Raven’s Manor, Portland’s New Haunted House Themed Bar, is Open for Business

Come and join the spirits at Dr. Raven's anytime...if you dare!

I recently got a chance to check out the coolest new place in Portland!

From the website: “Want to enjoy a good time with your friends amidst the ghosts of Dr. Raven’s Manor? Come on in for a taste of our dangerously delicious drinks and light fare. Explore the many horrors of this haunted manor and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to live to tell the tale…”

Well, I lived, and it was wonderful!

Combining an escape room, a mad scientist’s lair, and a beautifully appointed haunted house, Raven’s Manor has everything fans of the macabre could want and more! Old Town Portland has been a quiet place when there weren’t protests going on, but hopefully, that is going to change soon, even if we still have to wear masks. Which oddly enough kinda works here alongside the labcoats.

COVID-19 kept everyone home for 2020 and the hope for a better 2021 just got more exciting with the opening of Raven’s Manor. My horror heart started beating faster the second I walked into the bar. I could feel the spirits lurking around every corner in the historic 135-year-old building that this cocktail lounge calls home.

The Henry Failing Building at the corner of Oak St and SW 1st Ave has been empty for a while, and it’s time this amazing place is inhabited by the living again. The incredibly beautiful bar would be more than enough for some people- but with the haunted theme, folks like me who love all things creepy, and wish it was Halloween all year-round, are going to love it.

Co-owners Jared Bradley and Rebecca Vega were nice enough to let me get a sneak peek at all the fun and I got a chance to steal a few minutes of Rebecca’s time to find out a little bit about Raven’s Manor!

Vicki Woods: Hi Rebecca, thanks so much for letting me check out your beautiful establishment! What made you decide to have a haunt-themed bar?

Rebecca Vega: Both Jared and I worked in the service industry some, but we have always loved fall, Halloween, and just spooky things all year round. We knew we wanted to start a business of some kind but weren’t sure what. It all started when we saw this scary house that used to be a tuberculosis ward. We thought about owning it and doing creepy events out of it, like Halloween parties or a haunted Bed & Breakfast, but that didn’t work out. We also thought about doing a haunted house or creepy escape room, so that’s where the idea for the mini escape room you do with the elixir experience came from. When I threw out the idea for a bar, we both really liked it and we decided since we both enjoyed working in the service industry that we would go for it! This represents all our savings and we hope to make a little money and then really go all out.

VW: So, I heard you made all the props I see around the room.

RV: We did our best to save money and made all this ourselves. We’d like to eventually buy some animatronics, but we don’t want it to be too cheesy. We will invest more money into decorations as we can. We have lots of ideas!

VW: What kind of fun do you have planned for the guests at this time?

RV: The Elixir Experience is something totally new and that’s only going to be on the weekends. It’s similar to a mixology class, but it’s themed, it’s spooky. You make your own drinks that do cool things. Some of the drinks bubble and some light on fire, so it’s fun, interactive and you get to be a mad scientist for the night! I think that makes us really unique.

Besides that, we are open every day except Tuesdays as a full bar and restaurant. We are all about the ambiance, and we want people to be able to talk, enjoy the elegance of the manor and still be creepy! We are really excited about it and I think it has a good vibe!

VW: How cool! I can’t wait to do the elixir experience myself, soon!

RV: We want to have themed experiences, but we also want to be the place where locals can come to talk and have a good time. We don’t want them to think it’s just a tourist spot. Our cocktails are very mixology-based, so it’s important how the flavors contrast with each other, and those are themed as well. We have some really good cooks, so even though we are starting out small with our menu, it’s all really good.

We have a lot of plans for this place and the most important part is just getting and staying open. It’s been a lot, but it’s been very exciting! We have a lot of plans for this place. For Halloween, we obviously want to go all out. We’re spooky every day- but for Halloween…kick it up a notch! We will also have our spin on a spooky Christmas.

Come and join the spirits at Dr. Raven’s anytime…if you dare!

    

For more information on Raven’s Manor or to book an Eerie Elixer Experience, go to their
Website, Facebook Page or find them on Instagram@ravensmanor

Raven’s Manor
235 Southwest 1st Ave
Portland, Oregon 97204
Ravensmanorexperience@gmail.com
(971) 319-6182

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