Dearly Departed Tours

Really enjoyed this tour of Hollywood, very informative of the mad world that it can be. Small group which made it better too. Only slight complaint is that the AC in the bus could have been better, but it was a really hot day. Take some fluids with you.

This tour was enthusiastically recommended by a friend and I'm so glad that I did it. It is run by highly professional tour guides who obviously have a passion for what they do and strive hard to ensure they get the facts right. It's worth getting to the tour early to chat with the friendly staff and see the display cabinets that include items such as the pink suitcase that was in Jayne Mansfield's car when she was killed and a piece of the wreckage from Carole Lombard's plane crash.

We had a GREAT time. The "Tour Guide" (Brian Donnelly) was extremely knowledgable and was a very enthusiastic "History Teacher" who so, obviously, loves his job. I've never done a "Hollywood Tour", before and I've lived in the L.A. area all my life. It was TOTALLY better than I could have imagined. Thank you, Brian Donnelly and Scott Michaels for the wonderful experience!!! I would recommend this tour to just about everyone!!

I actually took the tour many years ago and never forgot how much fun I had. I decided to enjoy the tour with my sister and her family. It was a real hit and very interesting. I would recommend this tour to everyone wanting just a little juicy back story of Hollywood!

Overall, I would highly recommend this tour. Our guide was Brian, and he was extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I couldn't get over how he could drive and speak in so much detail at the same time! Brian is a walking (or, actually, driving!) Hollywood encyclopedia. I learned a tremendous amount in the approximately 3 hours of time, and it was super interesting. I loved how there was a mix of Hollywood death stories/locations, in addition to a seeing stars homes. I have to mention a couple of things that could be improved. My family and I felt that the tour would have been much more comfortable for the people (which included 3 of my family members) sitting in the very back seat, if there was one less person. We were way too cramped together to be comfortable. Also, the tour went a little too long. A half hour shorter would have been better, especially since we had an uncomfortable seating arrangement.

Everything about this tour is great. Scott Michaels is a brilliant guide and very informative and entertaining throughout. That said, this is a serious and tragic subject which is dealt with great respect by Scott. It's not a tour that sets out to glorify the Manson Family at all, sympathy as it should be, is strictly with the victims and their friends and families. For anyone who is making or has made a serious study of these events the tour is a must. If your just curious and want to learn about the events it is also well worth taking. Scott encourages everyone to discuss the information during the tour and is open to new insights and info from his tour members. The audio and visual info given, as well as the sites visited, are also excellent. I cannot recommend this tour highly enough. Mick

I am very familiar with the case, so there wasn't much new for me personally. Another problem is that the Cielo residence is long gone, and the LaBianca residence has changed somewhat with more high shrubs and security fencing (thanks to Mr. Manson). However, Scott Michaels is an expert (even though he denies it). He is a super nice guy and is very respectful of the victims and their families. He adds to the tour by showing video snippets (Jay Sebring in Batman, bad Sharon Tate movies, etc.) that I found interesting. He also provides a rare souvenir at the end of the tour.

Great tour not just of Tate/LaBianca murders and all related, but of LA in the 60's. Lots of fascinating details. Loved ride up through Laurel Canyon, too.

It was a great tour around Hollywood! Not only did we stop at houses and places famous for death, but the tour guide was very knowledgeable about other things. He pointed out lots of extra stuff and he even gave us other things to see outside of the tour. At the store front, Scott was very nice and spent 15 to 20 minutes talking to me and my friend. It is an excellent tour!

We did the Hollywood Movie tour last time and it was awesome, this one was even better! The guides have so much knowledge and they know lots of really cool facts about the troubles of Hollywood! We also purchased the Dearly Departed DVD which goes into a lot more detail and is definitely worth it! If you get a chance, go look at the stuff they have upstairs for display...really cool! We had Richard and he was fun, too bad the other family on our tour wasn't very exciting...HAHA.

I grew up reading books like "Hollywood Babylon", so it was a dream come true for me to see some of the sights described in this book. The guide was very friendly and informative. I also enjoyed viewing the movie star memorabilia inside the Dearly Departed office. I would definitely do this tour again, and bring a friend too.

I would highly recommend this tour. Our guide was very knowledgable and the bus was comfortable. The movie clips added to the tour. My husband enjoyed the house from Grease and I enjoyed going by the bridge where a scene from Dead Again was filmed. Great tour!

Very knowledgeable, fun and interesting.

This tour was amazing, worth the money and extremely information. Scott definitely knows what he's talking about, and it's apparent that he has a love for what he does. Don't spend any time questioning your decision. Buy a ticket, and GO. I would even go again. Thanks, Scott for an excellent tour! My group loved it :)

Took my almost 15 year old daughter on this tour and she was not bored a single time - which is saying a lot! We thoroughly enjoyed our guide Scott and everything about the tour. Very interesting facts and tidbits and lots of colorful commentary ... and tootsie rolls! Well worth the time and money.