Haunted Hollywood Experience: US Ghost Adventures Terrors of Tinseltown Tour – Review
- Emma Hamrick
- Sep 2
- 4 min read
I have a confession: one of my first celebrity crushes was Zak Bagans from Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. I spent countless hours watching the show, building a fascination with the paranormal, and convincing my family to squeeze ghost tours into our road trips. Over the years, I’ve wandered haunted streets in Key West, Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Salem, always chasing a spooky story.
Now, living in Los Angeles, I couldn’t resist keeping that tradition alive. With Halloween around the corner and my parents in town, we joined US Ghost Adventures’ Terrors of Tinseltown Tour for a haunted walk through Hollywood. This Terrors of Tinseltown tour review covers everything you need to know about the experience — from where it starts, to the best stops, and whether it’s worth adding to your LA bucket list.
I was invited on this tour as a hosted guest of US Ghost Adventures. This review reflects my genuine experience and honest opinions.
My In-Depth Review of The Terrors of Tinseltown Tour with US Ghost Adventures
Location
As an LA local, I’ll admit that Hollywood Blvd. is one of my personal nightmares. The street is lined with historic movie theaters, celebrity stars on the Walk of Fame, a gift shop (or two, or three…), and some interesting street characters at all hours of the day. It’s a magnet for tourists for a reason, and while the glitz and glamor of Hollywood have dulled, there is still plenty to see as a tourist.
This tour congregated outside of the El Capitan Theater, located in the heart of Hollywood on Hollywood Boulevard. If you’re a tourist visiting for the first time, the best parking is located in the underground garage at the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall, located at the cross streets of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Blvd. The parking rate is $12.50. There is also a metro station at this same junction, though I am not an advocate for taking the metro at night.
We arrived 15 minutes before departure and received a helpful confirmation text from our tour guide before arrival to assist with any wayfinding. We located our guide easily thanks to her lit-up lantern and “US Ghost Adventures” t-shirt. Upon check-in, I was asked for my name, and my guest count was verified against my tickets. There were six total guests on our tour at 8 pm in late August. Tours are most popular during the fall season, so it is advised to book in advance online.
Terrors of Tinseltown Tour Stops with US Ghost Adventures
Our hour-long tour included the following stops:
El Captian Theater
Grauman’s Chinese Theater
Roosevelt Hotel
Magic Castle
Hollywood VIP Hotel
Hollywood Sign (Viewed from afar at Ovation Hollywood)
First National Bank
Hollywood High School
My favorite stop was the Grauman’s Chinese Theater, where we stood in the courtyard with the famous, concrete handprints and footprints of celebrities. While I won’t spoil the story our host told, I will say it truly sent chills down my spine. My other favorite story was that of the Hollywood Sign, which I quickly connected to one of my favorite Lana Del Rey songs (“Lust for Life”), as Lana took the story as inspiration for the song and associated music video.
It’s important to note that we did not go inside any of the noted buildings and walked from place to place. This didn’t bother me, as simply standing outside of buildings has been standard across all the ghost tours I’ve visited before. We walked from stop to stop, accumulating just over a mile of total walking and a full hour of standing time during the tour.
Ghost Host
Our tour guide, Angie, was delightful. Her tour narration was clear and well-projected, which was incredibly important on the bustling streets of Hollywood. Her story delivery gave me chills more than once, and she was clearly well-versed in the history of the area and the various stops along the way. I also enjoyed hearing Angie’s tidbits about her personal paranormal experiences and Hollywood musings during our tour. There were moments in the tour where she became hard to hear due to the surrounding traffic. It wasn’t too challenging for our small tour, but I’d imagine some “whispers”/headsets would be beneficial in the event of larger groups.
Is the US Ghost Adventures Terrors of Tinseltown Tour Worth It?
I’d recommend the experience to anyone looking for a Halloween activity in LA, couples hoping for a unique date night activity, or tourists seeking a spooky perspective on Tinseltown. I also found the tour to be family-friendly, suitable for children 10 and up. Overall, the location is convenient for both locals and tourists, and the walking route is manageable for most adults. As an LA local, I learned some really interesting facts about Hollywood that are unique to this experience.
How to Book US Ghost Adventures Terrors of Tinseltown Ghost Tour
US Ghost Adventures operates tours in over 100 cities. To book the LA tour online, you can visit the link below:
In addition to the Hollywood standard ghost tours, the company offers haunted pub crawls and non-haunted experiences like Hollywood Sign hikes and Walk of Fame tours.
If LA isn’t your vibe, I highly recommend Key West, Salem, Yorktown, and Williamsburg, all of which I’ve done before. Here are a few more helpful links for booking through US Ghost Adventures:
Wrapping It Up!
If you’re looking for a family-friendly Halloween activity in Los Angeles or a spooky way to experience Hollywood, look no further than US Ghost Adventure. We had an absolute blast, made some incredible family memories, and fully immersed ourselves into the fall season. Are you adding this ghost tour to your LA bucket list?
Thanks again to US Ghost Adventures for hosting me on this tour in exchange for this review. All opinions are my own.
If you’re visiting LA for the first time, or if you’re an LA local looking for a new experience, check out some of my other LA blog posts linked below.
Until next time, keep on exploring!