Studio Tour in the Afternoon
If you are going to Universal Studios, you have to do the Backlot Tour. After all Universal is known for it's Hollywood magic and on this tour, it brings that to life with famous backdrops/scenes from: The Bates Motel, Desperate Housewives, Back To The Future, Scorpion King, War of the Worlds, and more. Normally the best time to do this tour will be in the late afternoon when heats rise as you will be in a covered tram during the entire tour. Bonus hint: tour closes well before the park does so plan around it.
1994 - Backlot Earthquake
After the Northridge Earthquake, guests were given the option to hop off the tram during the 8.3 scale earthquake simulation and then hop on once it was done.
Mixed Sized Western Doors
While on the backlot tour, it you look closely you will see that some of the doorways on the Western sets are different sizes. The reason for this was because of the size difference of people way back when Westerns were king - cowboys were normally short and damsels appeared more in distress when next to a huge door frame.
Norman Bates, Psycho
When Universal had live actors originally playing Norman Bates while on the backlot tour, he would grab guests. Well one time a guest grabbed him back and kept holding on as the tram started to drive away. Needless to say, the rules quickly changed for actor safety. Now you can expected to see an actor that resembles either Antony Perkins (from the original Psycho) or Vince Vaugh (the remake) putting a dead body in the truck of a car at least 5 feet away from the tram. If there are no actors during that time then you can see Norman Bates peaking through the motel window. Just keep in mind though that as you are passing through the War of the World's set, mother is still watching...
Make Up Free Actresses
During the backlot tour, there is a slight chance you might see a filming in progress. However, if there are any actresses wandering around without make up on, guides are not allowed to point them out.
Tour while Filming
Yes, the backlot is an actual working studio. Due to this, the route will be changed to prevent disruption to filming. If the tram gets too close an active shoot that can't be avoided, the guide will go quiet for a bit. However, just because they skipped a section at that time of day doesn't mean they won't do it later so check back. Tour guides undergo rigorous training programs and learn tons of information / stories about each area of the lot just in case the route needs to change. This can lead to a different story or even different information so you can learn something new everything you take it. If you do end up going on a tour that doesn't go to an area you want to go, it might be due to filming so try to take another tour later in the day for the chance to see it.
Clock Tower from Back to the Future
The backlot's plaza from Back to the Future used to have the famous clock tower in it but as they kept using the set for movies (Bruce Almighty, Amistad, Nutty Professor, Batman and Robin, etc) but it was too noticeable so they ended up removing it.
King Kong Burnt Down
The original King Kong was accidentally burned down by workers re-tarring the roof of the attraction. Due to this, it was replaced with King Kong 360-3D which was designed by Peter Jackson and his team. There is still some of the original Kong however; the ashes were collected, put into an urn, and that sits in the tour guide lunch room to this day.
Hidden Street
After seeing Jaws, take a look to the left, there is a hidden street. Sometimes the guide will point our the "chicken ranch", take a look to the left and you'll see Elm Street which is too thin for the tram to turn around. The buildings were bought for $1 as they were going to be torn down as the Dodger stadium was going to be built in their spot. If this street looks familiar that because they've filmed To Kill A Mockingbird, The Hulk, Hancock, The Ghost Whisperer, and Monk down it.
Sound Stage 12
During your time on the tour, see if you can spot the larges soundstage on the lot - Stage 12. Currently this is where The Voice is filmed but it's best known for being the Welcome Centre from the originally Jurassic Park
Jaws
If you want to see Jaws, make sure to sit on the right side of the tram to really see him.
Destroyed 747
When you drive through the War of the Worlds set, on the left hand side you will see an airplane. This is an actual airplane that had been retired and shipped to the backlot in pieces, late at night. All except the tail piece, this was flown in by helicopter.
