First off, getting to Warner Bros Studio Tour was extremely easy! Using the address on their site, Google maps took us directly to the parking structure we needed to go to. As soon as we parked their were arrows to an elevator that took us directly to the sign in office! It was all very easy, fast, an organized and left me relaxed and at ease. It was very busy but they split you up into little tour carts (as seen in the picture) of about 12 to 15 people so you really get a more enjoyable small group experience tailored to your interests.
The first half of the tour is the Backlots, this is the scenic sets: neighborhoods, streets, buildings, nature, etc. I LOVED it. I was stoked to see buildings from Pretty Little Liars, Full House, Friends, and more. If you ask your guide to let you off for a picture they will! It was crazy to me how many different times I had seen the same buildings in different places. Like that Phoebe’s dad technically lives next door to Hannah Marin, or that a Jurassic Park scene was filmed riding over and over and over again on the same 100 foot strip of land.
These are active sets, so if you go at the right time you could see some actors as they’re filming!
It is not until the very last stop of the tour that you get to the Friends set- aka my main attraction and actual reason for going. So the Friends set is a replica and is in a museum type area, it doesn’t stand alone. They have a real Central Perks coffee shop where you can buy coffee and mugs, so that is a must. Farther into the museum is the famous friends set where you can take pictures. They also do a friends scene where people can play the actors or be an extra. If I had the chance to go again, I’d be an extra just so I can stand behind the counter and play with the set!
Other cool stops include prop shops, costume museums, car museums, and sneak peak sets. Currently, the costumes and props consisted mainly of DC costumes and Harry Potter. There was even a sorting hat which was exciting, My dream of being adopted into Gryffindor came true. The main prop shop includes any prop used their and are available for rent. I saw a Tiffany chandelier that costs half a million dollars TO RENT.
Other stops, included current sets, such as Ellen and the Big Bang Theory- some of which cannot be pictured, but we got lucky. Thanks Ellen!
Overall, I would highly recommend this tour to locals and tourists! It’s easy and fun and you get to see a wide range of what goes into Hollywood magic.
