Universal City Outdoor Activities

Hollywoodland Tours escorts guests through Tinseltown's star-studded streets during a trio of informative adventures. Aboard the company's shaded, open-air van, tour takers snap pictures and revel in the close proximity of famous landmarks as knowledgeable guides dish out facts about passing sights. The Beverly Hills Star Home tour showcases the castles of more than 70 celebrities, including Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts, before coasting over to the Sunset Strip, where industry big shots dine, shop, and teach their wax likenesses how to use chopsticks. Patrons can also hitch a ride on the Hollywood tour, which sails past the sites of historical films, television series, and radio studios, while the Hollywood Sign tour grants picturesque photo opportunities and the chance to ask the typically reticent "H" for its autograph.

G-Bike Electric Bikes places riders in the seat of zero-emission, electricity-powered bikes that convey their pilots for up to 35 miles on a continuous charge or infinite distances when pedaled by human feet. Bikes come in two styles—as city scooters or choppers—allowing riders to showcase a sleek urban sensibility or quietly infiltrate gangs of robot bikers. Seven different color patterns and customization or additional decoration options help riders distinguish their electric conveyances. While designed for style and efficiency, two-wheeled steeds also comply with federal speed and power limits, eschewing the need for licenses or registration. The electric crafts serve students and professionals in urban environs, as well as recreational cyclists cruising through the great outdoors or racing migrating paper-airplane populations.

Star-Surf’s lead instructor passes on more than three decade’s worth of wave riding experience to fledgling surfers through private lessons, group lessons, and surf camps held throughout the year. For each lesson, students are supplied with a soft foam surfboard and a wetsuit if needed, then paired up with a dedicated instructor who tailors the session to the individual, never forcing him or her to hang ten if they’re only comfortable hanging nine. Instruction covers topics important to the surfer just starting out, with an emphasis on safety and proper etiquette as well as the basics of paddling, popping up, and selecting waves.

As owner and wrangler-in-chief at Westside Riding School, Dorte Lindegaard guides horseback expeditions and riding lessons across 180 acres of panorama-filled paths in Will Rogers State Historic Park. Trail rides depart from Jimmy's Barn and plod up mountain trails in pursuit of Inspiration Point, where riders experience spectacular views of the Los Angeles basin, the Pacific Ocean, and Catalina Island. Upon finishing the 2-mile trek and nailing their dismount, riders can visit the Will Rogers ranch house, where the celebrated humorist, actor, and horse whisperer lived with his family and talked shop with Kentucky Derby winners over gourmet oats and champagne troughs.

Mark Morrow knows Hollywood. After arriving in Los Angeles more than 25 years ago, he enjoyed a brief foray into the music scene before finding his niche in the tourism industry. Mark went on to design his acclaimed Hollywood and Beverly Hills tour, the success of which earned him recognition from the Small Business Development Center hosted by Santa Monica College.

In the comfort of a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, Mark shuttles passengers around Tinseltown, showing off iconic sights and sounds while focusing on TV, movies, and musical moments. While sharing entertaining anecdotes, he guides groups past downtown LA, the Hollywood sign, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, and other famed landmarks where feature films were made and straight-to-DVD releases were watched. As he waxes informational about all of the landmark sites, a 32-inch flat-screen multimedia center projects additional information, trivia, and satellite views of celebrities' homes.