Something Witchy: A Review of the Manson Family Murders Tour
Los Angeles is famous for many things: the entertainment industry, celebrities and headline-making murders. Sometimes all three of those things collide like they did in the summer of 1969 with the Manson Family murders (also known as the Tate-LaBianca murders).
Over the course of two nights, the murder of 8 innocent people ordered by deranged cult leader Charles Manson and carried out by his followers, brought the 1960s to an abrupt end.
As a resident Angeleno, true crime junkie and lover of Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood,” what happened on the nights of August 9 and August 10, 1969 has always intrigued me. When I found out that there’s a limousine tour dedicated to the Manson Family murders, I saw it as a chance to revisit some of the darkest moments in LA’s history.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Read the full privacy policy here.
Revisiting the Tate-LaBianca Murders 55 Years Later
Like the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Tour, I found Graveline Tours while searching for spooky LA Halloween activities.
I went on the Manson Family Murders Tour in early November 2024. Coincidentally, it was a few days before what would have been Charles Manson’s 90th birthday. (Note: this tour is only offered on select days.)
The tour departs from Ovation Hollywood. If you’re old, like me, it’s the Hollywood and Highland Center. Unlike other LA sightseeing tours, Graveline Tours doesn’t use a bus — they use a 6-door restored limousine named Limo LaBianca. (I told a coworker this and he thought that was kind of tacky considering the LaBiancas have living relatives.)
The Manson Family Murders Tour is 3.5 hours long, so plan accordingly. There is a chance to get food and drinks, as well as a potty break, but it’s more than halfway through the tour. If you’re like me, and believe you’ll perish without eating at your regular lunch time, bring a snack.
What You’ll See on Graveline’s Manson Family Murders Tour
There are a total of 7 locations/stops on the Graveline Manson Family Murders Tour. Each one is associated with the Tate-LaBianca murders, the victims or the Manson Family.
The locations are very spread out, which means you spend a lot of time driving around. In other words, you’re getting an authentic LA experience.
El Coyote Restaurant — 7312 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles
The first stop, or rather drive by, is El Coyote Restaurant. This is where Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski went to dinner on August 8, 1969. (My birthday.) Sharon ordered her favorite dish: enchiladas made with blue corn tortillas. They only made this dish one month out of the year.
Aside from being synonymous with Sharon Tate and the other victim’s last meal, El Coyote Restaurant is known for having the best margaritas in Los Angeles. Since I don’t drink, I can’t confirm this claim to fame. I did eat there once many years ago. It was just OK.
Sebring International — 725 North Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles
From Beverly Blvd we turned up Fairfax Ave and drove past Jay Sebring’s former hair salon. Sebring’s client list included Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty and Jim Morrison. Today it’s GoodForm Hair Salon.
Whisky a Go Go — 8901 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood
We made a brief stop at the world-famous Whisky a Go Go, an iconic music venue located on the Sunset Strip. From The Doors to Guns N’ Roses, the Whisky has hosted all the biggest names in rock ‘n roll.
As an aspiring musician and songwriter, Charles Manson hung out at the Whisky often. (You’ll hear some of his songs during the drive to and from Chatsworth.) And in typical Manson fashion, he displayed some pretty bizarre behavior. Even the ghosts that haunt the place think he’s a creep.
Polanski-Tate House — 10050 Cielo Dr, Beverly Hills
After a short drive down Sunset Blvd and through Beverly Hills, we made our way to the location of the first murder: 10050 Cielo Dr.
There were a total of 6 victims at 10050 Cielo Dr.: Sharon Tate and her unborn child, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent. One thing this tour did really well was highlighting each of the victims, especially the often forgotten Steven Parent, who was only 18 years old.
Like the adjacent Hollywood Hills, Benedict Canyon is really quiet compared to central LA. Our tour guide said the screams of the victims reverberated off the canyon walls, and neighbors couldn’t tell where they were coming from.
The original house was torn down nearly 30 years ago, but our tour guide drove us up a hill to get a better view of the location. (You can’t drive up to the house for obvious reasons.)
I’ve lived in LA for 15 years and it was wild to see where one of the most infamous of the Manson Family Murders took place.
Random fact: “Full House” creator Jeff Franklin owns the house that now sits on the property. He’s tried to sell or rent it for years. (Zillow shows the listing was removed on November 6, 2024.)
The Munch Box — 22615 Devonshire, Chatsworth
Chatsworth is over 25 miles away from Benedict Canyon. In LA traffic math, that’s about a 40 minute drive. As we drove through Benedict Canyon, we retraced the steps of Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Linda Kasabian after they left Cielo Dr.
Our tour guide pointed out the locations where the family members dumped some of their clothes (2901 Benedict Canyon Drive) and where they found a gun (3627 Longview Valley Road).
The rest of the drive included Manson family factoids, Beach Boys and The Beatles music and Charles Manson ramblings.
Charles Manson loved to eat at the Munch Box. (He liked the root beer floats.) It was also conveniently located across the street from the Candy Cat strip club where Susan Atkins worked.
During our pit stop we had time to eat and go to the bathroom. We also got to sit at Charles Manson’s preferred seat and see some Manson graffiti etched into the building.
Spahn Ranch — 22601 Santa Susanna Pass, Chatsworth
From The Munch Box we took a short drive to Spahn Ranch, a former Western movie ranch. The Manson Family took up residence here from 1968 up until the Tate-LaBianca Murders.
This was more of a drive by than a stop since Spahn Ranch burned down in 1970 and is now completely overgrown. We could only see a pipe from one of the houses and a spot where Tex Watson stabbed Donald Jerome “Shorty” Shea.
You can hike down and find the infamous Manson Family Cave, but there are a lot of hazards, like snakes and poison ivy.
If you watched “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino rebuilt Spahn Ranch at Corriganville Park in Simi Valley. It was also a movie ranch where westerns were filmed. The amount of detail that went into the set was insane. They tore down the set after filming, but you can still visit and walk around.
LaBianca House — 3301 Waverly Dr, Los Feliz
The final stop on the tour was the LaBianca House in Los Feliz. This is where Manson Family members murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca on August 10, 1969.
While you can see more of the LaBianca home than the Tate-Polanski home, a gate and tree obstructs the view. We also couldn’t stop to get out because that would be very annoying to the people who live there.
(Side note: Leno’s daughter, Louise LaBianca, wrote an article for LA Magazine earlier this year. While reading this I found out she lived in Newport Beach, the same city where I grew up, at the time of the murders.)
As we drove back to Hollywood, our tour guide pointed out the Scientology Celebrity Center. Apparently Charles Manson studied Scientology during one of his stints in jail. Although he borrowed heavily from the teachings of L. Ron Hubbard, Charles thought it was too crazy, which is saying something.
What I Liked About the Tour
- Blaze, our driver and tour guide, was fantastic and incredibly knowledgeable
- The unique transportation was better than any bus
- The tour was very respectful to the victims and did a wonderful job telling their stories
- There’s a visual element to the tour so you can follow along on your phone (I found this very helpful)
- I liked how it was a small tour; there were only 5 of us.
What Could Have Been Better
- For as expansive as LA is, the locations featured made sense. However, I wonder if other locations could have been included. (This is more of a question than a complaint).
Should You Add the Manson Family Murders Tour to Your LA To-Do List?
If you’re into true crime, love LA history, you’re intrigued by cults or want to learn more about Charles Manson or the Tate-LaBianca murders, you’ll like this tour.
I also want to note that while I enjoyed this tour from a historical context, I would by no means describe it as “fun.” The Manson Family murders were senseless acts that resulted in innocent people dying. And it was all because of one man’s racist beliefs.
If you go on this tour, I recommend reading “Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties” by Dianne Lake. I listened to the audiobook afterwards, and it was terrifying and heartbreaking to hear her experience living with Charles Manson. (It also comes with about every trigger warning under the sun.)
I also want to note that while I enjoyed this tour from a historical context, I would by no means describe it as “fun.” The Manson Family murders were senseless acts that resulted in innocent people dying. And it was all because of one man’s racist beliefs.
