Culver City: The Heart of Screenland

Culver City. Located halfway between Hollywood and the coast, Culver City shares a glamorous history of its own. Known as "Screenland," the area boasts two film studios.

If game shows are your thing, you can also be a part of the studio audience for Jeopardy! or Wheel of Fortune (for tickets call 800/482-9840). The area of Culver City itself has seen revitalization in recent years as visitors discover the charming district of the area's "downtown."

The hotel is in the heart of Culver City, and the surrounding area is loaded with shops, cafés, the art deco-style Pacific Movie Theatre (310/360-9565), and a vibrant art gallery scene.

Culver City Studios. Culver City Studios is best known as the location where Gone With the Wind was filmed in addition to classics including Citizen Kane and the Desilu Productions TV hits of the '50s including The Andy Griffith Show, Lassie, and Batman. This studio does not offer tours to the public. 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, Los Angeles, CA, 90232. 310/202-1234. www.theculverstudios.com).

Sony Studios. Sony Studios, where movie magic from Wizard of Oz to Spiderman was made, offers two-hour walking tours ($33, reservation recommended) to dive into their rich TV and blockbuster film history. 10202 W. Washington, Culver City, Los Angeles, CA, 90232. 310/244-8687. www.sonypicturesstudios.com.

Culver Hotel. In the heart of Culver City is the Culver Hotel, built in 1924 and now preserved as a Historical Landmark; it will catch your eye with its old-world glory and lobby entrance with its sweeping dark wood and high ceiling that's a seductive as the many classic film stars that took up residency here over the years including Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Wayne, Clark Gable, Buster Keaton, Ronald Reagan, and cast members from Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind as they filmed in the nearby studio.

Look out for window displays about the hotel's storied past, including details about how the 124 munchkins who stayed here while filming Oz amused themselves. 9400 Culver Blvd., Culver City, Los Angeles, CA, 90232. 310/838-7963. www.culverhotel.com.

Museum of Jurassic Technology. One museum with its own unique spin is the Museum of Jurassic Technology, with an oddball assortment of natural (and partly fictional) "art" pieces such as fruit stone carvings, theater models, string figures, finds from mobile home parks, and a tribute room filled with paintings of dogs from the Soviet Space Program, all housed in a low-lighted haunted house-style atmosphere that makes you feel as if the Addams' Family butler will come to greet you at any moment. 9341 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA. 310/836-6131. www.mjt.org. $5. Thurs. 2-8, Fri.-Sun. noon-6.