LA Ghost Tours: What Ages Is It For?

I'll get into the specifics below, but I would say in general, the tour is perfect for kids ages 12 & up. There's nothing scary, per se, but there are stories about murder and suicide, and you want to make sure your kids won't have nightmares thinking about those tales when they get home and head to bed. If you have younger fans of horror or true crime podcasts, I think it's fine for kids as young as 10. Our tour guide said sometimes people bring young kids, but that everyone should know that they do not edit the tours for kids, so if you bring them, be sure they're okay with stories of ghosts and death!

Meet your ghost tour guide in front of the El Capitan Theatre. It's your first stop.

We're Walking Here: Yes, It's a Walking Ghost Tour

The tour we took was called the Terrors of Tinseltown. My daughter and I both love the Black Dahlia case and our whole family loves old Hollywood stories, so this was perfect for us. The company also operates the Santa Monica Ghosts: Phantoms of the Pier tour, and a late-night tour of Hollywood. Most tours leave at 8pm, last for an hour, and cover about a mile of walking.

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Look out for the ghost with the missing eye at the Chinese Theatre.

Spooky Stories and Hollywood History

The tour meets at El Capitan, which is the home of the first haunting. Our tour guide, Cassie, was awesome, engaging my kids and the rest of the group. We all chatted and shared beliefs and ghost stories as we walked, and then would stop at each location to hear that spot's haunted history. Stops included the El Capitan, the Chinese Theatre, the Roosevelt Hotel, the Magic Castle, the VIP Hollywood Hotel, the massive abandoned building at the corner of Hollywood & Highland, and Hollywood High.

I don't want to ruin any of the stories, but there were tales of movie stars like Marilyn Monroe and Judy Garland, an unsolved mystery of the blacklisted, one-eyed actor who haunts the Chinese Theatre courtyard, creepy little girl ghosts, and more. My favorite story was about a building that I didn't realize was abandoned, and our guide showed us pictures that people had sent her of faces in the window of the building. I took my own pictures, which we have poured over at home, but the ghosts didn't want to be photographed that night. But maybe I just don't see them? See if you can find any ghosts:

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Look closely. Can you see any faces in the window of this shockingly abandoned building?

Parking, Prices, and More Details

We all loved this tour, and highly recommend that fans of spooky bedtime stories hightail it over for a family outing this Halloween season. But I'd also recommend going any time of year, and it's a great activity for visiting family and friends. As someone who lives in LA and has spent over a decade writing about things to do in Los Angeles with kids, I'm usually not a big tour person. Heck, I could lead a tour of LA!

But I learned a lot, had a blast, and taking the tour made our family really look at some of the local attractions in a whole new way. We realized that we haven't visited the handprints at the Chinese since we had guests beg us to take them about a decade ago, before my kids knew who any movie stars were. When was the last time you stood in front of the Magic Castle at night? It's pretty special to actually slow down and appreciate all the history and fun this city actually offers, when you're not busy railing at crosstown traffic and trying to get from school to a soccer game at rush hour...

Our LA Ghost Tour met at the El Capitan about 15 minutes before departure. The best parking is at the Ovation complex across the street, where you can grab dinner. And don't forget to get some chocolate at Ghirardelli when the tour ends.

Tickets for this tour are $16 for kids under 13 and $25 for adults and kids ages 13 & up. You can book tickets online, and check out the other tours (including an adults-only Boos and Brews Haunted Pub Crawl, which I am in the middle of planning with some girlfriends!).