Universal Studios Hollywood is a movie studio as well as a the first original Universal Studios Theme Park, Universal Studios is one of the oldest Hollywood studios still in use and operating year around. The park is located in Universal City, a big entertainment city located north of Hollywood. It's easy to reach by car as well as by public transport.
The park started as a studio tour which still is available on the backlot of the park. There is a narrated tram, formerly known as the Glamortram, that runs through the the studios. It also runs through the active part of the studio where you might get to see some movie action going on. The park is divided in 3 areas, the Upper Lot, Lower Lot and Back Lot. The rides and attractions are at the lower and upper lot, the backlot is, as mentioned previously, still an active part of the actual studio's. The Lower and Back Lot are connected by a huge escalators called the Starway.
Their main mascot is Woody Woodpecker, a character of Walter Lantz. They also have many other characters entertaining guests in the park such as The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, Shrek, SpongeBob, Dora The Explorer and many more.
Future Plans Universal bought 40 acres from the city of Los Angeles and the park will expand in the next 7 years. In 2011 they open a new part of the Studio Tour called King Kong: The 8th Wonder of the World. This will replace the King Kong Encounter. Also in 2011 they add Transformers: The Ride which will replace Back-draft and Special Effects Stages.
