Many people find the Academy Awards to be inspirational or, in some cases, aspirational.
Of course, it is appointment TV for aspiring actors, filmmakers, writers, and fashionistas, but the travel set can find their own inspiration during Awards Season, too.
There's nothing like the lure of Hollywood to motivate sightseers around the globe and, once they arrive in Tinseltown, there are dozens of movie tours and attractions to choose from.
Starline Tours
For years, Starline Tours has been one of the best-rated and most popular tour operators on the scene. Now, the company has partnered with Turner Classic Movies to create a tour that visits the real-life locations of some of Hollywood's most memorable films.
The tour includes behind-the-scenes insights from classic movies and more recent blockbusters, tours of famous locations like the Bradbury Building, and video clips from fan's favorites. But, what makes this tour unique is its custom bus with stadium seating, a 65-inch HD screen and panoramic windows for a clear view of each location.
On the Movie Locations Tour and Stars' Homes Tour fans can also see the homes of Tom Cruise, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez, Sandra Bullock and many others. The tour costs $99 for adults; tickets can be booked at starlinetours.com.
Hollywood Behind-the-Scenes Tour
Redline Tours' Hollywood Behind-the-Scenes Tour is one of the only walking tours that brings guests to areas normally off limits to the public in the famed movie houses, celebrities' favorite hideaways and other locales around Hollywood. Fans will also see the Hollywood sign, famous movie locations, the stars on the Walk of Fame, and get to slip their feet into their favorite celebrity's footprints at the Chinese Theater. Tickets for the daily tour are only $24.95 and can be purchased online at redlinetours.com.
[READMORE] READ MORE Best Pictures on Location: Where Your Favorites Were Filmed [/READMORE]
Tragical History Tour
For something on the darker side, Dearly Departed Tours' Tragical History Tour is a bus tour that explores the infamous deaths of Janis Joplin, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson, among others - complete with 911 calls and crime scene photos. Fans will also get to scope out the final resting places of Hollywood legends like Marilyn Monroe and Natalie Wood. Adult tickets cost $50.
If The Tragical History Tour sounds a little too grim for your taste, Dearly Departed Tours also hosts a more traditional Hollywood Movie Tour on which fans can explore Los Angeles and cinematic culture by visiting iconic locales used in "Sunset Boulevard", "National Lampoon's Vacation", "L.A. Confidential", "Rebel Without a Cause", "Pretty in Pink", "Swingers", and more.
For more information, visit dearlydepartedtours.com.
TMZ Celebrity Tour
For something a little more sordid than morbid, the TMZ Celebrity Tour brings fans to all of the hot spots where stars have been busted for crimes, spent all night partying or have tried to evade the prying eye of the paparazzi. Stepping onto the tour bus is just like stepping into an episode of TMZ on TV. The guides are often faces fans will recognize from the show, the video screens blare the same cartoonish videos that are used on the TV series and, sometimes, it's even a little cringe-worthy. But, it is fun, and it is a juicy tour if celebrity gossip is more your thing.
Tickets are $54 and can be picked up at TMZ.com.
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