Sun Island Resort - LA Movie Studio Opens Door to Fans

Vist Los Angeles and you're sure to come across movies being made -- whether out in the street by your hotel or in one of several studios that are open for studio tours.

Including some where the chances are good you'll see a real movie star, but there are several that do allow tours. Today most of the studios are closed to the public except when audiences are needed for live shows or when the call goes out for extras to populate various movie scenes.

The theme park has grown over the years incorporating new attractions that match up with some of the hottest movies produced at Universal, built along a hillside in Universal City. Which now includes its movie studio tour as just one small part of a Disneyland-like theme park with elaborate rides and attractions all having something to do with the movies, the granddaddy of movie studio tours has to be Universal Studios Hollywood.

Adding new attractions on a regular basis to encourage visitors to return, this theme park has seemed to grow dramatically, even since then, we had been back to the park in the 90's but. The overall experience seemed much more of a complete entertainment package than when the tour was just a movie studio tour with few additional attractions, on our recent visit to the park, we first visited Universal more than 30 years ago so.

And from the theme park down to the actual movie lot, the park has installed an elaborate 21st Century system of escalators to whisk visitors all over the hilly terrain both from the parking lot, alas, we chose the former because we need the exercise - but. Lower priced parking that requires a little walking and premium parking that is closer to the park, visitors to the park are now greeted with a choice of parking.

But were not nearly as exhausted as we might have been standing in lines that each appeared to be 45 minutes to an hour long, we felt we saw everything we wanted to see in one day. Never standing in line more than five minutes, hot lines all day (typical of most Southern California theme parks) we were quickly zipping between the best attractions, instead of waiting in long. It is a bit pricey - at $99.95 it's about double what you'll pay if you buy a regular pass online - but it totally changes the experience. One of the highlights of our Universal visit was a discovery we made: the Front of the Line Pass.

The Front of the Line Pass is a great invention and is perfect for middle-agers who no longer want to spend hours in theme park lines.

Which includes an 85-foot drop, and guests also really like the moderate thrill rides and roller coaster in the Revenge of the Mummy as well as the Jurassic Park ride, hydraulic rides like Back to the Future have been popular for many years. But something less than the roller coasters at Six Flags, most rides at Universal are relatively tame - not quite the kiddie-land variety.

A group of actors and stunt persons puts on a show filled with acrobatic feats and pyrotechnics climaxed by an almost full-scale airplane startling spectators by landing in the water right in front of their seats. Which apparently is doing a lot better than the movie ever did, we were especially impressed with the Waterworld show.

A new Fast and Furious demonstration adds another thrill with two race cars hurtling toward the tram through the magic of hydraulics. But now you also drive right through the plane crash scene from War of the Worlds, you can still see where Spartacus was filmed. But now the tour includes a stop on Wysteria Lane to see the Desperate Housewives, longtime attractions like the original Psycho house are still there. But the experience was much the same as it was back in the 70's - only the TV shows and movies have changed, the trams have been updated to offer TV commentary by stars like Whoopi Goldberg. The tour is still conducted on the famous trams that snake their way through the Universal back lot. But don't forget to take the studio tour - the thing that got all of this started decades ago. Top-notch shows - everything to keep you busy for much longer than a day, attractions, there are numerous rides.

" the former location of Mayberry where all the outdoor scenes on the Andy Griffith Show were filmed, did you know that you can visit a Culver City industrial area that was once the "Forty Acre Back lot, and? The Flintstones: Viva Rock Vegas and numerous TV series, quinn Medicine Woman. The Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills was home to productions like Dr, for example. But there are many other fascinating locations around town, movie-making. Universal Studios is one of the best and easiest ways to get a close-up view of L.A.

There are still other interesting studio tours you can take: in addition,

Phone 818-972-TOUR. But it was fun seeing the actual sets for shows like Friends, you may have a better chance here of seeing a star - we didn't, since numerous productions are ongoing at any given time. Visitors get to see the costume department as well as the mill that creates the sets. All of the sets and props here are real and not just for the benefit of the tourists. With stops along the way at television and movie sets, visitors are escorted in groups of 12 through the Warner Brothers lot. Burbank - We enjoyed this two-hour tour which we took a few years back, warner Brothers Studios.

Phone 323-520-TOUR. And where shows like Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune are taped, the studio is where Men in Black and Spiderman were filmed, in more recent years. Sound stages and historic scenery, sets, it's the former MGM Studios and offers a walking tour of the studio's back lot. And was the place where they made the Wizard of Oz, culver City -- this is the home of amazing Hollywood history, sony Pictures Studios.

Phone 818-840-3537. Control room areas and the tour gives you a great overview of how network television is produced, the guided walking tour takes you into the warehouses where costumes and props are stored. Including the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, burbank - These studios are where many a live television show has been taped, nBC TV Studio Tour.

AT A GLANCE

While you'll pay twice that for preferred parking, general parking will cost you $10. The theme park is easily accessed using Highway 101 North. Just north of downtown Los Angeles, wHERE: Universal Studios Hollywood is located in Universal City.

WHAT: Universal Studios Hollywood offers the most complete experience of any movie studio tour - a major theme park and a tour through the actual working areas of Universal Studios.

Wear sunscreen and be prepared for summertime temperatures to be quite warm in the California sun. WHEN: Year-round.

Any trip to Universal Studios Hollywood is as much about visiting the theme park as the movie studio. WHY: While the Universal Studios tour is the most slickly produced of the movie studio tours - which is not necessarily an advantage - it offers a major theme park right next door.

Phone 1-800-UNIVERSAL or visit http://www.universalstudioshollywood.com, hOW: For more information on Universal Studios Hollywood.