The Magic Castle (not related to Disney World) isn’t the type of place you can just walk into. You need an invitation, a suit, and the belief that magic is real (not really). Perched on a hill not far from the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Victorian mansion has sat in the Hollywood hills since the early 1900s. Since then, several additions have been made to the original structure, allowing for the addition of several theaters, bars, a library and other meeting spaces, making the castle significantly bigger than it appears from the outside. Almost like magic.
Inside, it’s a labyrinth. Corridors narrow and wide, staircases twist back on themselves, rooms appear where there shouldn’t be rooms, hidden bars exist on various levels throughout. Every inch is deliberately theatrical, dark wood, heavy velvet, low lighting, mirrors. The architecture itself is in on the performance. It leads you one way, distracts you, reveals something unexpected. There’s a rhythm to how you move through it, a sense of being both lost and found.
By the end of the night, it feels less like you visited a place and more like you slipped into another era. The Magic Castle is unlike any place I’ve visited. The line between performer and audience blurs; you might be sitting at the bar one moment and suddenly find yourself part of a trick. Otherwise, there are specific rooms that have shows at scheduled times, varying in intimacy from 10 to 50 people. It opens at 5 and that’s when we arrived and we stayed there until 12. Part of that time was spent having dinner, which is a requirement when you go.
After dinner, they host stage magic acts. There were three performances. The rest of the acts were intimate. As good as the magicians were, they were equally good at comedy, captivating the audience with their wit and humor. Some of them had us laughing the whole time.
For several hours, the magic castle invites you to suspend disbelief. And just maybe while you’re there you’ll start to believe that perhaps magic is real.
You aren’t allowed to take pictures once inside, so the only photos I have are from the exterior and the entrance area where you pay.
Good story,sounds like a great place to visit. You all look great!!