This Holiday Season, You Can Actually Grab Coffee At Luke's Diner
Warner Bros.’ latest Gilmore Girls experience is the closest you’ll ever get to Stars Hollow.
Get in, besties, we’re going to Stars Hollow. For its annual Holidays Made Here event, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood in Burbank, California, has once again transformed the backlot into the Gilmore Girls set for fans to explore, and it’s better than ever.
In previous years, guests of the studio tour have been able to hop off the tram to explore Stars Hollow, visit Lorelai and Rory’s house, and grab a Pop-Tart and some Luke’s Diner coffee from a cart in town. It’s always been a holiday highlight for Gilmore Girls fans, but this year, Warner Bros. is upping its game to include even more immersive experiences.
Now, you can actually grab a drink and sit down to relax *inside* Luke’s famed eatery. If you’re a little more hungry, you could also stop by the Dragonfly Inn for high tea or get some Chinese food from Al’s Pancake World. When you’re not eating or getting your fix of coffee, coffee, coffee, you have to visit Kim’s Antiques where there’s an actual maze of bookshelves and dressers to get around.
If you’d like to hang out in Rory’s bedroom, shop in Doose’s Market, and everything in between, here’s everything you need to know about the 2024 Gilmore Girls Holidays Made Here event at Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood.
What To Expect From The IRL Stars Hollow
Stars Hollow is a part of every tour, even the regular studio tour, from now until Jan. 5. (Tickets start at $73 per person.) Once you get to the Gilmore Girls set, it’s all self-guided, which means you can spend all day in Rory and Lorelai’s hometown if you’d like — and you’ll definitely need a few hours.
Warner Bros. has not only opened up many of its stores in Stars Hollow this year for activities and shopping, but they’ve been dressed just as they were on the show. One of the stops every fan must make is to Luke’s Diner for either the regular or winter blend of Scott Patterson’s coffee.
ICYWW What Luke & Lorelai Are Up To For The 2024 Holidays
Patterson, who played the grumpy-yet-lovable Luke, tells Elite Daily exactly what he thinks his character and Lorelai are doing for the holidays this year. “He's going to have holiday specials at Luke’s Diner, serving turkey, stuffing, cranberry [sauce], pie, and all that,” he says. “And she's doing the same thing over at the Dragonfly.”
“We're contributing to the celebration in town just like everybody is,” the actor adds. “Maybe Taylor is a little calmed down, and we're getting a little bit more into the spirit.”
The Props Are Legit
Patterson is correct that both Luke’s and the Dragonfly Inn are festive this year. After stopping by the diner, you should make your way to Lorelai and Sookie’s bed and breakfast. It features the welcome desk that Michel is always stationed at, a gift shop with cozy branded robes, Sookie’s kitchen, and a dining area with the actual chairs used on the show.
Danny Kahn, Vice President and General Manager of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, says they pulled screen-used props just for the event to give fans a truly authentic experience. There’s even a dining room designed to look like Emily and Richard’s home, so you can recreate all your favorite Friday night dinner scenes (or fights).
But Wait, There’s More
Along with the foodie experiences, there are also Gilmore Girls-themed activities like trivia every hour at the Black & White & Read Bookstore. Something passionate fans will want to do after eating lunch is go shopping for exclusive merch. There are Chilton backpacks, Lorelai’s pink tie-dye tee, Luke’s Diner flannel shirts, and Team Jess, Logan, and Dean accessories to show off which of Rory’s boyfriends you prefer.
Plus, there are plenty of Insta-worthy photo ops, like the Stars Hollow gazebo, Rory’s bedroom, and Bjork snowman from the Bracebridge dinner episode. For the first time this year, you can smell snow like Lorelai with flurries and a tree lighting once the sun goes down. This is pretty much a bucket list experience for Gilmore Girls fans who have dreamed of visiting Stars Hollow IRL.
Patterson says that he’ll never get tired of seeing how enthusiastic fans get of the show, which first aired almost 25 years ago. “Fifty years from now, people will still be watching the show. It'll be the I Love Lucy of this generation,” he says. It's a culturally significant phenomenon that I was lucky to be a small part of, so yeah, it feels really nice.”
You can find tickets for Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood online now, and rewatch Gilmore Girls on Netflix and Hulu.
