A witch paddle, paranormal escape room and other spooky things to do in October

By Rachel Schnalzer

“Good morning, my pretties,” I write in a cackling voice. I mean, my fellow Escapists.

If my Wicked Witch of the West voice — and the subject line of this email — weren’t giveaways, I’ll spell it out: This edition of Escapes is dedicated to witchy experiences around the Golden State.

Whether it’s ultra-theatrical haunted houses or a very spooky paddle along the Central Coast, it’s easy to embrace the playful (and sometimes petrifying) sides of Halloween in California.

You’ll find a few of them in this newsletter. But before I get to castles bedecked with gargoyles and cat-themed wine tastings, I’d like to give a special shoutout to my colleague Deborah Netburn, who wrote a 2019 story that showed what life looks like for the “working witches of Los Angeles.”

It starts out: “The Oracle of Los Angeles was feeling frazzled. It was already 2 p.m. and she hadn’t had time to prepare lunch, much less wipe the ash from her altar.”

Witches, they’re just like us.

I recommend giving Netburn’s story a read. It shows — with sensitivity and thoughtfulness — that witchcraft is much more than the pointy black hats, shimmering potions and fun decorations we pull out at Halloween.

Where are you heading this autumn? Send me any travel recommendations you have, and I may include them in a future edition of Escapes.

Take a tour of L.A.’s spookiest houses

Spend more time doom-scrolling Zillow than you’d like to admit? This month, L.A. real estate got a little bit spookier — and I’m not talking about the horror of home prices.

The self-guided Witch Houses Trail is back for its third year, organized by the Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles (FORT:LA). The exterior-only trail, titled “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” was curated by novelist and actor Amber Benson of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fame.

Along the way, you’ll see otherworldly residences, including Beverly Hills’ famously fanciful Spadena House and the starkly imposing Weatherwolde Castle in Tujunga. “What’s a castle without a few gargoyles to haunt its handsome towers, to sit perched on its peaked roofs, to hang from its stone parapets?” the guide asks its readers.

Snarling gargoyles aside, scaredy-cats don’t need to worry — these unique homes veer more whimsical than sinister.

The Witch Houses Trail map is free to download on FORT:LA‘s website. Grab a few fellow witches — or fly solo — and hit the trail this weekend.

The Spadena House’s Storybook style was trendy in L.A. during the 1920s, according to FORT:LA.

(Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times)

Paddle through enchanted waters in Morro Bay

If you’ve lived in Southern California long enough, you’ve probably heard of Dana Point’s delightfully silly Surfing Santa event, which takes place during the holiday season.

Well, the witches of Morro Bay see Dana Point’s white beards and jolly red suits and raise them a fleet of pointy black hats and capes.

Morro Bay residents will hit the waves this autumn as part of the Central Coast city’s annual Witches and Warlock Paddle. You won’t be able to miss them — just look for folks clad in all black kayaking and paddling by the iconic Morro Rock (the paddles work nicely as broomstick lookalikes).

Want to join in the fun? The witches will take flight from Coleman Park at 4 p.m. on Oct. 22.

See Morro Bay’s iconic rock formation from a new angle during the Witches and Warlocks Paddle event.

(Visit Morro Bay)

Escape a haunted study in Anaheim

Victorian death portraits. A family curse. And lots of weird antiques.

For those who love a challenge, there’s a new escape room in Anaheim, just in time for spooky season. The Weeping Witch, the brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Madison and Luke Rhoades, was covered by Sarah Mosqueda, a staff writer at The Times’ sister paper the Daily Pilot.

“The game is set in Madam Ruby’s study, which resembles a creepy antique store or paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren’s artifact room,” Sarah writes. She interviewed the Rhoadeses about where they found the eerie decorations that set the mood inside the experience.

“A lot of it comes from going to thrift stores and going, ‘What looks cursed?’” said Madison. But a few of the decorations are more personal, Sarah reports.

“This landscape hung above my family’s piano all growing up,” Luke said, referencing an oil painting in the escape room. “It’s a family heirloom.”

The 60-minute-long experience is designed for four to eight players age 14 and older. To win (and escape the creepy study), you will need to find a way to reverse a curse before the witch can get her clutches on you. Good luck.

Sip on Cat’s Cauldron wine in Carlsbad

Heading down the coast to San Diego this autumn? Consider adding a spectral spin to your road trip with a stop at Witch Creek Winery, just one block off the beach.

The Carlsbad winery, which says it is San Diego’s oldest urban winery, gives some of its wines feline-inspired names such as its Cool Cat sparkling wine and its Cat’s Cauldron Chardonnay.

In addition to wine tasting, guests can browse antiques and catch a live music set. On Oct. 30, Witch Creek Winery will host its “Howl-O-Wine” fundraising event to benefit SPOT, an animal rescue organization based in Oceanside.

Wine-loving witches and their costumed dogs are welcome. Tickets cost $35 and include two wine tastings and a charcuterie plate.

One more thing

If you still haven’t picked up a pumpkin this year, Times lifestyle and features intern Jessica Benda has you covered. She rounded up 16 L.A. and O.C. pumpkin experiences that scream fall for all your autumnal decorating needs.

I love this quote from Lyra Marble, owner of Mr. Bones Pumpkin Patch in Culver City. “A lot of Halloween is spooky, spooky, scary, but this is that really heartwarming, cherished time where the family can come together and just create these lasting memories,” Marble told Benda. “That’s what pumpkin patches do.”

Check out previous issues of Escapes, or to view this article in your browser click here.