A Night at the Glen Tavern Inn

This month's travels took me to the pleasantly picturesque town of Santa Paula, California. My mission was to spend a weekend at the Glen Tavern Inn, a charmingly vintage three-story Tudor Craftsman hotel that was built by Union Oil in 1911. It was strategically placed across the street from the town's train station, the Santa Paula Depot, to accommodate the many travelers, residents, and businessmen who were drawn to the area for California's sunshine and the growing citrus and oil industries. On a side note, the Santa Paula Depot was built in 1887 and was the first train station in Ventura County.

In addition to the hotel's well preserved vintage charm, it has a very vibrant history. When it opened it served as a gathering place for the town's high-society, but it may have also hosted a gambling parlor and speakeasy in the attic during the Prohibition Era. The hotel also provided lodging to Hollywood's famous and glamorous actors when the movie studios used Santa Paula's sunny and scenic vistas to film movies. But as the decades passed the town slowly transitioned into a quiet community and the town's prospects became more focused on agriculture. Contributing to the town's isolation was the closure of the Santa Paula Train Depot in the 1930s after the passenger rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles was diverted to an alternate southern route. Eventually, the hotel no longer functioned as a central hub for the community, but a few things remained.....the ghosts. The Glen Tavern Inn seems to have an active presence of paranormal activity and the hotel has been the focus of many paranormal investigations.

Our weekend visit was enchanting with some interesting experiences. When we checked-in, we were assigned to a room on the third floor, which was originally the attic and is rumored to have the most paranormal activity. Strangely, the room was extremely cold despite our attempt to warm the room by raising the temperature gauge on the room's thermostat. The hotel clerk moved us to another room on the third floor, which was also extremely cold. Eventually, the hotel clerk moved us to a room on the second floor which was very warm and cozy. Hmmmmmm.....as for paranormal activity, we did not hear any unusual sounds or experience any unusual activity......perhaps we would have if we stayed on the third floor? Once the rooms were settled, we had a wonderful time touring the hotel and dining and sipping cocktails at Enzo's the hotel's restaurant. In the evening, we took a moonlight stroll through the hotel's gardens and the train depot, retracing the steps of former patrons.

Both the Glen Tavern Inn and the Santa Paula Train Depot have been historically renovated and have received historic landmark designation making them legally protected for their historic significance to their community.