Table Of Content
- Do a Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: Great Thing To Do Alone in LA To Learn About The City
- Rentals for cities near Los Angeles, CA
- Do a Tour of the California Science Center
- You Can Still Die From World War I Dangers in France's Red Zones
- Do a Behind the Scenes Tour of the Aquarium of the Pacific
- See the Homes of Celebrities during a Minivan Tour
- Camino Real Sumiya
- Take Part in a Warner Bros. Studios Hollywood Tour

“We would have not believed back then that there would be sightseers coming to look at that house for years afterward,” John Abendshien told me in an interview. It's one of the most iconic holiday movies, and it just happens to take place in a Chicago suburb. In fact, the entirety of the movie was shot in Illinois, despite the plot revolving around a trip Kevin McAllister's had taken to Paris. Watching and quoting the iconic Christmas movie "Home Alone" isn't the only way fans of the movie like to celebrate the holiday season. “It’s the kind of house, if you were a kid, it would be fun to be left home alone.” Columbus then took photos of home’s exterior, sent them to Hughes for approval, and the rest is history.

Do a Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour: Great Thing To Do Alone in LA To Learn About The City
Luxury NYC townhome featured in 'Home Alone 2' hits market for $6.7million just in time for holidays - Daily Mail
Luxury NYC townhome featured in 'Home Alone 2' hits market for $6.7million just in time for holidays.
Posted: Sun, 24 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Hughes has revisited North Shore time and again for his films. The filmmaker once thought of all his characters living in the same universe. Also, you can visit the locker room and the player's tunnel during this tour, which can be interesting and fun.
Rentals for cities near Los Angeles, CA
It’s going to be free of cost, but you will need to make sure to get a Forest Service Adventure Pass to gain entry to the parking area nearby. This is a wonderful investment because you will get to walk through the Angeles National Forest while also going up to Mount Wilson Observatory. These lights shine bright as the sun sets, allowing people to bask in their glory while also snapping unforgettable pictures along the way. The best time to visit Los Angeles is during the spring or fall. This is when the weather is calm, the summer rush slows down, and it’s a lot easier to go to the main hotspots without worry.
Do a Tour of the California Science Center
In 2012, the real-life McCallister home in Winnetka, Illinois sold for $1.585 million, a relative bargain compared to its original listing price of $2.4 million. Now, the property’s value is estimated to be over $2,000,000, but it hasn’t been listed for sale since 2012. Nevertheless, the owners made sure to redecorate before listing the house on Airbnb, painstakingly recreating many of the original details and the signature interior style.
You Can Still Die From World War I Dangers in France's Red Zones
Another Hughes' film that stayed true to his North Shore roots was "Sixteen Candles." The homes the high schoolers lived in were located in Evanston, Highland Park and Northbrook. Glenbrook North High School was where the teens attended, and nearby Glencoe Union Church was where Sam found her crush, Jake Ryan, waiting for her. "We live in the area and it’s always fun to drive or walk by and reminisce," one of more than 30 reviews of the house on TripAdvisor read. "Just be courteous as it is someone’s residence and the neighborhood wants to have some semblance of normalcy." Many fans of the cult hit also like visit the house — literally — located in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka. She also laid out holiday wrapping paper in the primary bedroom, as if Kevin’s parents, Kate and Peter McCallister, were wrapping Christmas gifts but didn’t have time to clean it up.
Do a Behind the Scenes Tour of the Aquarium of the Pacific
So for those who want to learn about the city, this is definitely one of the best things to do alone in LA. You can do a self-guided or guided tour of the battleship and learn a lot of new things about the ship and its history. During this tour, you can learn about the Gold Rush, and many other topics. So if you like history, this is one of the most amazing things to do alone in LA for sure. A fun activity in the city is doing a behind-the-scenes tour of the Aquarium of the Pacific. One of the most interesting things to do alone in LA is a guided walking tour of downtown LA.
See the Homes of Celebrities during a Minivan Tour
Anybody in the vicinity of the house should be careful not to trespass on the property. Fans can drive by the house to witness its greatness in person. In 2011, the couple decided to move out of the beautiful house.
Principal photography began in February of 1990 but was wracked with production issues after distributor Warner took issue with the film’s ballooning budget. However, 21st Century Fox stepped in with principal photography concluding in May 1990. At the time of the Home Alone filming, the owners of the red-brick Georgian-style home were John and Cynthia Abendshien. The couple stayed in the house for the four months in which filming took place. The production crew made the gym their base, building the whole interior of the McCallister house from scratch. The empty gym was the closest thing to a sound stage the production crew had.

Built in the 1920s, the building is comprised of red brick and was built in the colonial Georgian style. As one enters the house, the infamous staircase welcomes guests, while the legendary living room seems to call out for the addition of cardboard cutouts of Michael Jordan. In real life, the attic is actually an attic bedroom with two grand suites and numerous nooks and crannies for storage.
The producers regarded this as the perfect house in the suburbs of Illinois to film in. The property you see in the exterior shots is located at 671 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka, Illinois. The town is a northern suburb of Chicago, and according to Zillow, the Colonial was built in 1920. And if you're looking for a unique holiday activity, but not wanting to travel far, you can actually see the home in person. While not currently open to visitors, the magnificent abode is located in north suburban Winnetka, specifically at 671 Lincoln Ave.
You find here the boardwalk, which is a promenade that is next to the beach. Also, you get interesting information about the city during this guided tour. But what's also great is to see the city from the Hollywood Sign.