One of the cool things, if you’re into cool things, about living in Los Angeles is all of the Hollywood fun. Take the premiere of Real Steel that my family and I attended at Universal City Walk (adjacent to the Universal Studios theme park). My kids got to meet a bunch of their favorite Disney channel stars, my wife got to drool on Hugh Jackman, and I ate all the popcorn I could eat (which is way too much). Of course, their favorite part was meeting all of the robots from the film, and I can’t say that I blame them.

If you’re a fan of pop culture and entertainment it’s pretty easy to find out when and where movie premieres are being held. I can’t promise you a ticket, but I can darn near guarantee that you’ll see a celebrity. The kids will love it.

This post is part of UpTake’s Friday Family Series. If you would like to see your family vacation photo here please submit it via the contact link in the sidebar, subject line: Family Photo.

Photo: Whit Honea

Universal Studios is a safe place for kids

I’ve always wanted to be special.

Waiting in line at Disneyland, or Knott’s Berry Farm, or the San Diego Zoo, you see those people with shiny badges hanging around their necks, being ushered to the front, getting the royal treatment from some bright-eyed tour guide.

Yeah, I’ve always wanted to be them.

So, when I heard about the VIP Experience at Universal Studios Hollywood, I knew I had to book it for our family trip.

Even if it did cost an arm and a leg, and the other arm and leg.

At $239 per person, I did hesitate slightly, but then realized it would be a once-in-a-lifetime visit to Universal for my family, so why not do it in style?

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Hagrid's Hut

Did you know that Universal Studios in Orlando is opening a whole land dedicated to Harry Potter (and friends)? It’s true! The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens this summer at the Universal Resort and Hagrid has already set up camp. Good guy that Hagrid.

Photo courtesy of Universal Orlando Resort.

For more family-friendly travel photos visit DeliciousBaby’s Photo Fridays.

The opening of Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter is sending ripples through the theme park industry.  It’s going to be huge.

Recent rumors have been swirling that Disney is poised to acquire some teen fantasy for their own parks.  The Twilight Saga by author Stephenie Meyer has already spawned two popular movies and some pretty decent soundtracks — could a themed land be next?

The rumors suggest that Disney would buy the rights to the Twilight Saga and incorporate it into a new land in both their Disney’s California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios parks, respectively. The demographics targeted by such a move are the tween and teen markets, although the movies have also tested well with 30-something mommy bloggers Read More »