When looking for great L.A. city tours to take, LAdventure Tour should be at the top of your list! We are a luxury tour company that will make your interests and comfort a priority! Once you have been given a lay of the land by LAdventure Tour let us make some other suggestions for things to do,
Universal Studios is one of the most popular attractions in the Los Angeles area and the best of all studio tours. Universal Studios Hollywood features rides and amusements based on some of the most popular scenes and characters from film and television. Jump on a tram and take a tour through the prehistoric world of “Jurassic Park” and past the Bates Motel from “Psycho”, which still looks the same as it did over 50 years ago. See perhaps history’s most famous shark, Jaws, as it rises up from the waters and scares all those around. Kids can shake hands and get photographs with their favorite cartoon characters like Sponge Bob Square Pants, Bugs Bunny and Scooby-Doo. Or if you’re up for some thrills, there are plenty of rides to go on, like the “Transformers: The Ride-3D”, where riders join Optimus Prime in his battle against the Decepticons.
Universal Studios welcomes hordes of tourists each day all year around so expect a wait in line for entry. A one-day general admission for an adult is $87 and $79 for those aged 3 to 9. (To forgo the long waits, we suggest you purchase the Front of Line passes, which cost $139, online).
Universal Studios is located just north of Hollywood at Universal City. Driving is the quickest way to get there and parking is available ranging between $10 and $16, depending on what time of day you visit, or otherwise you can take the metro and get off at Universal City. The amusement park is open daily; hours most days are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the spring and summer, though the park sometimes stays open until 10 p.m.; fall and winter hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Catalina Island
Only 22 miles of the Los Angeles coastline, Catalina looks like it could be one of the many exotic islands situated in the Mediterranean. The island offers many romantic settings from beachfront hotels with beautiful views to relaxing restaurants on the harbor. The real charm of the island is in its unpretentious, laid-back ambiance, enough to get you chilled out in no time. Take one of the many scenic tours available on the island. Very popular is the exploration of Catalina’s marine life. You can do this by taking a glass-bottom boat or an undersea adventure on a state of the art submarine. There are many fine restaurants on the island and in the evening you might like to dine at one of the harbor-side restaurants followed by a nice stroll along the shore. And don’t worry about renting a car here – the locals here drive golf carts instead. A report released by the Natural Resources Defense Council listed Avalon as one of the 10 most chronically polluted beaches in the nation for failing state health tests. But don’t worry about that as the sharks are far more likely to get you before the pollution does. Getting to Catalina is easy and fun. You can get to Catalina Island from four mainland ports in Southern California – San Pedro, Long Beach, Newport Beach or Dana Point. San Pedro and Long Beach are the closest points of embarkation and the ride is only about an hour by boat. Adults can travel for $75.50 round trip. Seniors (55+) $70. Children (2 to 11) $59 and infants (under 2) $5.
California Science Center
As a kid, go to learn and have fun. As an adult, go feel like you’re a kid again. The California Science Center is one of the West Coast’s most interesting museums. Very spacious with the museum offering a wide variety of exhibits on timely topics. Unlike similar institutions in other locations, the California Science Center has so many exhibits that even on a busy day you don’t have to wait long to try any of them. The museum features four main exhibit areas. World of Life probes the commonalities of the living world, from the single-celled bacterium to the 100-trillion-celled human being; Creative World examines the ways people use technology to meet their needs for transportation, communication and structures; and Ecosystems, a major expansion opened in March of 2010, features an unprecedented blend of nearly 400 species of live plants and animals, and hands-on exhibits in 11 immersive environments. Perhaps the most exciting display there is the Endeavour Space Shuttle which opened to the public on October 30, 2012. Guests who come to see Endeavour will begin their experience with Endeavour: The California Story, a companion exhibit featuring images and artifacts that relate the shuttle program to California, where the orbiters were built. Following their visit to The California Story, guests will be directed to the Samuel Oschin Pavilion to see the Endeavour Space Shuttle. Admission to the California Science Center’s exhibitions is free.
www.californiasciencecenter.org
See Los Angeles from the sky
Call us at LAdventure Tour (Local: (323) 485-2025 Toll Free: (844) 528-6877) to plan your tour of Los Angeles from up above in a Piper or Cessna airplane with our friends at Skyward Aviation. We’ll take you to the Santa Monica Airport and from there you can get up in the air for 30 minutes, flying over the pristine Southern California beaches and Malibu, see the Hollywood Hills, get a nice view over Dodger Stadium and downtown Los Angeles before making a final run over Beverly Hills and then back to Santa Monica. Or go up for an hour and also head south to the Port of Long Beach and see the Queen Mary and Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose from up above and then fly back to Santa Monica along Southern California’s beautiful coastline. We’ll be waiting for you on the ground when you return.
Hollywood & Highland
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028
(323) 817-0220
Located in the heart of Hollywood, this is among the most visited tourist destinations in Los Angeles. One could say it is more or less the epicenter of what people think of when they imagine Hollywood. Steps away from landmarks like the Chinese Theatre and the world famous Walk of Fame, Hollywood & Highland is the perfect place for a Hollywood beginning. You’ll see role-playing actors in costume milling about to amuse the crowds. There are also street musicians parked on the curb, playing their guitars and saxophones. At the nearby Chinese Theatre are close to 200 famous celebrity handprints and footprints in the cement and walking there you’ll see some of the biggest movie star names on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This is where red carpet events take place, bringing traffic to a halt for blocks in every direction. There are also plenty of stores, snack shops, restaurants and entertainment, including two theaters, two nightclubs, a bowling alley, occasional live concerts, and the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa for guests who want to stay in the middle of it all. Street parking can be near impossible unless you try parking south of Hollywood Boulevard on the side streets and the parking lots are expensive and fill up fast. But the LA Metro (subway system) is right there for your convenience of then just jump in an taxi. The Center is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.