Paramount Ranch is the name of the ranch where they filmed parts of the famous HBO series Westworld. I really liked the first season of Westworld, so when I found out that the ranch is situated just a one hour drive from Long Beach, California (where I live) I just had to go see the place in person. I actually got so excited about visiting the ranch that I re-watched the whole first season of Westworld with my roommate!
Paramount Ranch was leased in 1923 by Paramount Pictures to be used as a movie set. In 1953, William Hertz, a lover of western movies, bought a part of the ranch and built up a permanent western town where television companies could produce western films.
Apart from the series, movies like American Sniper, Norbit and Blast from the Past were also filmed here. It is completely free to visit the park and you can often even visit it when there is a filming taking place!
Paramount Ranch is not the main village in Westworld but a smaller one that appears every now and then throughout the series but mainly in the last episode.
Do you recognize any of the houses in these pictures?
The church was actually built for the series, and the top steeple was removed after they were done filming the first season so that the church would not look exactly like in the series.
Sadly we were not allowed to enter any of the buildings, but I am pretty sure they were empty anyways and most of the filming at this ranch was done outdoors. The ranch was smaller than I expected it to be, but it was still really nice to walk on the same street that Dolores walked on and I really enjoyed watching the last episode of season one after visiting this ranch!
Apart from the western town the ranch is also surrounded by several miles of scenic hike routes. Since it was a really hot day we decided to limit our walking and head to the beach instead, but if I go back to visit Paramount Ranch again I will definitely take the time to go for a hike.
The ranch is situated just by Mulholland Highway, which is one of the most famous scenic roads in Los Angeles County. It runs through the beautiful Santa Monica Mountains and is definitely worth the drive! One part of the road called "The Snake" is especially famous, it is a two-mile stretch that ends with one of the most crashed corners in Southern California. So do be aware and drive carefully if you decide to take that route!
If you wish to visit Paramount Ranch, this is the address:
2903 Cornell Road, Agoura Hills, CA, 91301
For those of you who might have noticed that I have not been posting in a long while (over a month!), I have not abandoned steemit, it has just been a month full of mid terms, study projects and adventures! As the end of the semester is approaching I have more and more things to do and as much as I would like to post on steemit at least once a week, I also want to focus on my studies and spend time exploring California. Thank you for sticking with me! I will be posting more as soon as I have a less hectic schedule.
Thank you for reading!
mialinnea
