Believing that filmmaking itself is a bona fide attraction, Universal Studios began offering tours to the public in 1964. The concept worked: Today Universal is more than just one of the largest movie studios in the world -- it's one of the largest amusement parks as well.

The main attraction continues to be the Studio Tour, a 1-hour guided tram ride around the company's 420 acres. En route you pass stars' dressing rooms and production offices before visiting famous back-lot sets that include an eerily familiar Old West town, a clean New York City street, the famous town square from the Back to the Future films, and newer sets such as Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, Jurassic Park III, and The Grinch. Along the way the tram encounters several staged "disasters," which I won't divulge here lest I ruin the surprise.

Other attractions are more typical of high-tech theme-park fare, but all have a film-oriented slant. On Back to the Future -- The Ride, you're seated in a mock time-traveling DeLorean and thrust into a fantastic multimedia roller-coasting extravaganza -- it's far and away Universal's best ride. The Waterworld live action stunt show is thrilling to watch (and probably more successful than the film that inspired it), while the special effects showcase, Jurassic Park -- The Ride, is short in duration but long on dinosaur illusions and computer magic lifted from the Universal blockbuster. The latest thrills are Mummy Returns Chamber of Doom ride (scarrrrrrryyyy), Terminator 2 3-D, a virtual adventure using triple-screen technology to impact all the senses, and the multi-sensory "Shrek 4-D" attraction where you see, hear, and feel the action right from your seat. Totally Nickelodeon is an interactive live show from the kids' TV network, providing adventure and gallons of green slime, and the Animal Planet Live! stars trained monkeys and other animals doing various entertaining tricks.

Universal Studios is a fun place for kids and teens, but just as in any theme park, lines can be brutally long; the wait for a 5-minute ride can sometimes last more than an hour. In summer, the stifling Valley heat can dog you all day. To avoid the crowds, skip weekends, school vacations, and Japanese holidays.

Located just outside the gate of Universal Studios Hollywood is Universal CityWalk (tel. 818/622-4455; www.citywalkhollywood.com), Universal Studio's version of Downtown Disney, complete with throngs of bored looking teens. If you have any money left from the amusement park, you can spend it at this three-block-long pedestrian promenade crammed thick with flashy name-brand stores (Billabong, Fossil, Skechers, Vans) dorky nightclubs (Blues at B. B. King's, Howl at the Moon dueling piano bar, Rumba Room Latin dance club), chain restaurants (Hard Rock Cafe, Daily Grill, Jerry's Famous Deli, and so on), a six-story 3-D IMAX theater, 18-screen cinema, 6,200-seat amphitheater, NASCAR virtual racing, and even a bowling alley (Take that, Disney!). Entrance to CityWalk is free; it's open until 9pm on weekdays and until midnight Friday and Saturday.