Going Behind the Movies in Southern California

Universal Studios loves to immerse you in movies, so you walk from one “set” to another in the park, like this 1930′s New York street. Around the corner you’ll find the streets of Europe and even Springfield from The Simpsons. Now, you can also walk right into the world of The Walking Dead with a new walk-through attraction featuring scenes from the show and scare actors. I’ll tell you what. The music starting as soon as you walk in under the downed helicopter genuinely freaked me out a bit, and a more once I realized that I wasn’t even in the attraction yet, just the line. Unfortunately, they don’t let you take pictures inside (not that I would have had any non-blurry ones probably), but it’s kind of realistic and it made me glad we aren’t in a zombie apocalypse. I made it through the whole thing without dying though, so go me. 

Budget and Bonus tips: Buy your Universal tickets online to get the best price. Look for two days for the price of one to get more for your money. This also means you can skip the Front Of The Line Pass, which will save you even more. If you get to the park and someone asks you if you’d like to do a survey once you’ve made it through the gate, do it. We were able to get a line skip pass for the tram and basically could choose any seats we wanted without waiting at all. If you want to take pictures of the cars on display, aim to sit on the left side. We made a point to go on the tour twice and sat on opposite sides, so we could see some things better on each ride.

While you’re in Burbank for the Warner Bros. tour, take time to head into town and check out a place called It’s A Wrap! If you love to see costumes and clothing from the big screen, this is where you go to see if you can get your hands on some at deep discounts, because the studios don’t keep everything that they’ve used, mostly because characters don’t generally rewear outfits and they don’t have unlimited space for pieces that aren’t phenomenal. 

I was excited to see some pieces from the show Girl Meets World, but disappointed that I couldn’t fit into any of it. Obviously, I’m much larger than a 12 year old girl. LOL! Bummer. I especially enjoyed this skirt.

Each tag gives you the code of the show it’s from (and sometimes it’s just a general studio) and most everything in the store has been marked down several times. This skirt was a DOLLAR! I’m still sad I couldn’t fit into it. 

It’s A Wrap! is a large store with two floors that has everything from undergarments to shoes to jewelry to some props. We left with 5 pieces and spend under $50. 

While you’re in the area, and you’re hungry, head up Magnolia about a mile and hit up the Donut Hut. It doesn’t look like much, but it’s perfect if you’re on a budget or in a hurry. They specialize in doughnuts (as the name suggests), but they also have sandwiches, hot dogs and burgers.

Eric and I ordered the ham and cheese croissant sandwiches, though we weren’t entirely positive that’s what we were ordering at the time, as the sign for it was right next a picture of a hoagie sandwich. They only take cash, but two of these hearty sandwiches, which were amazing, and a doughnut cost us less than $10. 

The doughnuts weren’t anything to write home about, but if you like a doughnut and you’re there, grab a couple, because they’re still good. I just wouldn’t go out of my way to get them here. And if you’re looking for some vintage looking clothing, you’ll find Unique Vintage a block away. This store specializes in 50s skirts and 20s flapper dresses. While they aren’t actually vintage, they look it and are quite well made. The prices aren’t cheap, but you pay for the quality, so I’d definitely recommend a stop in if you’re looking for something in that realm.

What are your favorite movies that you’d love to see props and clothing from?