It’s not a surprise that Hollywood Boulevard is one of the most popular tourist spots in all of Los Angeles. After all, this is where the American film industry was born. During the Golden Era of Hollywood, this was an area packed with movie studios and theaters. Although its importance has diminished since, Hollywood Boulevard is still a place where you can run into big movie stars.
There is no excuse not to pay it a visit if you’re in LA. So, we’re now gonna show you how to get there, as well as give you a few tips on how to get the most of your Hollywood adventure.
Getting There
Hollywood Boulevard is a major street in Los Angeles, situated in the foothill of the Hollywood Hills. It stretches in the east-west direction from the Los Feliz district all the way to the Laurel Canyon residential district. Some of the neighborhoods it passes include Thai Town, Little Armenia, and, of course, Hollywood.
You can easily get to Hollywood Boulevard if you use Metro Rail. The Hollywood / Highland Station seems like your best pick, considering that it’s located almost in the center of the boulevard, at a walking distance from a number of popular tourists spots. This station is operated by the Red Line, which starts at the North Hollywood Station, passes downtown LA, before ending at the Union Station.
Once you get to the Hollywood / Highland Station, you will be able to continue your adventure on foot. There are lots of spots that you might find interesting in the area, starting with the intersection Hollywood and Vine.
Hollywood and Vine
Some 90 years ago, this intersection was the hotspot of the American entertainment industry. There were literally dozens of different movie theaters, radio stations, and other entertainment-related businesses in the surrounding area.
For example, this is where a number of Charlie Chaplin's movies were created, particularly in the Taft Building, located exactly at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. A few other historical buildings are located nearby, but what really brings the tourists to the intersection is that this is where the Hollywood Walk of Fame is centered.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Arguably the biggest attraction in the area, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, stretches over the sidewalks along 15 blocks of the Hollywood Boulevard, as well as 3 blocks of Vine Street. This is a sidewalk attraction, with more than 2,400 different stars embedded into the sidewalk in order to celebrate the achievements of movie stars, singers, and other famous people from the entertainment industry.
The starts are made of brass and pink terrazzo, with an icon inside each star that denotes the category for which the person is being honored. For instance, if the star is given to an actor/actress, the symbol will be an old-fashioned movie camera.
Of course, some celebrities who have achieved success in many different areas of entertainment can get multiple stars at the Walk of Fame. But, as of 2018, there are only a handful of people who have more than one star. One of them is Gene Autry, who was awarded five different stars.
Our advice is to check out the Walk of Fame at night. Why? Because the sidewalk has a shiny surface, so you might have big problems taking photos in broad daylight. Of course, if there’s a new star installation scheduled at the day of your visit, you just can’t miss it. The official website of the Walk of Fame is the place where you can find all the info you need, including the schedule of the star ceremonies.
Dolby Theater
You might know Dolby Theater as the place where the Oscar ceremony takes place, but this venue is much more than that. During the remaining 364 days of the year, it hosts numerous live concerts, awards shows, symphony performances, and other events. In fact, there aren’t many big-name musicians who haven’t performed here.
The building of Dolby Theater is adjacent to the Grauman's Chinese Theatre, as well as the Disney-owned El Capitan Theatre, both of which are worth paying a visit. Grauman's Chinese Theatre, for example, is a great place for those interested to learn more about their favorite celebs. This is the place where you can see lots of handprints of Hollywood celebrities, as well as things like Whoopi Goldberg's dreadlocks and Jimmy Durante's nose.
Hollywood Museum
Here’s another place that you must visit if you’re a movie buff. The Hollywood Museum is where you can check out more than ten thousand artifacts from the movie history. The three-story building features several special exhibits, dedicated to some of the biggest Hollywood stars ever, like Marilyn Monroe, for instance.
There’s also a permanent exhibition dedicated to horror movies, which showcases props from legendary films like Halloween, The Silence of the Lambs, and so on. Apart from strolling around the building full of treasures from the world of cinema, you can also take some of them home with you. If you’re a collector of a memorabilia, you can buy some real-life movie props in the museum shop.
Madame Tussauds Hollywood
Celebrity-spotting is one of the favorite activities of those visiting Hollywood, but if you’re not lucky enough to run into your favorite movie star, you can get to see their wax statues in Madame Tussauds Hollywood.
This is one of the most famous museums on the planet, featuring real-life wax figures of Hollywood’s biggest celebs, like Robert de Niro and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but music stars as well, including Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift, and many others.
Looking for More Attractions?
If your appetite for Hollywood attractions isn’t satisfied, you can ask the people from the LA Visitor Information Center to help you out. The center is located at the corner of Hollywood and Highland and that’s where you can find all the info you need about the most popular Hollywood attractions, but also about where to eat, where to go shopping, and so on.
Plan Your Trip