Universal Studios Hollywood, Universal City, California

I think Universal Studios Hollywood is good for teens because they have awesome rides and shows and many thing to look at.

So much fun for the whole family. Lots of things for the little one. He is four. Some areas of the tour were too scary for the little one, but other than that everything was great. There was pretty good food at the cafes. He especially liked the extra shows - the cowboy stunt show was impressive. The fire show was a bit much for my little one. Nice singers. It was a very long day altogether. We would definitely go again.

Universal Studios is one of California's most manageable theme parks. It's not too big and has just enough attractions to entertain families for a few hours, leaving enough time for dinner at the adjacent CityWalk. We get there in the morning and go straight to the lower level to the main attractions before the lines get too long. Our favorites: Transformers: The Ride-3D, Jurassic Park-The Ride, and Revenge of the Mummy-The Ride. Afterwards we always do the Studio Tour, a narrated tram tour through backstage lots. My kids are not big on shows but I really like the WaterWorld Show, even though I've seen it a million times. It's funny and action-packed. Universal Studios is great for kids of all ages. Little ones will enjoy an animal show and they can play in the Adventures of Curious George, a summer water play area. Kids old enough for the rides and teens (plus adults) will get a thrill from the main attractions. There are many good food options too. Mel's Diner, Pinks Hot Dogs, and Hollywood Cantina are a few of our favorites.

We spent $300 per person for our family of 5 to do the VIP tour at Universal and it was worth every penny. We arrived at the red carpet at 7:30 am and were escorted into a private area where continental breakfast was served. We then met our tour guide and group (there were 3 other families in our group so the total headcount was about 14 in our group). We had our own private tram and got a tour of Universal's back lot, which apparently is similar to the regular tour, but we got many extras like getting to go in the prop room and see costumes and go into a soundstage where they film Parenthood. Seeing movie sets like War of the Worlds was beyond amazing. They have 4 big attraction rides. There were 90 minute waits for the rides, but our VIP tour guide whisked us in so we had no wait at all, which was great. Rides were great. Two 3D movies, one water ride, and one fast moving indoor coaster ride. We also got a VIP lunch in a private dining room, with great food. Got VIP seating at the shows (FX show and Waterworld). It was so worth the money and we all had such a great day there! After the 6 hour tour was over, we stayed another hour or so going on 2 more rides (we still got to cut the lines with our VIP pass) and went over to Universal's City Walk. It was a day we will never forget.