Modern Family, the critically acclaimed ABC comedy, debuted in 2009 and will end in 2020. The show stars television legend Ed O’Neill (of Married with Children fam), plus Sofia Vergara, Ty Burrell, Julie Bower, Eric Stonestreet, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson. The show was a hit from the start and a major contender at the Emmy Awards for the first few years of it’s run.
The Houses
Fortunately for fans of Modern Family, all three houses featured are actual homes, and can be visited in Los Angeles. The first, Cam and Mitch’s house, is very close to the Fox Studios and located at 2211 Fox Hills Drive.
The second house, the Dunphy House, is located nearby in Cheviot Hills, and can be found at 10336 Dunleer Drive. Filming has taken place all around the house, including the front and back yards. This is mostly due to all the shenanigans Phil Dunphy gets into. Remember not to trespass though, and just view from the street.
The last house, Jay and Gloria’s house, is located a bit further away in Brentwood. The address is 121 South Cliffwood Ave. This house has a large wall around it, and it is only possible to see the top of the house over the roof. That makes it less than ideal for photos, but the house is still recognizable. Also, numerous scenes have been filmed in the driveway and along the street, which you can also take photos of.
With all three houses, please remember these are private residences and people do live here. Please do not trespass and show respect to the owners and the neighbours.
Santa Monica Pier
Modern Family’s first season episode “Fears” included scenes filmed on the famous Santa Monica Pier. This involves a story where Jay takes Manny fishing, so they walk along the pier and Gloria wants Manny to ride the roller coaster.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
The second season episode “Two Monkeys and a Panda” sees Jay and Gloria checking out slots at a mausoleum. These scenes were filmed at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood. This cemetery is known for many of it’s celebrity graves, including Judy Garland.
Rae’s Diner
Mitch and a radio DJ, Booker Bell have a meal at Rae’s Diner in the third season episode “Me? Jealous?” As a fan of the DJ, Jay crashes their lunch but ends up embarrassing Mitch. This restaurant has been seen many times on the screen, including Starsky and Hutch, Bowfinger, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, and Lords of Dogtown. Elton John was photographed in the diner for his “Songs From The West Coast” album cover.
Sierra Pelona Motel
In the 3rd season episode “Planes, Trains, and Cars”, Jay, Gloria, and Manny end up in a rural motel overnight. This motel is the Sierra Pelona Motel in Santa Clarita. This motel was also seen in the 1989 movie The Wizard.
Disneyland
The 3rd season episode “Disneyland” naturally involved filming at the original Disneyland park in Anaheim. Areas seen in the episode include the front gates and Mickey flower mural, Main Street USA, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye, the Sailing Ship Columbia, Toon Town, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and of course Sleeping Beauty Castle.
The Mandalay Bay Hotel
One of my favourite episodes is the 5th season episode Vegas. Jay, Gloria, Cam, Mitchell, Phil, and Claire head to Las Vegas for a weekend. They stay at the Mandalay Bay Hotel. The hotel is a bit of a plot point where Jay thinks he’s staying in the top level, The Excelsior Rooms on the 62nd floor. But he later finds out that there’s an Excelsior Plus on the 63rd floor, much to his chagrin. In reality, the hotel has 43 floors, but has no floors numbered 40 to 59, hence the descrepancy in floor numbers.
Australia
The first season episode Australia features some scenes filmed in Sydney. This includes scenes around the Sydney Operahouse and Harbour Bridge. You can also see Luna Park in the background.
Fox-20th Century Studios
Interior scenes on Modern Family are filmed at the Fox-20th Century Studios in Los Angeles. Fox Studios are unfortunately not open the the public and no tours are offered. The best you can do is take a photo of the Studio sign from out front.
