Ghoul's Guide to Santa Barbara

28/02/2024

Oh hey, look! We're #5 on this list of top 20 Best Santa Barbara podcasts. How exciting!

https://podcasts.feedspot.com/santa_barbara_podcasts

09/02/2024

Need something to listen to on your drive home from work? Why not join us for a true story of the exorcism that happened at Santa Barbara City Fire Station 4 back in the 1980s? And find out why the fun slidey poles in firehouses are quickly becoming a thing of the past (booooo).

Ghost sightings at a 1980s Santa Barbara fire house? Yes, please! Liz gives us a delightful rundown of the eerie occurrences reported at Santa Barbara City F...

03/02/2024

Excellent recording session for Ghoul's Guide to Santa Barbara today, and some ridiculously fun illustrationy branding tasks for same afterwards. I wonder if... okay. Do you think if we mention Dan Aykroyd in every single episode, he'll eventually listen? I bet he would. He enjoys hauntings!

03/02/2024

This week's episode features an eyewitness account of a shocking 1930s killing at sea! Lillian Casanova Morgan saw her pirate-imposter husband (yes, really) commit mutiny and murder a Santa Barbara socialite on what should've been a pleasant weekend of sailing.

Jen reads us 17 year old Lillian Casanova Morgan's personal account of her life and the murder of Dwight Faulding by her "pirate love" Jack Morgan.

23/11/2023

This week's episode tells the story of Santee Kimes and her unbelievable life story of crime(s). Jen gives us the rundown of her rap sheet, and the multiple connections to our seaside town.

Slide 1: Intro thumbnail
Slide 2: Mother & Son
Slide 3: Santee in her Liz Taylor Era
Slide 4: One of many mug shots
Slide 5: Santee & Ken crash the White House
Slide 6: Ken with his failed get rich scheme poster
Slide 7: Mary Tyler Moore as Santee in the made for TV movie, Like Mother, Like Son: The Strange Story of Sante and Kenny Kimes

For more info, visit Ghoul's Guide to Santa Barbara.

22/11/2023

Did you miss this week's episode? Get caught up before tomorrow's (which is bonkers) drops... Alden Freeman and the Ghosts of Franceschi Park!

In this episode: there are ghosts, and one of us cries. Fun, right?Explore the fascinating history of Franceschi Park in Santa Barbara! This 15.78-acre park,...

08/11/2023

Hi! Wednesday is Ghoul's Guide day, so here are some terrible local aviation disasters involving B-24 bombers in the 1940s

Explore the fascinating history of the B-24 bomber in this week's episode, narrated by Liz! Join us as we delve into the story of this workhorse aircraft, it...

25/10/2023

Where's Waldo? Find out in this week's episode when Jen tells us the story of our hometown cult that goes by many names but always has the best organic produce around!

24/10/2023

So cool to see our event being shared by local news media.
Hope to see you ghouls on Friday!

The three hosts of the local podcast "The Ghoul’s Guide to Santa Barbara" announced they will hold a live recording on State Street for Spooky Storytime in time for Halloween.

21/10/2023

Next week, join us in Downtown Santa Barbara for a special LIVE Episode! Grab your ghouls to join you and we'll see you there!

A podcast about spooky, haunted, and murderous Santa Barbara, California, with Liz, Jen, & Summers.

19/10/2023

🎃 This week’s episode made me a believer in I.V. Halloween as a worthy cultural successor to the protests of the Isla Vista Riots. Which was a surprise to me because ugh, I.V. is the worrrrrst. Ghoul's Guide to Santa Barbara

🎃 Since the 1970s, the riotous communal Halloween celebrations in Isla Vista, the University of California, Santa Barbara’s college town, have been an iconi...

14/10/2023

Happy Friday the 13th!
In honor of the spookiest of dates, we've got a special bonus episode for you featuring our Top 13 favorite movies for Spooky Season.
So grab your pumpkin spiced popcorn (actually that sounds terrible, how about just regular popcorn), a cozy blanket, and make it a movie marathon night! 💀🔪

11/10/2023

No, not that one.

Today's episode includes diamonds, metal sculptures, and poses the question - is that insurance policy REALLY a necessary course of business??

Join us as Liz tells the story of this intriguing triple homicide.

04/10/2023

Episode 13 - Cold Case: The Murder of Kym Morgan
Do you remember your parents telling you about something tragic as a kid that you think about still?

In this week's episode, Jen tells the story of a disappearance in broad daylight, a horrifying discovery in the hills, and the unsolved murder of Kym Morgan.

If you have any information regarding this case, or this episode brings forward any relevant memories that could be useful to the ongoing investigation, please reach out to the Santa Barbara Police Cold Case Unit by calling (805) 963-0611 or your local FBI Office.

27/09/2023

Have you ever wondered what it was like to live through World War II in the SB (or, okay, Goleta) area? Or wondered why Santa Barbara people are SO INTO mentioning that time a Japanese submarine shelled the shore in Ellwood?💣 Find out about two big incidents in the Goleta area: the Bombardment of Ellwood and the largely-unknown Refugio Prisoner of War (POW) Camp. Plus, why do some Santa Barbara people pronounce Refugio like ReFUFio?🤔 Find out about these burning questions and more as we talk about another dark side of paradise on this episode of The Ghoul’s Guide to Santa Barbara.

20/09/2023

What happens when you find a box of "ashes" in with your tools? Liz tells the story of cremated remains found on Santa Cruz Island and the unsolved mystery of the person's identity.
We also take a turn from this week's movie quote that makes Jen blush.
Craisins, forensic dentistry, button ladies, and more... listen now via the links in our bio.

Slide 1: Intro slide
Slide 2: Santa Cruz Island/Limuw map
Slide 3: The garden shed
Slide 4: Ring and teeth found in the box
Slide 5: Jen's precious memento

13/09/2023

Episode 10: What do you get when you combine a love of opera, an eccentric Italian, ghosts, and yet another shipwreck? The historic Lobero Theater in downtown Santa Barbara! Jen tells us all about how a wild ride by a golden eagle helped commemorate the theater's 150 years, making it the oldest, continually operating theater in California.
Listen now via the link in our bio.

Slide 1: Intro
Slide 2: Giuseppe "Jose" Lobero
Slide 3: The original schoolhouse location of the opera house
Slide 4: The post earthquake renovation in progress
Slide 5: The Lobero mascot, the golden eagle
Slide 6: The eagle perched on a local ranch gate
Slide 7: Old Lobero Theater plaque

08/09/2023

08/09/2023

⚓️ 100 years ago today, the largest ever peacetime loss of United States naval ships happened off Honda Point—and the people of Lompoc showed up on the beach, in the dark and the cold, to help rescue the sailors.

If you’ve ever been to the Lompoc Veterans’ Memorial Building, you’ve seen the propellor from USS Delphy, the doomed flagship of the destroyer squadron that went so off-course the night of September 8, 1923. And there’s a tiny island off Honda Point that’s called Destroyer Rock because of this [frustrating and completely preventable] tragedy.

Have a listen to Episode 7, and let Jen tell you what happened and WHY everything went so wrong. 💜🔮🎙️🎱

We sunk our battleships! The largest peacetime loss of United States Navy ships EVER happened at Santa Barbara County's Honda Point, near Lompoc. Jen tells u...

06/09/2023

Lompoc, California's utopian, no alcohol allowed beginnings, including teetotaler-terrorist acts against the evils of SALOONS are told to us by Summers. Plus, guess the movie quote of the week and find out how accurate our Magic 8 Ball is when we ask it something factual.
Slide 1: Intro to episode
Slide 2: early Lompoc city view
Slide 3: middle section of the Temperance Mural in Lompoc
Slide 4: Info from the mural
Slide 5: Jasper's Saloon as it stands today
For more of the dark history of Santa Barbara County, be sure to subscribe to our podcast and stay connected.

31/08/2023

Episode 8: The Isla Vista Lookalike Murders.
A 1970s serial killer at UCSB and the unexpectedly heartwarming legacy of a victim. This week, Liz tells us about the murders committed by Thor Nils Christiansen, and we learn about Patricia Laney, the victim whose memory the Isla Vista Juggling Festival was founded.
Link to listen in bio.
Slide 1: Intro
Slide 2: Welcome to Isla Vista sign
Slide 3: City of Solvang, the Danish Capital of California
Slide 4: One of the many windmills in Solvang

23/08/2023

Episode 7: On September 8, 1923, the US Navy lost more ships in 10 minutes than it had in battle during all of World War I. Jen tells the story of the Honda Point disaster and how pride set the path for tragedy for 14 ships in the Santa Barbara Channel.
🚢
Listen wherever you get your podcasts or head to http://www.ghoulsguidetosb.com for more info.

16/08/2023

Episode 6: Ghostly ladies in white (also known as "White Ladies") haunt dark roadways throughout Santa Barbara County and Summers tells stories of four of them in this week's episode.

15/08/2023

Hey ghouls,

Our merch shop is live!
Support the podcast and wear your love for all things spooky, weird, and wild in Santa Barbara on your sleeve... or your chest, or maybe on a tote.
There's something for everyone here:

http://tee.pub/lic/OQ8SQ9urGt0

13/08/2023

Episode 5: Riven Rock is a former Montecito estate and home to Stanley R. McCormick and Katherine Dexter. In this episode Liz tells us the story of the estate, its primate labs, potential haunting, and why it's best sometimes to only view your loved ones by binoculars. We also hear highlights of Katherine's activism throughout her life.

13/08/2023

Episode 4: Edie Sedgwick, famed Warhol Muse, actress, model, and Santa Barbara native. In this episode Jen tells the story of her short life and family legacy in SB.
Content warning: This episode includes mentions of disordered eating, sexual assault, drug and alcohol abuse, and su***de.

13/08/2023

Episodes 3: The murder of Noreen DeMartino was used as a cautionary tale for young drivers growing up in Santa Barbara, and in our third episode Summers tells us the story.
Listen now on Spotify or anywhere you subscribe to podcasts.

02/08/2023

Our very first review! 🧡 Thanks for listening Joao! 🥰

20/07/2023

Episode 2: Summerland and The Big Yellow House
Liz tells the story of Summerland, the tiny town just south of Santa Barbara established as a Spiritualist colony, and ghosts of The Big Yellow House.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2nnMHF2wKrJWqZkZRITAyR?si=54c82cbc09054e3e