This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

The Great Escape: Sony Studio Tour and Lunch with a Gal Pal

Moms often need to get away from their routine, and Sony Pictures Studio offers something fun and unique to Culver City.

Culver City is home to Sony Pictures, a studio location with a long history of creating Hollywood magic, and they offer guided walking tours on weekdays. You and a friend can get a little bit of history and a peek at the glamour, right in our backyard.

The Studio tour runs about 2 hours and they leave from the Sony Pictures Plaza building, where you can also conveniently park free in their underground lot during the tour.

The Plaza building is home to studio offices, but has been used as a location for many films over the years. Plus it currently is ringed with display cases holding movie wardrobe and props from some of the great movies made by the studio.

Find out what's happening in Culver Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The tour begins with a 15-minute film that tells the history of the Studio. Originally called MGM, the lot was purchased by Sony in 1989, along with Columbia and TriStar Pictures. Interestingly, when MGM originally operated there, the lot spanned 400 acres, but 90% of it was sold off in the 1980’s to pay for construction on the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas.

After the film, the tour takes you across the street and through the gates onto the lot itself. First stop is the Thalberg Building, named for early production whiz Irving Thalberg. The lobby is home to the Studio’s 12 Best Picture Oscars.

Find out what's happening in Culver Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The tour then heads down Main Street, a façade paying homage to the glamour of Hollywood, and then on past many of the working sound stages of the lot. There are always films and TV shows being shot here, and it’s not out of the question to see actors as they walk between stages, although of course, no one can promise that.

The Sony lot is where many, many famous movies have been shot over the years, including all the Esther Williams’ synchronized swimming movies, and it boasts Stage 15, the 2nd largest sound stage in the world, where an entire 747 sat during filming on “Air Force One”, and where Munchkinland was created and filmed for "The Wizard of Oz".

The genial tour guides will take you on to one of the sets, but of course not while the crew is working on it. It’s a great chance to see behind the scenes and see what sets really look like up close.

Sony is currently the home of two famous game shows, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, and the tour takes you inside their stages so you can see what the audience sees, again, depending on the production schedule.

After seeing those sets, the tour stops back on Main Street at the Sony Emporium for a chance to buy some souvenirs. And then, it’s back to the Plaza building to wrap it up.

After the 2 hours of walking through history, you and your gal pal will probably be hungry, and Sony will kindly let you park for another hour or so while you eat at any number of local restaurants within walking distance.

One of the places nearby that you might like to try is , a relatively new French restaurant and market just around the corner from the Plaza building.

Sandwiches, salads, a little wine, L’Epicerie has all the makings of a lovely lunch among friends, who will no doubt be adding dozens of film titles to their Netflix lists after being inspired by the Sony Studio Tour. A perfect escape from the ordinary!

Sony Pictures Studios, 10202 W. Washington Blvd. 90232  (310) 244-TOUR (Tours cost $33 each and reservations are suggested.)

L’Epicerie, 9900 Culver Blvd., 90230 (310) 815-1600

Sarah Auerswald is the blogger behind Mar Vista Mom and a co-Founder of MomsLA.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?