Planning your winter vacation? What if I told you that you could take a trip to Gotham City, Metropolis, Central City and Themyscira, and it would only take a single ticket? All of those classic DC locations can be visited on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood! This time-honored attraction is a must for anyone visiting Los Angeles. And for DC fans, it’s a mecca in which our favorite imaginary locales actually exist. Here are ten Warner Bros. Studio Tour sights that are must-sees for fans of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and more!
Gotham City
The Warner Bros. Studio Tour (located at 3400 Warner Blvd in Burbank, California) takes guests through a variety of exterior sets on the studio’s backlot. Of course, since Warner Bros. is a working studio, we should say right up front that there’s no way to know in advance which of these sets will be in use by TV and movie productions when you visit and which sets will be available for you to see. But since there are so many sets on the lot, there’s usually a pretty good chance you’ll get to see quite a few of them.
The Hennesy Street and Tenement Alley sets were used to portray Gotham City in no less than three Batman films: Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. The above intersection, for example, was where Michael Keaton’s Batman stood in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns as he programmed his Batarang to take out the Penguin’s Red Triangle Circus Gang. Alas, immediately after he did so, a poodle grabbed the Batarang in her tiny teeth and ran off with it.
Themyscira
The 1970s Wonder Woman TV show starring Lynda Carter as the legendary Amazon princess shot all over the Warner Bros. lot in its first season, which took place during World War II. Scenes featuring Princess Diana’s home—called Paradise Island in those days, but now known best as Themyscira—were lensed on the studio’s jungle set, which includes a massive water tank known as “The Lagoon.”
CatCo
Wonder Woman wasn’t the only DC heroine to inhabit the Warner lot. Melissa Benoist’s Supergirl made the studio her home in the first season of her Arrowverse show. The Bridge Building served as CatCo, the National City headquarters of Cat Grant’s media conglomerate, where Supergirl worked as Kara Danvers.
Smallville
Fans of the ‘90s Superman TV hit Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman can visit that show’s Smallville. It’s located on Warner Bros.’ Midwest Street, which has played the role of 200 different small towns in film and television. (The cart you see above was not part of the show…but it’ll be a big part of your tour!)
Central City Police Headquarters
The 1990 Flash TV show, starring John Wesley Shipp as the Scarlet Speedster, only lasted a single season. But one of its most prominent sets still stands proudly: Central City Police Headquarters. The distinct gray deco building, which was later used as the hospital in ER, is located on Chicago Street. Wondering about the bricks, scaffolding and school bus seen in the photo above? Those are all part of the exterior set for the hit sitcom, Abbott Elementary.
The Daily Planet
Metropolis’ Greatest Newspaper—the workplace of Clark Kent, Lois Lane and their friends in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman—can be found on Warners’ New York Street.
Gotham City Police Headquarters
In 1966’s Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward, New York Street was often used as Gotham City (it later played National City in Supergirl, Central City in The Flash and Gotham City in Batman Returns). The street’s Courthouse was used as Gotham City Police Headquarters, but here’s a secret: Whenever viewers saw the Dynamic Duo run up the Courthouse steps to meet with Commissioner Gordon and Chief O’Hara at the start of an episode, they were seeing the same shot, every single time. How can you tell? There’s a woman in a red dress at the foot of the steps—and she’s there whenever you see this shot.
Action and Magic Made Here
The grand finale of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour is called “Action and Magic Made Here.” It’s an exhibit hall fit to bursting with the stuff of legend. This includes props and costumes from plenty of DC films, like those worn by Lynda Carter and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman, Christopher Reeve as Superman, Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Heath Ledger as the Joker and Paul Dano as the Riddler. And don’t miss out on a chance to take a photo lighting up Wonder Woman’s iconic Lasso of Truth!
The Batcave
Perhaps the most jaw-dropping part of “Action and Magic Made Here” is the Batcave, which houses the original screen-used Batmobiles from the Batman movies starring Michael Keaton, Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson. Guests can also see the batsuits worn by every movie Batman starting with Keaton, peruse costumes worn by Batman villains like Heath Ledger’s Joker and Colin Farrell’s Penguin, and get immersed in a dramatic recreation of the Dark Knight’s legendary hideout that features many of his legendary vehicles coming and going…provided you watch for long enough.
The Warner Bros. Studio Store
Studio Tour guests exit “Action and Magic Made Here” through the Warner Bros. Studio Store, filled with tons of unique merch. It’s also got one final treat for DC fans: the costumes worn by Melissa Benoist as Supergirl, Stephen Amell as Green Arrow, and Grant Gustin as the Flash in their fondly remembered Arrowverse TV shows.
And here’s a free bonus: Just outside the Tour building, guests will find a large bronze statue of Wonder Woman. It’s one of three (and counting!) DC statues currently on display in Burbank. The city also has a Batman statue outside its AMC movie theater complex and a John Stewart Green Lantern statue outside its largest outdoor shopping mall, the Empire Center.
So be sure to check out the Warner Bros. Studio Tour when you visit Los Angeles! No other place on the planet offers more of the DC Universe.
Joseph McCabe writes about comics, film and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Instagram at @joe_mccabe_editor.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Joseph McCabe and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
