For You Kids / Studio Tours

Here are a few places where families can tour behind-the-scenes Tinseltown.

* Warner Bros. Studios V.I.P. Tour (Enter through Gate 4, Hollywood Way and Olive Avenue, Burbank, [818] 954-1744). Home of Warner Bros. and independent production companies. Personalized tours of movie lot in small groups include behind-the-scenes areas and live filming whenever possible; nothing is staged for visitors. Tour may include costume, prop and construction departments. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., every hour on the hour. Admission: $30. Children under 10 not allowed. Reservations recommended.

* NBC Studios Tour (3000 W. Alameda, Burbank, [818] 840-3537). Seventy-minute walking tour through production facility is an unstaged look at what’s happening on the day of your visit. Includes special effects, TV history, makeup and wardrobe departments, a visit to “Tonight Show” studio and NBC Peacock Shop. Tours depart every hour, Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission: adults, $7; children ages 5 to 12, $3.75; children under 5 free. Tickets available on a first-come, first-

served basis. Free tickets for “The Tonight Show” available beginning at 8 a.m. on the day of the show at the NBC ticket counter. Two tickets per person limit, ages 16 and over.

* Paramount Pictures (Meet at Information Center, 5555 Melrose Ave., [213] 956-1777). Two-hour tour includes history of studio, walking tour of New York back lot and information on process of making a movie. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., every hour on the hour. Arrive 30 minutes before tour time. Reservations not necessary. Admission: $15 per person, children under 10 not allowed. Audience shows taping in September and October include “Frasier,” “Union Square,” “Sister, Sister,” “In the House,” “Moesha” and others. Call (213) 956-1777 five days in advance for reservations. Tickets to watch tapings are free.

* Universal Studios Hollywood (Hollywood Freeway at Lankershim Boulevard, Universal City, [818] 508-9600). Really more of an amusement park than an educational tour, although attractions do include “Lost World” sets on a back lot tram tour. Open daily, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission: adults, $36; seniors 60 and older, $29; children ages 3 to 11, $26; children under 3 free. Call for information about audience shows that are taping.

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Also, free audience tickets are available through these agencies (some shows do not admit children under the age of 16):

* Audiences Unlimited, (818) 506-0043. Agency handles audience tickets for television shows including “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Boy Meets World,” “Ellen,” “Family Matters,” “Friends,” “Home Improvement,” “Mad About You,” “Saved by the Bell,” “Step by Step,” “The Wayans Brothers” and others. Call for daily schedule.

* Audience Associates, (213) 467-4697. Agency handles audience tickets for television shows including “Veronica’s Closet,” “The Naked Truth,” “Caroline in the City,” “Jeopardy!,” “Wheel of Fortune” and others. Call for daily schedule.