What a waste of money and time. 1. Most of the time is spent waiting. The tour went needlessly over time and we arrived at the Bradbury building in time to just stand in the lobby which anyone can do any normal day. 2. They need to hire help for a 40 person tour. The job of carrying their their belongings (table, water containers, lights, chairs) should not fall upon the people on the tour who have overpaid for tickets. 3. The guides, Kim and Richard bicker constantly to the point that it's disturbing and distracting. They also need to get their act together about what they are going to say and where they are going if they are going to charge $50. Besides their annoying personalities, the information wasn't interesting and many of the places we stopped at were lame. I loved the chocolate shop because it's unique and beautiful, but so poorly lit you can't really get see much. We left feeling bored, annoyed and ripped off. read more

We took a tour of DTLA last Sunday and absolutely loved it! The tour guides are incredibly knowledgeable and have many interesting stories to share about the area. I particularly like their lens towards local activism to preserve important buildings and neighborhoods. I've lived in LA 20 years and recommend Esotouric to anyone looking to learn more about the City of Angels. They gave out excellent directions for the meetup spot as well as where to park (which can be tricky for anyone not super familiar with downtown). They were also superb in their communications before the event. I'm looking forward to our next tour with Esotouric! read more

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If you want to receive a PHD in any Los Angeles-based subject matter, this is a tour for you! Tour guides Kim and Richard (a married couple) will be your professors, who can be at times, your favourite stand-up comedians, as their banter and quips with each other can have you in stitches. They are just as unique as the city you're learning about. I've been on at least 4 of their tours and each and every one of them left me with a brain full of information and belly full of laughs. Esotouric Tours are where the subject matter experts go to learn! read more

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Franklin Village walking tour: Replace current: Standing outside of tour sights most of the time on a noisy streets looking at slides on a smart phone with limited, if any, entry into points of interest. Replace with: Hospitable gathering to see slide show on big screen at 1 or more places on or near walk, then walk to see sights with short comment about the stop. read more

I am a big fan of doing tours. Anywhere I travel I like booking tours. I thought it might be fun to book a tour in my own city. I like that Kim and Richard they are ardent supporters of local activism, but I think they leaned too much towards their own experiences. They both did a lot of talking conversationally and off of the microphone. Additionally, you really had to be standing right around either one of them in order to hear what was going on or see what they are gesturing at. The group was too large, and a little bit disorganized. I would not do another tour with this company. read more

I had, at long last, booked my first Esotouric bus tour for March 2020 when (you already know) the Pandemic of 2020 hit. Lockdown. Everything was closed, cancelled or postponed, including bus tours. Esotouric's operators, Kim and Richard, graciously offered to refund my payment; however, I decided to hold on and see what the future held in store. Which was.....WEBINARS! What a challenge it must have been to go from a real life, drive around the City of Angels tour to a webinar format. Esotouric has risen to the challenge. They've really got their groove going and so far I've attended two: "Inside the Bradbury Building" "13 Uncanny Los Angeles Crimes and Mysteries" (on Halloween, natch) Kim and Richard's in-depth knowledge of all things Los Angeles, their passion for the subject, and their cute couple dynamics make for a truly entertaining experience. (No wonder their college advisor told them they were soulmates.) I also loved the Q & A at the end, especially Kim's Halloween story of her spooky experience that cannot be otherwise explained. If you're into Los Angeles history and would like some socially-distant entertainment, look no further https://esotouric.com/ PS Ask about the acid doll. read more

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Defending, memorializing and preserving the history of Los Angeles since 2007, Esotouric is truly a treasure for those that love this city and its history. I first discovered Esotouric whilst looking to give a memorable gift to a dear friend - the Real Black Dahlia. Our guides were well versed on the strange life and gruesome death of Elizabeth Short as well as the various theories and suspects associated with the still unsolved murder. A very memorable day and I look forward to taking more tours with them. read more

Having lived in Los Angeles since the 1980s in a historic apartment building and until recently working in the historic Bullocks Wilshire building I have long had an interest in Los Angeles history. An acquaintance has long extolled the bus tours Esotouric offers of Los Angeles history. I have been wary because due to my girth the idea of trundling on and off a motorcoach and standing an extended period on a sidewalk to hear a lecture on what we are looking at held little appeal. It has been a while since I have indulged in any extended transit fanboy excursions as I was once want to do. Then with the pandemic like many they pivoted to offering webinars. This sounded more in line with my physical limitations. I nearly did the one on the historic Angel's Flight funicular but somehow got distracted and missed it. When my Facebook news feed showed the upcoming webinar was titled The Wonders and Weirdness of Wilshire Boulevard I paid the $10 fee straight away. Wilshire is my Main St. I live on it. Used to work on it. Shopped, dined and explored its length and breadth over the decades. The linear city concept mentioned in the description of the event was very familiar and in line with my Wilshire-centric lifestyle. Is it any wonder I was very excited about enjoying a great event on a topic of major interest? OMG! What a [expletive deleted]! Is this a historic tour company or a marriage counseling session front row seat? Kim and Richard squabble, interrupt each other, often ramble or go off on tangents. Kim is by far the worse in that regard. Richard at least tries to stick to the topic and to keep moving forward. I realize some adore her and complain about Richard ever interrupting Kim. Not me. After enduring her erratic diversions and outbursts I just wished she would shut up. How about a long retelling of the story of cult leader Jim Jones whose flimsy connection to Wilshire is that he got his start selling monkeys in MacArthur Park? There was 10-15 minutes of my life I won't get back thanks to Kim. Vaguely they worked their way west from Alvarado to Fairfax along Wilshire. The Bullock's Wilshire photos were pleasant but they did a poor job on the building's history (and I should know as I worked in it 18 years and read the book on it). The story of the long gone service station near Normandie was somewhat interesting but strange it got more attention than the Brown Derby plus they declared they were going to not talk about the Ambassador Hotel. How arbitrary! Which still is more than they did for the art deco Wiltern about which they said zip. And bang! we were hopping around the Miracle Mile in a whirl of the history of this building and that building followed by a lengthy lament/rant on the demolition of LACMA. From other reviews it is clear everything I describe isn't new. They have a history of self indulgence, unprofessional behavior and delivering less than they promise. Obviously they see no need to change. Fine. Some folks adore them. They can have them. I now know they are not my cup of tea and to steer clear of the good ship Esotouric. P.S. if you want to learn the history of Wilshire buy or borrow from the library Kevin Roderick's excellent book Wilshire Boulevard: Grand Concourse of Los Angeles. read more

My initial review of my experience was honest and sincere. I was not going to pursue the matter any further but since my motives have been questioned, I feel the need to clarify. I originally bought two sets of tickets one for a tour in August and a second for a tour in October. I am a huge fan a true crime and was excited. The night before the August tour my daughter came down with COVID. I then contacted Kim informing her and she said no problem I can reschedule your 3-$85 tickets for another day, which she kindly did for a tour in late October. The second tour I had purchased tickets for was held in early October. I initially bought 4 tickets to celebrate a friends birthday, then bought 2 additional tickets a few nights before because my daughter was coming to town. I paid over $500 for this tour for 6 people. We go on the tour and the tour did not meet my expectations. It was disjointed, Joanne and Kim were informative but Richard was rude and condescending. He kept interrupting the tour with tangential comments and fighting for the mic. After coming home from the tour I wrote my initial review. I then contacted Kim and asked for a refund for the three postponed tickets that were scheduled for late October, because I did not enjoy the tour and neither did the 5 other people that accompanied me. She responded and said there are no refunds but graciously agreed to exchange the 3 bus tickets for 5 walking tickets which were roughly of equivalent value to be held in December. I figured a walking tour might be more tolerable. Kim then came across my review and threatened me to take down my review or loose out on the outstanding $250 in tickets. There was some additional back and forth vi email where I asked her to clarify what she meant. At the end I received a final email saying that my outstanding tickets were revoked. I left it alone said oh well on the lost $250 and now the owner posted this response to my review. If you read the other 1 & 2 star reviews you will see that my experience was similar to others and my review is earnest. Save your money and do not go on these tours. read more

Esotouric - Owner asking me to delete my honest reveiew - Performing Arts Near Me

Totally agree with most of the bad reviews on this site. We took the August 2019 Mansonland tour and left confused, annoyed and feeling like we'd been gypped. Look, it's obvious that they know their stuff. But they do not know how to tell a story, or even organize their thoughts in a coherent way. We had 4 guides for a 4-hour tour -- Kim and Richard + Rob (who has written books) and Joan (not exactly sure of her background except she writes a blog). Rob led most of the tour, but all he really did was throw a bunch of names and incidents at us, without explaining the overall context. No timeline, no background. He may have assumed that his audience had expert knowledge in the subject matter and knew the story and players really well. But not all of us did. It almost felt like they'd never done a tour before. For example, they'd make all of us get out of the bus at a couple of stops and then they'd start talking before everyone got off. So the people at the back of the bus missed almost all of what they said. It seemed like such an amateur move. Wait until everybody is out before you start talking! They also had technical problems with their slideshow, which I'd forgive, except that based on other reviews, this happens to them a LOT! So maybe, like, fix that! As others have said, Kim was actually the most coherent of all the presenters. She could weave a good yarn. But she wasn't given as much time to talk as the others. And in one incident at a cemetery, her husband kept rushing her through her spiel and was visually annoyed (rolling his eyes) when she kept talking. It was uncomfortable, rude, and completely rubbed me the wrong way. So unprofessional! We didn't visit Cielo Drive or Spawn Ranch (okay, I get it, it's either too far or too hard to navigate in a bus). But one stop was the Glendale train station. Why? Because it had bathrooms and so that Rob could set up a table to sell his books. Really. They took time away from the tour for this? Not sure why this couldn't have waited until the very end. I cannot in good conscience recommend this tour group to anyone. With small fixes they could significantly improve the experience. But seeing that these are consistent problems, this must just be how they do business. read more

Great tours, great people, great history. For any real lover of Los Angeles, Esotouric is essential.

Kim and Richard are the real deal. The guardian angels/archivists/activists that this city needs. Ride, walk, talk or Zoom with them and it will transform your experience of this maddening, enchanting city. read more

Kim and Richard's Virtual Tours have been instrumental in getting me through this pandemic. Their tours are filled with humor and tons of knowledge on fascinating Los Angeles history.  I can't wait to eventually go on an "in-person" tour. Also, huge respect for all their work in their efforts to preserve Los Angeles institutions (those we have left that haven't fallen prey to unscrupulous figures). And a big shout out to special appearances by Slats! read more

Sad that this company had not been able to offer their wonderful in-person bus tours, but am thankful they have offered the online options. Love their insight into LA history! read more

Kim and Richard's virtual tours are excellent! As a lifelong Angeleno who loves this city and it's deep history, I fully appreciate the wealth of knowledge they share. read more

One of the first tours I have done. The Beth Short Tour was so in-depth and done with compassion for a woman who was a really person. I highly recommend and can't wait until they do tours again. read more

This review is for the Pasadena Crime Confidential Tour. I wanted to like this tour, I really did, but unfortunately the execution of the tour was lacking. Cons: 1. They told us to meet at one corner of Central Park for a check in, but it would have made more sense to check in next to the bus. 2. The bus screens were broken, so in an agonizing process, we had to download QR codes and then drain our batteries to watch the slide deck. The age demographic of the people who were on the bus skewed older, so not everyone even had smart phones! 3. We had to get out of the bus 3 times in the heat, and no where on their website or confirmation email did it mention that we would get outside, or walk. As mentioned before, people were older and were not all about walking. Neither was I, since it was so hot and the place worth getting out was "Suicide Bridge." 4 members of the tour (including Paul Dini, writer and producer of Batman the Animated Series and creator of Harley Quinn) literally left because they were not all about the tour. 4. Tour could have been 3 hours without walking, 4 hours was too long. 5. Tour seemed disjointed, with lots of random facts about things tangentially related to crime (we went to see the house of someone who found a mummy, why is that cool?) 6. Richard was incredibly flustered for the full 4 hour tour, and since the screen was open he walked up and down the tour bumping into people for the whole ride. He also interrupted his wife all the time which made me feel like his mansplaining was so rude. 7. Chairs are for short people! Pros: 1. Every time Kim spoke she spoke with poise, grace and excellent clarity of voice. 2. Some of the stories were interesting. 3. Coffee and cookie break. read more

I bought tickets for the Black Dahlia tour 2 months in advance after seeing a segment on the tour on the local news channel. My husband and I were really looking forward to this tour, as the website has a lengthy description of the story and things you'll learn on the tour. False. Prepare for a long review: This tour was 4 hours long, which was about 2 hours longer than it should've been. I had no problem with the length going into it, but there was nowhere near 4 hours of information provided. Kim and Richard are the tour company owners and have no idea how to organize their thoughts. It's just one scattered thought after another that leaves the audience more confused than when they started the tour. One minute they're talking about Beth Short's childhood, but oh no wait, then someone found her body in a vacant lot, but here is a photo of her as a child, but wait, here is her dead body covered in a blanket, but did you know her dad left her family and oh wait, we just passed a notable location that we forgot to point out, oh well. That was basically the gist of the whole bus ride. I actually fell asleep at one point. They stopped us at a former bus depot, allegedly because we were going to learn more about her dropping her suitcase there the day before disappearing, but all we did was crowd into a warehouse that used to be a Greyhound stop and listen to a 2-sentence poem written by Beth that had nothing to do with the location we were at and then load back onto the bus. Same for all other locations. The real kicker was, we stopped at the lawn where she was found, which is now a suburban neighborhood, and one of the paying customers had to tell them we were standing in front of the wrong house! Not once did they even point out where she was found until someone asked as we were about to leave. They've been doing this tour for 10 years, so I have to wonder if they've been bringing their tours to the wrong house every single time. Richard, as every other review has mentioned, is dismissive of Kim and constantly interrupts her with unrelated thoughts. They brought a guest host along, Joan Renner, a well-known criminal profiler from Investigation ID, and she was by far the most interesting to listen to. However, any time she actually got the mic, Richard would cut off all her thoughts and change the subject to unrelated topics. The term "we'll get back to that later" was tossed around all day, but we never revisited anything they said they would. Plus, the last hour of the tour, they just pull off onto a curb and set up coffee and donuts. Why not do that back at the starting point so those of us who wanted to could just leave, and anyone who wanted to could linger and ask questions? My husband and I learned way more about the Black Dahlia story from Wikipedia on the ride home from the tour. I hate leaving bad reviews for a small business, but I really think this tour is a joke and a waste of money. The topics they go over are so interesting and have such potential to make an amazing tour, but they need to work on their story-telling skills to create a cohesive, sensible story. read more

"Los Angeles Underground: Sleuthing Tunnels Lost & Found". Virtually touring L.A. with Kim and Richard. History with personality. They never fail to deliver. Amazing pictures, maps, special guests, Nathan Marsak and his cat, Pineapple (so cute!). An incredible amount of detail to the information given, done by a personable quirky couple. read more

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Esotouric provide fascinating tours of L.A. history with all the local background you never see in history books. I went on their Bukowski tour before the pandemic and it was excellent! I'm looking forward to when their tours start up again. They're also very active in preservation and wonderful stewards of the city's architectural and cultural heritage. read more

Kim and Richard's service to Los Angeles extends well beyond their entertaining and informative tours. They are active community leaders that are heavily involved in historical preservation and education--they are guardians of a spirit that keeps this town distinct and in touch with what it always was and will be. And they seem to keep finding ever more to explore and share in their online seminars. I can't recommend this organization enough for anyone that is remotely interested in learning more about the culture and history of this rich and fascinating city. read more

I appreciate their deep historical dives and that they seem to care who wields the power and gets the privilege to write history. A socially conscious historical perspective. read more

Love this couple! Thanks for bringing awareness of the greedy developers and classless transplant restauranteurs trying to chip away at Hollywood History , for their own personal gain. We will win this city back. read more

Caring, kind hearted, super knowledgeable and passionate about preservation. Enjoy witnessing their beautiful love affaire with Los Angeles. Shiny gems in the dark city of angels. 5 stars! read more

I was lucky enough to win tickets to Esotouric's "Reyner Banham Loves Los Angeles: The Lowdown on Downtown" from KCRW a few weeks ago... or so I thought. From the beginning there was quite a bit of back biting and pettiness between the main tour guide and the others. I was very interested in the history of bunker hill and Pershing square and all the spots they showed us. Don't get me wrong, you will see many interesting places and get tons of history about downtown... if you can stand all the bitterness. Apparently there is some tension between the tour guide, his wife and art walk. We were reminded about once every ten minutes about how they turned it over to a nonprofit, and were they voted out by the board. EVERY TEN MINUTES. This is not what I signed up for. Also, I get that you don't agree with downtown's policing and security systems, but referring to them as "Hitlers Youth" over and over again and giving us a dissertation about Hitlers Youth and the SS is in piss poor taste. There is NO other analogy you can use? You don't feel that may be offensive to some of your "gentle riders"??? It was so bad, that at the last stop, my friend and I just walked back to our cars. I had fully intended on signing up for the Noir tour and for the Black Dahlia tour, but god knows who may have offended them in those sectors. read more

Went on their Wild West Adams tour and it was amazing. They both know so much about Los Angeles that they interrupt themselves to tell you a little nugget about the place you're currently passing. But this isn't current gossip, this is the true dirt on our city. Loved it! read more

Noir, and in particular L.A. noir, has a special place in my heart. As soon as my mom presented me with a pair of Groupons for Esotouric, I started looking forward to my tour. I went on the Raymond Chandler tour, entitled "Raymond Chandler's Los Angeles: In a Lonely Place," and it was awesome. We met at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, and it was immediately apparent that our tour guide Richard had an immense store of knowledge about the city. We stood on the roof and he showered us with trivia about not only Chandler, but about the various buildings in the area and their particular histories. He was able to field questions with expertise. Inside the club, he kicked off the tour by reading one of my favorite Chandler passages, from "The Simple Art of Murder," and it set the mood for the afternoon. We made several stops, none of which were particularly scenic, but each of which built upon a story about Chandler and his life. The tour was sprinkled with snippets about Chandler and his associates, his career, and his personal life, as well as readings of some choice passages. The whole thing was very evocative, and I really enjoyed it. Chandler is perhaps the most important author in my life, and I felt like I learned quite a bit about him as a person. The reason I can't give Esotouric five stars, though, is that I didn't feel like I could trust all of the information. Our tour guide misattributed a quote from "The Big Sleep" to "The Long Goodbye," and even worse, described a character in "The Long Goodbye" as "a writer who commits suicide." Anyone who has read that amazing novel should know how egregious a mistake this was. I suppose, though, that if I wasn't crazy about Chandler I might not notice such things. I also felt like personal biases distorted some of the tour guide's story-telling - he became friends with Chandler's secretary, for instance, and based on later Google searching, I believe he inflated her importance. Nonetheless, the tour was very fun and Richard was obviously very knowledgeable. He was also courteous and friendly both on the phone and in person. Another aspect of the tour that I liked was that everywhere we went, he knew someone with something to say. An old man at the athletic club, for instance, regaled us with a story about his piano playing days. Some of his acquaintances were also written into the program to good effect, like the owner of Musso & Frank's, who lectured us about the restaurant's rich history. The tour also included a stop at Scoops, which wasn't too thematically related to Chandler, but was delicious. We each got tickets that were good for two scoops of ice cream, and this was a delicious detour. I doubt, though, that Chandler would've known what to do with Heliotrope and its vegan restaurant and hipster bike shop. I've lived in Los Angeles my whole life, and this was my first tour that I've ever taken of the city. I feel like I learned a lot from an angle that I could really appreciate. We covered a decent amount of ground, and I loved nearly every minute. I'd definitely go back for another tour, and I'd recommend Esotouric tp any noir nuts with the desire to explore noir's favorite city. read more

LOVED the Eastside Babylon tour. The guides/owners, Kim and Richard, know how to make a 4-hour bus ride around East L.A. go quickly! This tour was murderiffic (my wife's a sponge for true crime stories), but it's clear Kim and Richard's main passion is preserving the history of L.A. -- its stories, its structures, its communities. For anyone feeling reticent about a tour bus full of outsiders rolling through a brown residential neighborhood, Richard mentioned that some of the residents have taken the tour. If they don't feel exploited (they don't), don't feel guilty. Tips: snacks and drinks are encouraged on the bus; bring them! There was a bathroom on my bus, and we were given a couple breaks to use it. Enjoy the stories, and ask questions during the stops! read more

Five stars because no one else does tours like this. Richard and Kim are extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and genuinely nice people. They have obviously invested a lot of time researching the history of Los Angeles and the stories they tell on their tours. They do a good job of starting on time and getting the bus back on time, which is not easy when working with a group. However, the one and two star yelp reviews do have a point - Richard still interrupts his wife frequently and addresses her in a bossy tone. And after all these years, Richard doesn't know how to use a microphone properly, resulting in ear-splitting feedback screeches. It isn't the equipment - it doesn't happen when his wife it speaking. The monitors (TV screens) on the back of the bus don't always work. So if you want to see the photos that illustrate the stories, sit as close to the front of the bus as you can. They haven't quite learned how to pace their stories and match them with the photos, so they end up racing through pictures at the end of a narrative. A little rehearsal might help. There is always a sense that they almost but don't quite have their act together. The whole thing is too loud. Turning up the volume on mediocre speakers or subpar recordings does not increase the quality of the sound. It just hurts people's ears. The tours mostly involve visiting sites of things that are no longer there or just looking at the outside of buildings. These tours would be better as lectures in an auditorium with slides or videos. Bring your own snacks. The water they provided was appreciated, but the tin of discount sawdust cookies was a joke considering the high ticket price. Some tours stop a good places to eat. Others don't. If you have any questions about the tour or want any tips for visiting old places in Los Angeles, ask Richard or Kim during one of the stops or at the end. They are both very approachable. These tours are not for everyone, but you can probably figure out from the description, cost, and length which side of the line you fall on. read more

They know their Los Angeles history and they love our city! I have been on a couple of their tours and have also attended a few web events and they are endlessly entertaining. Looking forward to getting back on that bus when the pandemic is under control again! read more

I treated my mom to the Main St. Vice and Hotel Horrors tour for her birthday. We are the only ones in our family who are into learning local history (of any city), dark and light. We took the tour in mid-June; sorry it took me this long to finally write a review, but the experience was so memorable and interesting, it would not matter when I'd write this. Richard and Kim are clearly passionate about what they do. The tour content was filled with intriguing facts with lots of landmarks and images to see from the bus, off the bus, and on the TV screen. Originally from SoCal and having been to LA many many times over the years, I saw parts of Downtown LA that I've never seen before. That, I appreciated greatly! Our guides were a hoot themselves. Some may not be sure of what to make of Richard and Kim at first, but if you ask me, I would never want them to ever be cookie-cutter tour guides. Richard's shameless off-the-mic-but-not-really stage direction, especially to our bus driver, Steven, was entertaining, "Steven turn here!" "Steven, stop right here!" "Steven, we're blasting off!" Very enthusiastic. Kim on the other hand, was more centered with a wonderful presenter's voice and great diction. What a unique and adorable couple! Offering each other tea...really sweet. :) This was our first time taking their tour and we look forward to taking the others sometime. Be sure to eat at The Daily Dose before starting the tour! Great food and espresso (I had the Esotouric Breakfast Bagel, of course). Despite snacks being offered midpoint of the tour, it is a very good idea to have something in your tummy before going on a 4-hour adventure. read more

Esoteric is a dream site for this 4th generation Angeleno. They keep me up to date on all things Los Angeles - an invaluable source of knowledge, news and action within the city. read more

Kim and Richard are historians, protectors, and lovers of Los Angeles. Prior to the pandemic they offered the best bus tours of the city highlighting everything from the music and landmarks of Tom Waits to scenes of notorious crimes from decades past like "The Black Dahlia" Elizabeth Short. They also keep a watchful eye on scoundrels and scofflaws doing foul deeds in our fair city. Check out their fantastic online seminars while you wait for the return of their tours! read more

Look no further than Kim and Richard for the real scoop on Los Angeles history! Looking forward to the day when real tours will continue. Until then, they work tirelessly to preserve our city and I'm very grateful for their efforts. read more

I loved that on the way to certain destinations, historical points of creepy interests were pointed out. This city has changed greatly over the years. Lots of our strange and unusual points of interests are no longer standing. For example, the black dahlia was found in what looked like a field. This location is now the tip of some bodies driveway. Nobody would know today what atrocity happened there. This also explains hauntings. You can knock the house down but the trauma Still stands. It's good to know where murders happened or where ritualistic meetings took place. Again, I love that they mention things on the way to different locations. Knowing where different creepy points of interests once stood is interesting to lots of people. It's just history . This group is very knowledgable. Thanks again! read more

Esotouric - Spahn Ranch Famous Cave. It's filled up with more mud since the orig group pic was taken...but it's still accessible. - Performing Arts Near Me

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Passionate cultural and architectural history wrapped around quirky and compelling pop history. Richard and Kim bring the coolest parts of SoCal history to life. read more

I've been on a few Esotouric tours. All have been really interesting to me, and it makes me see LA in a different light. Great value when they have a Groupon available. Yes the tours might be too long for some, but to me the time flies by. Kim and Richard are great story tellers. I could do without the red headed woman that comes on some tours (not trying to be rude..). Tip- You could usually find street parking for the tours that start in DTLA avoiding to get a paid spot. read more

Of all of the fun, random things that we like to do on a weekend, an Esotouric tour has to be our favorite. You have to go knowing that some stories might captivate your attention more than others. You absolutely have to be willing to make friends on the bus because the other quirky and curious souls traveling with you is half of the experience. I love Kim, Richard, Joan and Ceasar (the bus driver). They turned a hobby into a way to make a living and frankly, those are the best kinds of livings, aren't they? The happiest ones, at least. So far, we have taken: 1. Blood & Dumplings - HIGHLY recommend it. 2. Maja's mysteries - Interesting tour about spirituality in Los Angeles 3. The Black Dhalia tour - not about the murder, but about her life leading up to her death, far more interesting anyway. 4. Richard's birthday bus tour - Just a fun romp along Route 66 with Richard and the fam. Such a great time. We even went to an old nearly forgotten cemetary that you would never know existed until they pointed it out. Whether you are a tourist or you were born and raised in L.A., guaranteed that you will learn something new, meet someone new and make a mental note of a place you will want to return to. read more

Esotouric - The Phillips Mansion in Pomona - Performing Arts Near Me

Esoteric is more than a tour company, they are a team of enthuastic experts of Los Angeles history and preservation, happy to share their knowledge in the hopes of entertaining AND preserving what we have left. Durning the pandemic they have adapted their business to offer Virtual Tours and self-guided activities that kept me and my husband excited about our history and our future. They provide rich and in-depth content on their instagram and have created a community of fellow vintage/history/architecture/culture lovers that has become so valuable to my Los Angeles existence. Thank you for your passion, Los Angeles is lucky to have advocates like you! read more

Don't bother! We did the Lowdown on Downtown tour. New to LA I was looking forward to learning some history that would otherwise be hard to come by and I couldn't wait to see the Dutch Chocolate Shop. 1. Richard should let Kim do ALL of the talking. Even when he lets someone else speak,including Kim, he won't stop interrupting them. Kim is far more articulate and a much better storyteller. 2. If I wanted their personal, political views on things I would follow up with them later. I thought it was a historic tour. 3. I don't need to be reminded every 5 minutes to thank those people that spoke at the tour or drove the bus. I'm not a child. It felt very immature. "Now everyone thank the bus driver!" 4. Even the cheaper tickets I found on Groupon were too expensive for such a terrible experience. Overall it is very poorly planned and very poorly executed. We didn't take the ride from the arts district back to the starting point. Instead we went to dinner and Little Tokyo. I wish I had spent the whole day in those two places instead of riding around listening to Richard interrupt people. read more