Remembering to Enjoy Some of SCV’s Treasures

BY PERRY SMITH Senior Staff Writer

When you have something all the time, it’s easy to take it for granted.

Santa Clarita residents are surrounded by natural beauty, open space and certain habitats renowned for their unique appearance, which can’t be seen anywhere else. The suburban proximity to nature not only provides unprecedented opportunity to explore, it also creates an environment that fosters wildlife found in few places.

And of course, there’s the history.

Santa Clarita wasn’t just home to one of the first oil boom towns and gold strikes, it’s also home to an incredible wealth of artifacts and scenes from throughout Hollywood’s history. That’s because the SCV isn’t just home to the Hollywood Western, it continues to play a vital role in the industry for decades, offering producers unique settings, locations in Hollywood’s 30-Mile Zone and a city that welcomes productions.

One of the many things Santa Clarita is known for is being the gateway to L.A., said Evan Thomason, “Those of us who’ve been here a long time sometimes forget to explore some of the treasures here,” Thomason said, adding a few of the popular draws in the area include enjoying the nature and wildlife of the area, touring some of its history and touring the SCV sites that have been enshrined forever in the legacy of the silver screen.

Hollywood Tourism

While some spots are known for a combination of having historical significance, natural beauty and prominence in Hollywood productions, like Vasquez Rocks, some are known for a combination or one or the other.

For example, if you decide to head out and visit the place known as a hideaway for the bandit Tiburcio Vasquez, as well as being in possession of a seemingly otherworldly landscape that also makes it a common setting for outer space, there’s a couple other spots in the area worth checking out.

For film tourism and a hearty meal, the Halfway House is perhaps the top destination in the area — its menu noting the productions filmed there include “The A-Team,” “Knight Rider,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and “Gilmore Girls” — and movies such as “Heartbreak Ridge” and “Space Cowboys.”

And speaking of historic eateries, the Saugus Cafe, which is also L.A. County’s oldest continuously operating restaurant, is reported to have hosted Hollywood legends including Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, Tom Mix, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, John Ford, D.W. Griffith, Harry Carey, Hoot Gibson and William S. Hart in its more than 130-year history.

Melody Ranch Motion Picture Studio, which opened in 1915 and hosted 750 “B” Westerns before being sold to singing cowboy Gene Autry in 1952, according to the studio’s website, offers tours of some of the history on the lot. These have to be arranged ahead of time, and information is available at melodyranchstudio. com.

Another location on historic Sierra Highway, Le Chene offers a destination dining spot and the finest in French cuisine you’ll find in the SCV. It also has the distinction of being featured in Steven Spielberg’s first feature-length film, “Dual” (1971).

Family-Friendly Draws

And once you’re back in town, just down the road is another attraction that’s much newer in terms of its latest design, but also a classic location for families. No, not Six Flags Magic Mountain — although that is also a familyfriendly classic, albeit a bit more of an investment than the one I’m referring to.

MB2 Entertainment, which replaced Mountasia, is an amusement park that offers go karts, traditional and drift racing, miniature bowling, a video game arcade, batting cages, axe-throwing, a virtual golf experience and laser tag on top of what Thomason referred to as “elevated food options” to go with a beer and wine menu.

“Mountasia was great,” he said, “but MB2 has really broadened what they offer there, so now they have a full complement of things to do that appeal to the adult crowd while still maintaining a kid-friendly environment.”

William S. Hart Park is another one of those local tourist attractions that’s often overlooked but provides options for all ages, and a chance to get outdoors. Hart Park, which is in the process of transi-