Filming location · Twin Pines Mall
The mall parking lot becomes Twin Pines Mall for the DeLorean test. Later changes to the site mean the film is the better guide to its 1985 appearance.
Back to the Future
1985 · Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Explore the real-world connections to Back to the Future, with each location linked to its own story and evidence.
Explore the film’s geography.
These existing site references are not exact scene or camera positions. Access notes and sources remain attached to each location.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Seen from the tram on the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood; the backlot is a working lot, so what is dressed and open changes.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Walk the exterior and gardens free. The house itself is seen on docent-led tours, Tuesdays and Thursday to Sunday; book ahead online.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A public shopping mall. The car park is open; stay clear of traffic and don’t try the run.
General reference · Restricted access · Coordinate precision: site · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. A working school. Look from the street; going on campus may need permission.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. An active church at Franklin and Highland. Ask the church office about visiting the hall.
General reference · Public access · Coordinate precision: building · Not an exact scene or camera position; not a visitor route. Open daily 10am–6pm; adult tickets $52. Film cars are on the third floor; ask at the desk where the DeLorean is before you go up.
The places behind the film.
Puente Hills Mall ↗
1600 S Azusa Avenue
Private shopping-centre property. Check access locally; the pin marks the mall, not the precise DeLorean position.
The Gamble House ↗
4 Westmoreland Place
Historic house museum. Use official tours for interior access; the building stands in for Doc’s home exterior.
Filming location · Doc Brown’s exterior
The Gamble House provides the exterior of Doc Brown’s 1955 home. The film’s rooms do not make the museum interior an exact replica of his laboratory.
Courthouse Square, Universal Studios
Universal Studios Hollywood backlot, Universal City
Seen from the tram on the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood; the backlot is a working lot, so what is dressed and open changes.
A town square for 1955
A major section of the Universal backlot was turned into an old-fashioned town square for 1955 Hill Valley.
Production: Universal Studios Hollywood backlot, Universal City · Depicted: Courthouse Square, Universal Studios (stand-in)
The same square, thirty years on
The crew converted the same square into 1985 in two and a half weeks.
Production: Universal Studios Hollywood backlot, Universal City · Depicted: Courthouse Square, Universal Studios (stand-in)
Doc on the clock
Doc Brown hangs off the courthouse clock to send Marty back to the future.
Production: Universal Studios Hollywood backlot, Universal City · Depicted: Courthouse Square, Universal Studios (stand-in)
The Gamble House
4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena
Walk the exterior and gardens free. The house itself is seen on docent-led tours, Tuesdays and Thursday to Sunday; book ahead online.
Doc’s mansion
Doc Brown’s 1955 home was filmed at the Gamble House and the Blacker House in Pasadena.
Production: 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena · Depicted: The Gamble House (stand-in)
Puente Hills Mall
1600 S Azusa Avenue, City of Industry
A public shopping mall. The car park is open; stay clear of traffic and don’t try the run.
Eighty-eight miles per hour
At Twin Pines Mall, Marty accelerates the DeLorean to 88 miles per hour.
Production: 1600 S Azusa Avenue, City of Industry · Depicted: Puente Hills Mall (stand-in)
Whittier High School
12417 Philadelphia Street, Whittier
A working school. Look from the street; going on campus may need permission.
Hill Valley High
A Whittier high school served as Hill Valley High.
Production: 12417 Philadelphia Street, Whittier · Depicted: Whittier High School (stand-in)
Hollywood United Methodist Church
6817 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood
An active church at Franklin and Highland. Ask the church office about visiting the hall.
Enchantment Under the Sea
The Enchantment Under the Sea dance, where Marty “invents” rock and roll, was filmed at the church in Hollywood.
Production: 6817 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood · Depicted: Hollywood United Methodist Church (stand-in)
Lorraine’s house, Bushnell Avenue
Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena
A private residence. Not pinned; please leave the people who live there in peace.
“Calvin Klein”
Marty first speaks to his mother, Lorraine, at a house on Bushnell Avenue.
Production: Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena · Depicted: Lorraine’s house, Bushnell Avenue (stand-in)
George’s house, Bushnell Avenue
Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena
A private residence on the same street. Not pinned.
A visitor from another planet
Marty dresses as an alien to scare George at his house on Bushnell Avenue.
Production: Bushnell Avenue, South Pasadena · Depicted: George’s house, Bushnell Avenue (stand-in)
Doc’s 1985 garage, Victory Boulevard
Victory Boulevard, Burbank
Nothing to visit: the set was taken down.
Doc’s garage
Doc’s 1985 home was a shack between a Burger King and an office building on Victory Boulevard, Burbank, later demolished.
Production: Victory Boulevard, Burbank · Depicted: Doc’s 1985 garage, Victory Boulevard (stand-in)
Petersen Automotive Museum
6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles
Open daily 10am–6pm; adult tickets $52. Film cars are on the third floor; ask at the desk where the DeLorean is before you go up.
The first time machine
The original DeLorean DMC-12, the first of three Time Machines built for the trilogy.
Production: 6060 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles · Depicted: Petersen Automotive Museum (same)
Continue exploring.
City links can describe a broad production area or the source catalogue’s city collection. The named-site references retain their own geography.
Production locations in the source record.
The film’s Wikidata record lists these production locations. Exact filming areas and visitor access have not yet been established here.