking our daughter here…read more The conductor Vincent is great. He does a good pace and is very welcoming. The conductor Edgar is not as welcoming and his pace is off. It either is too fast, too slow and can jolt. The main reason the score is not higher is because it is a little run down and scenery is not maintained well.

Such a fun cheap outdoor activity for the family in Griffith Park. It's all by itself now since the…read morepony rides are gone. I wonder if they plan on putting a playground or something in its place. I think that would be a nice spot for a playground so that there's more to do than just the train. The train ride itself is 10-15 mins and they have the area decorated depending on the holiday. We went near Easter and they had bunnies, eggs, carrots, etc all inside. Really nice. If you used to go here as a kid, definitely come back with your kids. Nostalgia will hit and it'll be just as you remembered it.

First time here with my family in the summer heat!…read more Parking is plentiful when we arrived right before opening! The entrance is a short walk from the lot. On your way to the entrance , there are lots of vendors: food, aqua Fresca, clothing, hats, umbrellas, etc! So if you forget something at home, You'll be fine! Note/ there are people who protest at the front gate but they didn't bother anyone. Inside the zoo, there's a coffee bean truck, dippin dots, ice cream trucks , plenty of spots to purchase food , drinks, snacks, and refreshments. I saw a few grills and cafes as well. Overall look of the zoo echos many reviews left on Yelp, of it being run down and looking old and needing some maintenance. One thing to point out, the staff at ticketing gate didn't check my purse or diaper bag.... I would think just for security measures they would check pockets and bags. There is an area for kids / playground. There's also a small area where you can get up close with Vietnamese pigs and brush goats! There were no horses, elephants, or lions. I liked the how the zoo created an environment where it felt like we were traveling to Africa or North America , or Asia! I really like the Asian themed bamboos, and temple like structure! It was my favorite part! We purchased pictures taken by the photographer at the end of the trip for memories! It was nice to enjoy this time with my family. Thanks LA ZOO!

Visited on Labor Day and it was such a sad looking zoo. Many exhibits were empty, dilapidated and…read moredepressing. The exhibits that did have animals were not well kept and looked neglected. Not sure how this Zoo is still operating under the City. They should transfer all animals to other thriving zoos in the U.S. -- they deserve better! Nonetheless, we made a mistake going here. It was not good at all! Btw, the women's bathroom door locks have SCREWS as the lock handle . So ghetto.

This is such a cute spot for a low cost birthday party! While we were only attendees recently at my…read moreson's classmate's party, I can't imagine booking one of the picnic areas for a party to be any more expensive than it is at a regular park ... but normal parks don't have a huge number of full sized trains laying around, a train museum, and a rideable train (only $2-3 per ticket) that goes around the whole place! If your kid is a train lover, this is a great FREE place to visit. I still can't believe it was free lol. There's a play place for kids inside the museum, but you have to provide your own train toy for the tracks there. There's a gift shop near the museum where you can buy those. We bought our son one of those that you pull backwards, then it goes fast in forward motion on its own. Totally worth the $12 price tag because he hasn't put it down since, and even sleeps with it lol. You can't get into any of the trains, BUT there is a black one under the awning where many of them are that you CAN go up into. The kids were obsessed. There's plenty of space on the property to setup a picnic for the day that doesn't involve having to rent one of the covered spots. We were there for 3-4 hours walking around the grounds with the kids - a huge group of 3-7 year olds - and none of them got bored.

Such an incredible free park! We enjoyed the train ride and exploring all the historical trains!read more

This Jurassic themed playground is interactive and educational, perfect for dinosaur lovers and any…read moreyoung ones who need to burn off some energy climbing, sliding, running, learning, and swinging while parents find some shade to lounge. The main and centered attraction is the ceratopsian dinosaur jungle gym with rope elements and a pebble bridge. Framing the fossil-like dinosaur is a bridge with two entrances, a stairway on the right or a vertical multi-platform climb on the left. The educational dig site includes a fossil finder among other activities using the naked eye, handheld magnifying glasses, or stationary binoculars. A periscope is also situated nearby. The hanging percussion chimes encourage everyone to learn the beginning of Jurassic Park's movie theme song and, of course, impromptu music play. There's also a rainmaker spinner.

My kids loves coming here. There's a net suspension bridge on the upper level and a playground on…read morethe lower level. On the side there's a magnifying glass with Dino footprints for archeological exploration. There's also chimes to hit with music notes instructions. It's a small space with lots to do.

How cool is it to live somewhere where you can just visit the old zoo while taking a stroll through…read morethe park? Pretty cool if you ask me. After living in LA for just under two years my wife and I figured it was about time we actually checked this place out. We came here with all three of our dogs on a Sunday morning and it was a really cool experience. When you arrive to Griffith Park all you really have to do is follow the signs and it'll lead you right to a small parking lot, usually also loaded with man-made signs for kids birthday parties and such. Once you park, you have to follow a trail and walk up a slight hill for like two minutes before you are suddenly staring at some old enclosures and such. These enclosures are fully open, meaning you can walk right up to them, inside of them, and check them out yourself. If you follow the path a little more you are able to go up a hill and explore behind the bigger exhibits (which I was unable to do this day thanks to some recent lung issues). I have no idea how big the actual old zoo area is, but the area we saw was really freaking cool and definitely has me itching to come back when I'm 100% in order to see everything. Overall, The Old Zoo is cool chance to go back in time for free and experience old some Los Angeles. The park is free, parking is free, and guess what? Checking out the old zoo is free too. You really can't go wrong with some slight exploration and cool photo opportunities. I look forward to coming back soon and exploring some more.

Not anything huge to see, but something unique if you're wanting to do a hiking trail anyway.read more

This is a very popular section of the Universal, gets crowded very quickly. There are two big rides…read morehere. One of the rides requires putting bags in lockers. The whole area is designed like Hogwarts, with artificial snow on roofs and brick footwalk alleys. There are several magic spell spots where fans swing their wands to caste their spells. In the area they also got couple of shops (one for wands and one for other merchandise products), one dessert/candy store, a standing cart serving butter beers and a replica of the Hogwarts Express Train with the conductor standing next to the train, ready to take pictures with the guests. After Super Mario World, this was my second favorite part of the park, despite not being a Harry Potter fan. It was fun to see people trying to use their wand and be like Harry. Others were busy trying out the butter beer. There was a also large shaded resting area for guests that attracted a lot of people taking a break.

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.