Want to sleep where Hollywood royalty once lived? These iconic celebrity estates offer everything from guided tours to luxury stays

There are a handful you can visit, and even some that you can throw a party in, but not many let you stay overnight. L.A. homes connected to Bette Davis, Frank Sinatra and Harry Houdini allow special events, but you might examine their provenance carefully before inviting any psychic mediums to join you in the hopes of chatting up an old-time star. “This is common practice,” says Hollywood historian Marc Wanamaker. “Most of the time, they ignore any factual information because they want to ‘sell’ their properties for the publicity.”

Paramour mansion in Silver LakeCredit: Photo by Brad Coy / Flickr

The beach home of Marion Davies as it appeared in the 1930sCredit: Photo by Tichnor Brothers Collection/Boston Public Library, Print Department

We’re confident in the lineage of Paramour, silent film star Antonio Moreno and Daisy Canfield’s mansion in Silver Lake, which is available for special events and overnight stays. Marion Davies’ guest house in Santa Monica offers regular tours, as does comic Jack Oakie’s Oakridge estate in Northridge. Joel McCrea’s ranch in Thousand Oaks is open one day a year and Leo Carrillo, famous for The Cisco Kid, owned a rustic hacienda in Carlsbad where you can play vaquero all day and night if you rent it for your birthday party.

Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms in Palm Springs in 1947Credit: Photo by Julius Shulman / © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).

Palm Springs does a better job of cashing in on Hollywood than Hollywood itself. Dinah Shore’s groovy ’60s pad, restored by Leonardo DiCaprio, is available for $3,750 a night, while Bing Crosby’s El Alameda is a quarter of that price.

Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms in Palm Springs in 1947Credit: Photo by Julius Shulman / © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).

My favorite is Frank Sinatra’s spectacular Twin Palms estate. Ol’ Blue Eyes’ restored 1947 desert landmark sleeps eight, is wired to play Sinatra tunes and comes complete with a piano-shaped swimming pool where you can frolic until the wee small hours of the morning.

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Frank Sinatra in 1947Credit: Photo by William Gottlieb/Library of Congress