While Burbank’s primary attraction may be the studio tours, there is still plenty to do in a city that was built by “people, pride, and progress.” Let’s start by reviewing the downtown area of Burbank. Here, right along San Fernando Blvd and Magnolia you can find a variety of malls, shopping centers, restaurants and entertainment centers along a tree-shaded path. There is also a lively pedestrian walk along the way and lots of free parking.

There is also plenty to see at the Starlight Bowl 2010 venue found on Lockheed View Drive. The Starlight Bowl hosts many concerts and live events throughout the year and offers stadium seating. In August, guests can look forward to Berlin and the Spazmatics Concert. Also in August is the 7th Annual “Come Out & Dance!” summer music festival. This will be held at San Fernando Boulevard at Palm Avenue. This summer there will be eight nights of dance entertainment. For the month of August guests can look forward to Orquesta Charangoa and Cuban Salsa style, Ronnie Gutierrez and Puerto Rican/Brazilian, Yari Moré Y Su Orquesta and Pete Escovedo Orchestra and his Latin Jazz.

In November, visitors can catch the CTN Animation Expo, which is a celebration of animation art, both digital and hand-animated. This celebration is found on North Hollywood Way. The event helps to promote animation, education, film and video. There are also a variety of plays, musicals and live events that tour across the summer and autumn seasons, including past hits like Chips: the Musical, Fever! and Element Band and Mariachi Divas Concert. If you like singing and dancing you can’t miss this event!

There is plenty to do in Burbank even after all the studios have closed. Come experience the spectacle of the city, a city often called the “media capital of the world.” Burbank is a city fueled by the entertainment industry!

The Burbank Warner Bros. Studios Tour is one of the best things to do in Burbank. It is placed higher for tourist satisfaction than the NBC Studios tour. What can you expect to find here? First, you will doubly appreciate this behind-the-scenes tour if you love popular TV shows and movies. If you are a big TV watcher then you will be able to pinpoint the numerous references and details of the sets that you watch every week.

Celebrity sightings are not common, but they have been known to happen. Some tourists will tell you that they ran into so and so while touring the lot, while others may not see anyone they know. No matter, you will enjoy the experience of being on a studio set. You will get to see sound stages, fake streets and TV scenery. Another added bonus is “green screen photography” which lets you take part in a live visual effect.

Some of the famous sets you can see include the Ellen show, Gilmore Girls, George Lopez, the set of Chuck, Harry Potter, Spiderman and TrueBlood. You will definitely recognize sets from popular shows (no longer on the air) like ER and Friends. You can also buy souvenirs from the gift shop or eat ice cream at a studio parlor. Some other perks on the tour may include (depending on availability) tickets to the Ellen show, access to the Warner Bros Museum, a buggy ride around the lot, and a three-course meal at the Warner Bros Fine Dining Room.

If you love movies and TV, then you will appreciate this trip. Walking on the set of your favorite program will be a surreal feeling, worthy of an amusement park ride comparison. A tour at Warner Bros. truly makes TV and cinema magic come to life.

Are you planning on a trip to Burbank? What’s nice about Burbank is that you can easily travel to the city without having to take a week off work. You can tour the studios on the weekend or take a day off to spend with some of the entertainment industry’s most important faces.

For starters, you have to make plans to witness a TV show taping. TV audiences are needed for a variety of TV productions, including talk shows, game shows and situation comedies. You can buy tickets from a website, though you must buy them about a month in advance of the tapings. Tickets are free. Three must-see locations are the Warner Bros. VIP Studio Tour, NBC Studios and the Burbank Media Center.

The Warner Bros. studio includes car tours that visit back lot sets and soundstages. There is also a Warner Bros. museum on the tour. Tours are given on a first-come, first served basis. The studio tour is comparable price-wise to an amusement park. Bear in mind that some tours last hours and thus cost more.

NBC Studios offer tours of their productions, including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (yes, Jay Leno again…Conan remains a missing person). The Burbank Media Center is the legendary location that has hosted many comedians and variety shows throughout the years.

In addition to these attractions there are also shops, movie theaters, eateries and malls. The lush Pickwick Gardens is worth a look, as is the De Bell Golf Course and the luxurious Burbank Spa and Garden. Nickelodeon Animation Studios is a pleasant surprise to anyone that has ever wanted to see a “live cartoon” style atmosphere. Will there be an in-person cameo by a retired Ren or Stimpy? That’s the sort of thing you have to find out for yourself. Come see Burbank, a great place for entertainment!

If you even get close to Burbank when you visit California, then you would be silly not to go see the taping of a show.  The summer months can be harder to plan, because most shows take a summer break, but you can still find several if you really know how to plan it.  You can do a quick web search for the agencies that handle the ticketing, but you really need to do so in advance.  These shows sell out quickly, and for good reason.  Sitting in the audience and watching the magic happen firsthand is quite exciting, and everyone jumps at the chance to get in on the action.  The tickets are usually available thirty days before the taping but, as you can imagine, they sell out quickly.  The popular shows always go first, too, so you will really need to be on the ball.

The great thing, though, is that the tickets are free.  The studio is mostly concerned with filling the seats, so they give away tickets to ensure a responsive audience.  If you don’t plan far enough in advance, you might end up at a taping for a show that doesn’t interest you at all, but it turns out that doesn’t matter, so don’t pass up the chance just because you can’t get in to see the most popular shows.  When you enter the studio and see all of the equipment and crew, there is a buzz that starts deep in your soul.  When the director calls action, and everything jumps to life, you will feel like you’re watching your favorite show.  The magic is infectious, too.  All you have to do is look around you at all of the other smiling faces in the audience to know that you are not the only one that finds the whole process so amazing.

It’s true that there are literally hundreds of things to do when you’re in the Burbank, California area.  With theme parks, television studios, and the beach, your days will be packed with fun and excitement.  You definitely should not miss out on the chance to enjoy these attractions, because you really can’t find anything comparable in the rest of the United States.  Just make sure that you take some time to visit the downtown area of Burbank, too, while you’re at it.

There is a bit of a Main Street, America feel to the heart of the city.  With hundreds of stores and restaurants, you can spend several days wandering the town and still not manage to see it all.  Even with all of the shops and eateries, though, you will still feel as though you’re in a small town, where everyone is friendly and waves when they pass.

If you’re lucky enough to travel to Burbank during one of their festivals, then you definitely cannot leave it off of your schedule.  The summer months are really the best, because there is a block party every Thursday.  What is more “small town” than a block party?  With live music, food, and drinks, you can dance the night away under the stars, and maybe make a few new friends, too.

The city also hosts art festivals during the spring and fall, as well as a food and wine tasting in October.  The holiday seasons bring out all sorts of people, especially during Halloween and the Christmas season.  These are definitely the best times to visit the city, so try to plan your visit around them, if you can.  If not, you can still feel that bustling vibe every Saturday at the Farmer’s Market.  Even if you don’t buy a thing, you’ll still take home some amazing memories of Burbank.

You might consider Burbank the home of the Hollywood blockbuster or number one television show, and you would be right.  There is another side to the history of Burbank that a lot of people forget to consider, and that’s the role that the city has played in aviation.  The entire area, in fact, has been a huge part in the development and construction of some of the world’s groundbreaking airplanes.

If you have ever wondered about the history of flight in America, then Burbank is the perfect place to find your answers.  In fact, there is an aviation museum in the city that contains all kinds of incredible flight memorabilia, from photos and interviews to the actual airplanes themselves.  Did you know that the Stealth Fighter and the SR-71 were developed in Burbank?  Some of the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers have called Burbank home at some point in time, including Lockheed Aircraft, Vega Aircraft, and Flying Tigers Airline.  At the Burbank Aviation Museum, you can get a firsthand look at these amazing machines.  You can also see exhibits that feature some of Burbank’s most famous pilots, including Howard Hughes, Amelia Earhart, and Charles Lindbergh.

If that isn’t exciting enough, you also have a chance to become a part of the local history, yourself.  The museum is constantly trying to add more to their collection.  If you have stories about the history of aviation, or artifacts that could shed some light on the development of aircraft, then the museum would be thrilled to receive them.  It is important that we remember where we came from so that we can continue to walk a straight line toward the future.  Without some help from those that actually lived it, the Burbank Aviation Museum might never be able to bring us information about our history.