Helter Skelter Tragical History Tour

Scott was a cool tour guide and I really enjoyed the tour. It was informative and entertaining!

This was the BEST TOUR we have ever been on!! We went to places in Los Angeles that you would never go with any other tour company. Our tour guide (Scott) was top notch......his enthusiasm and fascination for the subject showed!! If you don't already own his documentary, you will want to after the tour is over. LOVED IT!

Scott has organised the tour very well so that you see 3 murder sites and other places of interest connected to the Manson killings. The tour was very interesting and educational and in no way seeks to glamorise the murderers

Learn all the gory details about those two horrible nights in August of 1969 and see where the gruesome events took place as ever-knowledgeable Host Scott Michaels leads you through Hollywood, Los Feliz, Silver Lake, Benedict Canyon and beyond. Hear about the last moments of Sharon Tate and her friends as well as Leno & Rosemary LaBianca in graphic detail and you will understand why this was the crime of the century. Never boring, sometimes heartbreaking, always fascinating, this tour will stay with you long after its conclusion.

The tour guide (Scott Michaels) has put a lot of thought and effort into providing this informational historic tour. He knows his stuff! I highly recommend this tour (probably not for young children) and plan on taking the rest of them.

HIGHLY recomended to any death hag fan. i took both helter skelter and tragically history tour with son, who's 25 and even though he's too young to remember the manson murders he still enjoyed the tour.

Scott was great....knowledgeable, good sense of humor, efficient and friendly - if you're interested in the Manson case, this is a must-do!!!

Scott, I absolutely loved the tour and was properly creeped out all weekend for a variety of reasons. (The main one being that I truly almost bought what I know know was Voycek Frykowski's (sp?) drug house on Woodstock Drive, the other being that as a now slightly dirty old man, I found some of the Manson chicks to be hot - especially Leslie Van Houten, and also because of the group song that the Family was singing about "Come On Home". The song was catchy, and not bad musically, and it has stayed in my head every day, which scares me to think I could "Come on home" and be inducted into the family). Anyway, my cousin Fred and I had a great time, and I'm sure I'll be back with other friends from work, including my friend Gary, whose ticket you graciously told me you'd honor when we're able to see the tour again. That being said, I did want to offer two pieces of criticism, which I only intend to be constructive, and they are as follows. First, remember when people in the seats closest to you in the van ask questions or comment, those of us in the back seats can only hear your response. So whenever that happens, I would remind you to repeat people's questions so we all know what's going on. On the day we were there, you had a bit of a fanatic riding shotgun with you and there was all sorts of give-and-take between the two of you that most of us couldn't hear, which was a little frustrating. It was still great though. The second criticism, or suggestion if you will - and I really hope you'll take this to heart - would be that those crime scene photos are truly horrible and my one errant peek into the binder at the slaughtered corpse of Sharon Tate deeply disturbed me, and though I'm admittedly more sensitive than some people, it put a bit of a pall on the whole experience for me and I wish I didn't have that image in my head. So, here's my suggestion - perhaps you could offer a couple of binders that are censored in the manner that the photos in the Bugliosi book are - or perhaps don't have the photos at all. That way, your customers would be able to enjoy the other photos, such as the Helter Skelter slide, the vintage photos, and even the coroners reports, etc. without being exposed to the grisly reality of those horrible images. (My cousin Fred isn't thrown by gore, but I had a lot of trouble with it). So, maybe a couple of "PG-13" books for the sqeemish such as I. Just a thought. Thanks again for an awesome experience. I'm certain I'll see you again, and I'm also talking your tour up to people who I think would enjoy it. Danny Smith

This is the second time I've taken this tour, which tells you how fantastic it is already. But I really want to point out to prospective tour-takers - this is not a cheesy, exploitational experience like I am sure some might assume. It is quite the opposite. Scott, the tour guide (and it does not do him justice to call him that) - is one of the kindest, classiest and most well educated persons on not only this murder case, but on Los Angeles itself. He IS Los Angeles. He lives and breathes every nuance of the city and represents it with just the right amount of humor, intensity and reverence for the lost souls and the lost minds that abound here. He has created something that I wouldn't even call a tour - it is more like a perfectly choreographed travel back in time to the LA of 1969 and the hot summer when the tragic crimes took place. Everything has been meticulously researched. You will find out things you would never know unless you take this tour. This seems to be a personal passion for Scott and it is clear that his respect for the victims is utmost in his mind. However, there is no way to give a thorough tour or re-telling of the Tate/LaBianca murders without having to delve into some gruesome details, and this tour is not for young children or people who are easily offended by being exposed to the actual aftermath of vicious murder. This is not a "joyride." It is not meant to be fun. It is an education that leaves your head reeling and your heart aching for the victims and their families. To me, that is NOT exploitation, that is making sure no one forgets those who suffered. A portion of your ticket goes to the fund organized by Sharon Tate's mother for crime victims. The tour itself is a little over 3 hours, with a break in the middle. The van holds 13 people and is kept in IMMACULATE CONDITION. I cannot recommend this tour enough for anyone interested in the murder case, or even just LA in general. It is a MUST on your list if you are visiting, and if you're a local, you have no excuse for not having taken it already. Purchasing tickets is very easy but plan ahead because the tours sell out fast and sometimes you may have to wait a few weeks until the next tour is available. BUY A TICKET NOW - it's well worth your time and money. And you'll meet some fantastic people too.

I highly recommend the Helter Skelter tour for anyone who's interested in history in general or the murders in particular. Scott knows so many details and locations, it was incredibly fascinating. Not a dull moment on the whole tour, and the integration of multimedia sources made it all the more interesting. Very well done!