Nicole Tasker Woods

The Magic Castle is the world’s most famous club for magicians and magic enthusiasts and home to The Academy of Magical Arts, Inc.

The Magic Castle is the showplace for some of the greatest magicians from around the globe. We also take great pride in showcasing the magnificent building that houses the Magic Castle. Built in 1908, this storied mansion has watched Hollywood grow and change for almost 100 years while never losing its original charm (from their website).

The Magic Castle is my new favorite place. It is so unique and intriguing that all I want to do is go there again and again. It has a hotel as well as a restaurant inside to accompany the many cavernous hallways and rooms where magic and cabaret are performed.

To gain admittance, you must be either a magician member (one who does magic and passes the magician’s test) or an associate member (one who donates money to purchase their entry on a yearly basis). Guests are only allowed if you are accompanying a member or tickets were purchased for one of the “events” in which case you can go and see the show you got tickets for, as well as eat/drink at the bar and see the various magic shows going on every hour.

When we walked in, we were greeted and offered a spot at the bar to sit and enjoy a drink while we waited for the rest of our party. Then we were brought into a separate room where a ghost played any musical request on the piano. The appetizers were heavy and delicious and the ambiance was one of a kind.

The cabaret was not that great compared to the magic shows. The first show we saw was a very intimate setting with only about 15 people and Ryan got to assist a couple of times. Ryan claims that the coins in his hands were there and then they were gone…MAGIC!

The dress code was strictly enforced cocktail attire for ladies (dresses/pant-suit) and suit/tie for men (the tie could be substituted for a ruffled collar, love those magicians!). I told Ryan that I would take up magic lessons so I could become a magician member, that way we’d have entry whenever we wanted. We’ll see how that goes!