Does the Warner Brothers Tour (Burbank) actually sell out?
 

We will be landing at LAX on July 8th at 9:30am. We'd like to go right to Warner Brothers to take the tour but I'm hesitant to buy time restricted tickets because of the possibility of a flight delay. Do all the tours typically sell out in the Summer? If so I'll have to make other plans for the afternoon. Thx.

It can be a tiresome drive from LAX especially with some construction that's happening around the 10 freeway through the end of the year. I'd book the afternoon for sure, I wouldn't expect you to be into a rental car and safe-and-sound in Burbank until after noontime anyway. Yes they do sell out in July and August and be sure to dress for the heat as most of the tour is out in the sun.

How long do you think the drive is from LAX to Warner Bros on a Wednesday morning after rush hour? Would you take the 405 to 101 or the 110 to 5? Thx.

Good question. You'd probably want to allow for a 1 hour flight delay, plus 90 minutes for car rental pickup since lines at Hertz & others have been slow and annoying lately and because that's the busy travel week after the 4th of July weekend. Then allow an hour to get to WB. So maybe a 2pm tour would be safe...but there is a lunch café attached to the tour or a Claim Jumper across the street so if you have time to kill you'll be able to eat.
You might want to come back and ask for an update in early July re: traffic but supposedly the 10 freeway @ the 405 will be having detours so I would take 105 east to 110 north to 5 north to 134 Ventura West. Exit at Buena Vista and take a sharp left under the bridge onto Riverside Drive. Turn left just before the 2nd stoplight onto Warner Blvd and you'll see the sign for tour parking on the left.

OK great. Thx for the info.

I think the time of entry is a hoax. In February we arrived early and were put on a tour immediately.

However, I was so displeased with the superficial tour our guide gave that I complained and got our admission refunded.

When we took this tour a few years ago our guide was knowledgeable and eager to answer questions. We were taken onto the sets for ER, Friends, and Entertainment Tonight.

In February we were taken onto the set of a show nobody on the tour had ever heard of, and our guide yakked on and on about TV shows she and her mother like and didn't give a convincing answer to any question. She also repeatedly instructed us how behave in case we see a celebrity (even though there were not celebrities in the studio and no show was in production).

The very fun Western set we wandered around in the past has been demolised.

We were looking forward to a display of Warner Brothers history in the museum but instead we got promotions for Batman and Harry Potter.

If you haven't purchased tickets, you may wish to reconsider.

HTtY

Thanks for your post HTTY....very interesting! I haven't bought tickets and don't plan to in advance. I'll see what time we land and if tours are open etc. Honestly we are torn between the WB tour or going to the Reagan library (we only have time for one) so we might just go to the library and call it a day. Thx again.

If the Reagan Library is high on your list of things to do, that would be my choice. I've never been to the Reagan Library, but I've been to several others (including Nixon, FDR, and Hoover) and they were all satisfying experiences.

HTtY

Just a hint about visiting the Reagan Library. Of the several such libraries we have visited, this one has far far more attendees than any of the others, so much so that the parking overflows the main parking lot at the top of the hill and then proceeds down the hill along the access road, and if that fills up, there is another overflow parking lot a short distance away. The museum operates a shuttle to service all these areas.

When we visit, which is frequently, since we live close by, and they have a succession of special exhibits, we drive up the access road to the main parking lot, past the cars parked along the access road. Sometimes there are spaces vacated in the main parking lot. If not, we then proceed down the access road and park in the first space available.

Great - love the "insider info". Your post is already printed out and in my OCD file. :) Thx!