In the early days of Universal Studios, you paid your quarter and studio founder Carl Laemmle himself led you through the grounds to a seat where you and hundreds of your closest friends could watch movies being made. (Since pictures didn't have sound then, star-struck crowds weren't much of a problem.) Nowadays, of course, things are different. And a lot more exciting. Instead of sitting in the hot L.A. sun, you ride roomy (and newly refurbished) trams to visit not one but 35 different sound stages. Even if you've never set foot in the state of California, you'll be sure to have that eerie feeling of dij` vu, since you'll be touring sets that have each been used in scores of popular Universal Studios productions. The Courthouse Square, for example, has been used in films ranging from 1962 Oscar winner To Kill a Mockingbird to The Nutty Professor. And you're bound to get a thrill from visiting the New York Street set, whose pavement has been pounded over the years by actors including Anthony Hopkins, Charlton Heston, Meryl Streep, Warren Beatty, and Madonna.

But you won't have to rely on your memory alone to orient yourself in nearly a century of movie history. Recent enhancements to the studio tour experience include flat-screen LCD displays in each tram where you'll see film clips from the movies whose sets you're visiting. You'll get the inside scoop on Hollywood moviemaking straight from the source--the stars themselves. Several celebrities, including Ron Howard and Seinfeld's Jason Alexander, make virtual appearances on the monitors. They and various others provide an insider's perspective on the making of Universal pictures. Not to be missed: the Seinfeld actor's "Before They Were Stars" montage.

Of course, movies are about more than just stars. Special effects play a huge part in our movie-going enjoyment. At Universal Studios, you get to relive some of the most exciting moments from your favorite movies. Recently, a new special-effects extravaganza has been added to the tour: Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, based on the 1999 film The Mummy. This part of the tour finds the tram careening, seemingly out of control, through the ancient tomb of the evil Imhotep. The frightening finale brings you face-to-face with the undead high priest, an effect so startling that it's not until later you realize that the tram wasn't spinning at all--it's all, as they say, done with mirrors.

Of course, the classic Universal Studios studio tour attractions are still around, including:

King Kong
The world's largest animated figure (he's 30 feet tall) resides on his enormous sound stage built to resemble a New York City street.

Earthquake--The Big One
One moment you're sitting calmly in what appears to be an ordinary subway station. The next, you're in the middle of a simulated 8.3 earthquake (for you non-Californians, that's big).

Flash Flood
It may not rain much in Southern California, but it certainly floods--at least on the Flash Flood set. Watch a sudden simulated rainstorm bring a deluge to a small Mexican town. Then watch it all disappear in moments.

Movie Snow and Rainforest Fog
Snow and fog are two more things you don't see much of in Los Angeles (the original Hollywood founders were in fact drawn to the area for its predictably sunny days). This part of the tour takes visitors through an intense-but-brief freak snowstorm. You'll see rainforest mist produced, as well.

Collapsing Bridge
You're riding in your tour tram across what's billed as one of the oldest bridges in Los Angeles. Suddenly, the bridge buckles under the weight of the tram and it appears you're going to go careening off the road. Not to worry--it's all a Hollywood trick. Seconds later, the bridge has miraculously fixed itself.

Jaws Lake
This set looks harmless enough--unless you recognize it as the fictional town of Amity, from that 70s blockbuster classic Jaws. (It also doubled as Cabot Cove in Murder, She Wrote.) Watch as an enormous animatronic great white shark lunges out of the water in an effect you'll never forget.•