Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
191
Exhibit
(the world's largest and most colorful baboons). The gargantuan Andean condor
had me enthralled as well (the facility is renowned in zoological circles for the successful
breeding and releasing of California condors, and occasionally some of these majestic and
endangered birds are on exhibit). Kids will also enjo y the
Winnick Family Children's
Zoo,
which contains a petting ar ea, exhibition animal-car e center, Adventure Theater
storytelling and puppet show, and other kid-hip exhibits and activities.
Tip:
To avoid the
busloads of rambunctious school kids, arriv e after noon.
5333 Zoo Dr., Griffith Park.
&
323/644-4200.
www.lazoo.org. Admission $12 adults, $9 seniors 62 and
over, $7 kids ages 2-12, free for children 1 and under. Daily 10am-5pm (until 6pm July 1 t o Labor Day).
Closed Dec 25. Free parking.
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STUDIO & SIGHTSEEING TOURS
STUDIO TOURS
In addition to the studios list below,
Universal Studios
offers daily 1-hour tram tours
of its studio lot as par t of the general admission price to the amusement par k, which is
open from 9am to 7pm in the summer and from 10am to 6pm in the winter. See p. 162
for more information.
NBC Studios
Kids
According to a security guar d, John Wayne and Redd Foxx once
got into a fight here after Wayne refused to ride in the same limo as Foxx, who called the
movie star a “redneck.” Well, your NBC tour will probably be a bit more docile than that.
The guided indoor walking tour includes a behind-the-scenes unstaged look at
The
Tonight Show with Conan O 'Brien
set (p. 197 on ho w to get fr ee Conan tickets); war d-
robe, makeup, and set-building departments; and several sound studios. In fact, NBC is
the only TV studio that offers the public a behind-the-scenes look at the inner wor kings
of its television operation, and it's a lot less expensive than the competition's studio tours.
Granted, it doesn't have the cachet of a major motion pictur e studio tour, but it's enter-
taining nonetheless.
Tours depart at the top of the hour M onday through Friday from 9am to 3pm, and
tickets are sold at the G uest Relations Department (bring cash—they don 't take cr edit
cards). Also, this is one of the few studio tours that doesn't have a minimum age require-
ment.
Note:
Before you make the driv e to Burbank be sure to call the studio and make
sure tours are being offered that day and aren't already sold out.
3000 W. Alameda Ave. (off California St.), Burbank.
&
818/840-3537.
Tours $8.50 adults, $7.50 seniors
60 and over, $5 children ages 5-12, fr ee for children 4 and under . Mon-Fri 9am-3pm. Parking lots and
metered street parking.
Paramount Pictures
Paramount is the only major studio still located in H ol-
lywood, which makes the 2-hour “cart tour” around its Hollywood headquarters far more
historically enriching than the modern studios in B urbank (even the wrought-iron gates
Gloria Swanson motored through in
Sunset Boulevard
are still there). The tour is both an
historical ode to filmmaking and a real-life, behind-the-scenes look at working movie and
television facilities in day-to-day operation; ergo, no two tours ar e alike, and chances of
spotting a celebrity are pretty good. Visits typically include a walk-through of the sound-
stages of TV shows or feature films, though you can't enter while taping is taking place.
The $35 tours depar t Monday through Friday
by advance reservations only.
You need to
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