Sometimes it can be a letdown coming back home to Los Angeles after weeks or months of travel. After I finish up my writing from the trip just completed, it can get to me a bit while I await my next getaway. In those times, I actively search out interesting experiences I can have here, in my home, that can both fill up the time and provide for writing material. And if it gets me to appreciate something about this place that I hadn’t already been aware of, so much the better.

So needless to say that I was a bit excited when I discovered US Ghost Adventures, a company that does ghost tours all over the country. I searched their listings and found some options all over Los Angeles and Long Beach. One jumped out, a haunted happy hour pub crawl through Hollywood. I happily signed up to participate on a Friday evening.

Any native Angeleno will tell you without hesitation: we try to avoid Hollywood Boulevard at almost all costs. It is overly touristy, gimmicky, and has the tendency to shut down regularly for star-studded events. So while I was excited for the tour, I was a bit apprehensive meeting at the corner of Hollywood and Highland, the heart of the most crowded portion of the Walk of Fame. But after meeting my guides, Jacquelyn G and Analisa S, we set off east, in the opposite direction of the masses. It was a good start.

Both Jacquelyn and Analisa have day jobs, and were both drawn to giving ghost tours here by their passion for the material. Both are “believers,” and their personal stories would add a bit of context over the course of the evening. They showed both respect for the topic and patience for people like me who, if not exactly dismissive of the possibility of the supernatural, are at least a bit skeptical. They shared from their own experiences, as well as from the history of the places we saw.

The tour worked as follows: we would have a stop outside of a location to talk about it, and then a stop at a nearby bar for a drink. Over the course of two hours, that meant basically four stops and four bars. There was no requirement to drink in any – let alone all – of the bars, but let’s face it, if the happy hour portion weren’t of interest, there were other similar tours of haunted Hollywood without that component. (Note: I drank in two of them, and that was enough for my personal taste. More on the bars in a bit.)

The first stop was the First National building on the northeast corner of Hollywood and Highland, an abandoned stunner of a construction. Apparently, according to Jacquelyn and Analisa, a former owner of the building took his secretary hostage, and after killing her and two police officers, tried to take his own life. Tried is the key word, because after shooting himself, he was arrested, alive, only to die of complications in prison. His ghost – with only half of its face intact – is said to wander the upper floors.

Other stops included the Hollywood Wax Museum, where a National Enquirer reporter once spent the night and found some of the wax figures came to life as eerie ghostly beings, a costume shop with similar ghosts dressed up (seriously, people, do not sleep – or try to sleep – in places with dolls, mannequins, or wax figures), and the famous Musso and Frank Grill, Hollywood’s oldest restaurant. Here, the ghosts of Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino are said to still haunt their favorite booths, Valentino continuing to provide unwanted attention to women in death as he did in life.

The bars were equally interesting, with three providing incredible ambience – and even their own ghosts, as Jacquelyn herself apparently saw one in Boarder’s, our last stop – and tasty drinks. The fourth (second in order), didn’t offer much in the way of hauntings, but two-for-one margaritas are always a nice touch.

My favorite bar was easily Black Rabbit Rose, a combination magic theatre and bar, with a ridiculously good looking drink menu and a vibe that made me want to stay for a while. (It also offers Thai takeout from the restaurant next door.) While I was done drinking by the time we got there, having a place like this introduced to me provided some great inspiration for what will be another fun Los Angeles outing.

The tour ran just over two hours, and apparently timing can greatly depend on the group. Drinking takes longer than simply seeing the bars, and if the group and guides vibe well, socializing also makes the tour both longer and more fun. At the end, the only thing preventing me from spending even longer with my guides and small group was the need to make it to a dinner reservation. (Quick shoutout to Lemon Grove at Hollywood and Vine if you are looking for an awesome end to a spectacular Hollywood evening. Get the lemon pasta; thank me after.)

While I’d be happy doing a tour like this anywhere (and I might on some of my upcoming domestic trips), it was more meaningful to me to have an evening like this in my own hometown. It allowed for some initial familiarity with some of the characters (Sharon Tate even shows up in a story that I won’t spoil), and an ability to work the history into my own Los Angeles experience. It was a way to connect with my home, and to let go a little bit, especially with the help of some strong drinks. While I personally didn’t see a ghost, I’ll certainly look into the windows of the First National building every time I go past, and probably walk a little faster when in front of the costume shop. (Fear of mannequins come to life is real, and sensible.)

So if you are here in LA, give a haunted happy hour a try. And if you are somewhere else, maybe see what is in your city. A couple hours with some cool history is fun even for the non-believer.

Thank you so much to US Ghost Adventures for hosting me on such a fun night, and to Jacquelyn and Analisa specifically for making it such a fun time.

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