Back to the Future tourism: Culture and Travel Context

Back to the Future is an American science fiction–adventure comedy film series written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, produced by Gale, and directed by Zemeckis. The 1955, 1985, Alternate 1985 and 2015 scenes from the film series were shot in multiple locations around Southern California while the 1885 scenes from Part III were shot in Tuolumne County in Northern California and in Monument Valley in Northern Arizona; most of them are available to visit except Disney's Golden Oaks Movie Ranch, Valero Oil Refinery and the private residences which can only be viewed from the street.

The main characters are Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a high school student, and Dr. "Doc" Emmett L. Brown (Christopher Lloyd), an eccentric scientist. In 1985, Doc builds a time machine into a DMC DeLorean. In the first film, Marty accidentally travels back to 1955. In Part II, the main characters visit 2015, an alternate 1985, and back to 1955 again. Part III mainly takes place in the Old West of 1885.

1 Burger King in the opening credits, 545 N Victory Blvd (Victory Blvd and Cypress Ave, Burbank, CA), ☏ +1 818 848-3668. Filming location of Doc Brown's garage (or at least the facade in 1985) and the opening credits of Back to the Future. Filming took place in the south parking lot, by the drive through lane of the restaurant.

2 Doc's mansion in 1955 (The Gamble House) (Pasadena, California), ☏ +1-626-793-3334. Tours: Thu through Sun from noon to 3PM. The exterior shots were of the Gamble House while the front door and the interior shots were at the 1 Robert Blacker House at 1177 Hillcrest Ave in Pasadena Admission $10 to the Gamble House. . Some of the interior scenes took place on a soundstage at Universal Studios.

3 Hill Valley Courthouse Square in 1955, 1985, alt 1985 & 2015 (Universal Studios), 100 Universal City Plaza. the set is in the backlot of Universal Studios in Universal City. It used to be called Mockingbird Square in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) and was renamed Hill Valley Courthouse Square after the production of Back to the Future. The set was used in numerous other movies and television programs from 1948 through 2016 such as Bye Bye Birdie, Incredible Hulk (1977-82), Gremlins, Pyscho II, Sneakers, and The Ghost Whisperer. Universal Studios also operates a public theme park which includes tram tours of the Courthouse Square among other features of their production studios and theme park.

4 The Hill Valley High School (Whittier High School), 12417 E. Philadelphia St (Whittier, California). the high-school scenes were filmed at Whittier High School which was also Richard Nixon's alma mater in 1930. The audition for the Battle of Bands talent show in 1985 and the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in 1955 were filmed elsewhere: (updated Aug 2019)

5 "Battle of the Bands" audition at the school gym in 1985 (McCambridge Recreation Center), 1515 N Glenoaks Blvd (At a park on Glenoaks Blvd & Andover Dr in Burbank, California), ☏ +1 818 238-5378. Mon-Fri 9AM-9:45PM; Sat 9AM-4:30PM. Marty and the Pinheads auditioned for Battle of the Bands talent show at the McCambridge Recreation Center gym. Huey Lewis was also one of the judges in the panel of judges for the "Battle of the Bands" committee as a guest appearance.

6 "Enchantment Under the Sea" dance at the school gym in 1955 (Hollywood United Methodist Church), 6817 Franklin Ave (Franklin Ave & N Highland in Hollywood, California), ☏ +1 323 874-2104. Worship Services Sun 11AM. The Enchantment Under the Sea dance where Marty's parents "clicked" took place in the church gym and in a stairwell leading to the basement of the church building. The outside scenes were filmed at the east side of the Whittier H.S. building. The church campus also served as the filming location for Sister Act, Bunheads, That Thing You do, Anger Management, Big Momma's House, Jarhead, People Like Us, One Foot in Heaven, and for several other movies.

7 the 1985 entrance to the Lyon Estates neighbourhood, Kagel Canyon St & Sandusky Ave, Pacoima, California (Pacoima, California). Entrance into the street where the McFly residence is located on. In real life the location of the entrance to (the fictional) Lyon Estates and the house used for the McFly residence are not on the same street.

8 the 1985 McFly residence, 9303 Roslyndale Avenue, Arleta, California (Arleta, California).

This cultural overview is an excerpt of a community travel guide. Confirm current access, schedules and prices with the venue before planning a visit.

Source and licence

Text adapted from Back to the Future tourism by Wikivoyage contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and abridged, and formatting adjusted. This adapted text is shared under the same licence. Contributor history.