We’ve made it to the final quarter of 2025, and the reward is the start of Halloween season. I’ll be leading a few ghost tours this month and will be on lookout for more seasonal stuff to share with you. This time of year always reminds me of one thing- whether you’re into scary Halloween or spooky Halloween, in the end, it’s all about the candy.
One of the coolest things about writing my book has been getting to do presentations on obscure landmarks around the areas where I’m doing the presentations that are NOT featured in the book. I’ll be doing another such Obscure Landmarks talk focusing on the Universal City area this Saturday, October 4 at the Campo de Cahuenga. I’m excited about this one because this area really is like the Bermuda Triangle. Some of the topics covered in the presentation will be the origins of the Batmobile, Robert Blake, a home built by the designer of Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty’s Castle, and the Campo itself, maybe one of the most obscure landmarks in the entire state. We will even have a reenactment of the reenactment of the signing of the Treaty of Cahuenga. This one starts at noon and it’s free.
Obscure Mall Attraction: Wonder of Dinosaurs
Wonder of Dinosaurs at South Bat Galleria
A few years back, someone asked me to create a list of all the audio animatronics in Southern California not at theme parks. I still haven’t gotten around to that, but when I do, Wonder of Dinosaurs will be at the top of the list. The attraction, located in the shell of a defunct anchor store at the South Bay Galleria, features pretty much every kind of robotic dinosaur available on the open market. It’s fun to see a department store re-contextualized in this way, and even though this is geared towards kids, I think everyone can enjoy animatronic dinosaurs on some level. They opened in 2019 and I didn’t think they’d make it through the pandemic, but I’m happy to report they’re still going strong.
Obscure Ghost Tour: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghost Tour
The Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghost Tour runs October 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, 24, 30, and 31.
Just in time for Halloween comes the return of the Hollywood Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghost Tour. Last year I was hard up for gigs and took a job giving ghost tours of Hollywood Boulevard with a well-known company. As someone who has been doing tours in Hollywood for years, I was kind of appalled at how much incorrect information their tour contained. What’s worse is that the route passed by the well-known deathsites of Janis Joplin and Dee Dee Ramone without even a mention. I decided to make my own ghost tour based around my interests, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Ghost Tour was born. This is the only haunted music themed tour running in LA and covers haunted places related to Janis Joplin, The Ramones, The Byrds, Bobby Fuller, Ricky Nelson, and The Doors, plus other haunted Hollywood tidbits. I am only doing eight of them this year, but you can get tickets here.
Obscure DMV: Moonscapes
And now for something equally scary, a trip to the DMV. Even with an appointment a visit to the Department of Motor Vehicles can be a pain. Luckily there’s a location in the Culver City area decorated with some cool murals to look at while you’re waiting. It’s officially titled Moonscapes, but locals know it as the Space DMV. It was painted in 1979 by Chicano artists David Botello and Wayne Alaniz Healy and features a contemporary/sci-fi mashup of transportation themes. Unfortunately the mural became a target for vandals and the DMV began removing it this year without the artist’s knowledge. Luckily this oversight was discovered and the mural is in the process of being repainted. I wish they bothered to do stuff like this with every public building. They need to be there anyway, so you might as well make them groovy. You can read more about the mural and preservation efforts here.
Obscure Contest: Masters of Musical Whistling
Everyone can whistle a little bit, but it takes a true master to whistle musically. This weekend the Masters of Musical Whistling, the international competition that unites the world’s best whistlers, returns to Barnsdall Park. If you’re a fan of documentaries about quirky competitions like King of Kong or American Harmony this is your chance to step into that world. The organizer, Carole Anne Kaufman has even been featured on Huell Howser so you know it’s legit. It’s silly and fun because A) all whistling kind of sounds the same, and B) the performers are making the whistling face the whole time.
It’s a jam packed weekend with some ticketed and some free events. More info and some photos I took at previous competitions below.
That’s all for now. We’ll probably be back mid-month for some Halloween updates.
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