The DeLorean is fictional. Hill Valley is fictional. But almost every place Marty McFly runs, skates and time-travels through in Back to the Future (1985) is a real spot in Greater Los Angeles, and most of them still look remarkably like they did on screen.
Here’s where the most famous scenes were filmed, and what you’ll find at each location today.
Hollywood United Methodist Church: The Enchantment Under the Sea Dance
The most Hollywood of all the Back to the Future locations sits at the corner of Franklin and Highland. The church’s social hall stood in for the Hill Valley High gym on the night of the Enchantment Under the Sea dance: Marty’s “Johnny B. Goode,” George finally standing up to Biff, and the kiss that saves the McFly family photo.
The church is still an active congregation, so the hall isn’t a drop-in attraction. But the Gothic exterior is easy to spot from the street, just a few blocks from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Gamble House, Pasadena: Doc Brown’s 1955 Mansion
When Marty tracks down the younger Doc Brown in 1955, Doc lives in a grand wooden house with deep eaves and stained-glass doors. That’s the Gamble House in Pasadena, one of the most celebrated Arts and Crafts homes in America, designed by architects Greene and Greene.
Today it’s a museum with guided tours, which makes it one of the few Back to the Future locations you can actually step inside.
Puente Hills Mall: Twin Pines Mall (and Lone Pine Mall)
The parking lot where the DeLorean hits 88 miles per hour for the first time is the Puente Hills Mall in the City of Industry. In 1985 it’s the Twin Pines Mall. After Marty flattens one of Old Man Peabody’s pine trees in 1955, the sign reads Lone Pine Mall when he returns.
The mall has changed a lot since the ’80s, but fans still recognize the parking lot and the sign’s location.
Whittier High School: Hill Valley High
Exteriors for Hill Valley High School were filmed at Whittier High School, southeast of downtown LA. The front steps and the campus look familiar to anyone who’s watched Marty get chewed out by Mr. Strickland (“slacker!”) one too many times.
It’s a working public high school, so visit respectfully from the sidewalk.
Universal Studios Backlot: Courthouse Square
Hill Valley’s town square, clock tower and all, wasn’t a real town. It’s Courthouse Square on the Universal Studios backlot, a set that has appeared in countless films and TV shows. The lightning strike, the clock, and Doc dangling from the ledge were all staged there.
You can’t walk the square on your own, but it’s part of the Studio Tour tram ride at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Marty’s House in Arleta
The McFly family’s 1985 home in Lyon Estates is a private house in Arleta, in the San Fernando Valley. Fans still drive by to snap a photo, but it’s someone’s home, so please stay on the sidewalk and keep it quick.
Why Back to the Future Locations Still Draw Fans
Part of the magic of Back to the Future is that it feels like a real town. That’s because so much of it was filmed in real places: a church hall, a suburban mall, a working high school. Standing at these spots, you get a sense of how much of the movie came from ordinary Southern California, dressed up for 1955.
Back to the Future Filming Locations FAQ
Where was the Enchantment Under the Sea dance filmed? In the social hall of Hollywood United Methodist Church, at Franklin Avenue and Highland Avenue in Hollywood.
Can you visit Doc Brown’s house? Yes. The 1955 Doc Brown house is the Gamble House in Pasadena, which is open for guided tours.
Is the Back to the Future clock tower real? The clock tower and courthouse are a set on the Universal Studios backlot. You can see it from the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Where is the Twin Pines Mall? It’s the Puente Hills Mall in the City of Industry, east of Los Angeles.
See Hollywood Through a Film Freak’s Eyes
Back to the Future is one of hundreds of movies filmed in and around Hollywood. If you want to hear the stories behind the places where movies were made from someone who’s spent decades talking to the people who made them, join Leo on the Film Freak Movie Locations Tour.
