Haunted ghost tours have sprung up all over the country.
You may have seen haunted ghost tours in your town or when on vacation. My first tour was in Richmond, Virginia. A woman with a long black cape advertised outside the Edgar Allen Poe house. Two hours later, she led our group through the most historical parts of downtown Richmond. She told stories about the community while pointing out the most historic of buildings. Among the many tales, I remember hearing about the Opera House fire and how a horse and carriage, carrying the Governer’s wife, slid down the icy pavement from the Governer’s Mansion and crashed. After that, I was hooked!
7 top reasons why I love ghost tours:
To become acquainted with a new place.
Many tourists take buses to get their bearings when traveling. I love haunted tours since we stop at each location to hear a story. Boston’s Ghosts and Gravestones combined both walking and busing since there was a lot of ground to cover. It’s a big city!
We went to several historic locations including graveyards where we discovered Paul Revere’s grave; the small one with the flags.
To learn about the town’s history.
In New Orleans, we learned a lot about the sinking city, how it burned to the ground and was rebuilt. I enjoyed hearing about its unique culture including a hint of voodoo. Woven throughout were tales of surviving ghosts who still lurk at night.
See the string of lights on the balcony? They only showed up on film. I have three more pictures like this one!
To learn about heinous crimes and the infamous evil-doers responsible.
Towns come to life when ghost tour guides spin yarns about perpetrators or the more colorful characters of a town. Suddenly, we’re no longer walking past a historic home from the 1800’s, but are glimpsing a part of the past that shaped history.
To tour historic buildings.
In New Orleans, we toured a restaurant and bar notorious for ghostly visits.
In Breckenridge, we toured an old hotel and a home. There is a lot of activity in Breck since graves were dug next to the poor soul who died. Nearly every time they excavate for a new building’s foundation, they find human remains. Creepy or what?
My first haunted indoor tour took place at the Stanley Hotel. You have to read about my experience to believe it. Or maybe you won’t…
To make discoveries.
While in Bar Harbor, our guide took us to a dark street. A man had written several notes and tossed them into the wind on the street, then went home and hung himself.
One man from the tour peered into a hollow in a tree and discovered this! Could the mason jar contain a note? No one was brave enough to find out…
To exercise.
Whether you fly or drive to a location, it feels good to get outside and stretch your legs. Most tours take around two hours so you cover a lot of ground.
To get your heart pumping.
There’s nothing better than a good ghost story to tingle your spine. I especially love when I’m familiar with the history, but haven’t heard the paranormal and unexplainable details.
Back in 2008, they moved a little girl’s body from a backyard grave in Breckenridge to the Valley Brook Cemetery. That night, a wind shear tore down trees in a swath all the way to the cemetery and blew down the Victorian iron fence. Right before her grave, the wind changed direction and continued to knock down other gravestones and trees. I remembered reading about the damage in our local newspaper!
What to bring:
Whether it’s autumn, winter, spring or summer, tours are generally at night. Bring a jacket, a water bottle, and wear comfortable walking shoes. Pack a camera to take photos along the way. Most important, bring an open mind.
This photo gave me a heart attack when I got home from a ghost tour in Bar Harbor, Maine. Then I realized it was taken while the group was still in the theater. Ha!
Have you been on a haunted ghost tour? Would you consider going?
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Ghost Walk – A Breckenridge Ghost Tour
Being Haunted… A True Story in Time for Halloween
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Susie Lindau's Wild Ride 
No, I’ve never been on one, Susie, because I can never find anyone to go with me. However, I did get the chance to spend the night at a haunted apartment last Friday night. The only problem is that the apartment belongs to my niece and she has a bit of a vivid imagination. She told us that she’s seen an elderly lady in the guest bedroom window when she has driven towards the building a few times. We didn’t see anything and felt no chilling presence while staying in her apartment. However, she now refuses to stay in the apartment on her own. Just as well she got married in August.
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Danny and I will go with you if we ever visit in your neck of the woods!
That’s the funny thing about the paranormal. Some see them when others don’t. When the activity was rampant at our house, Danny could hear things, but the image would vanish before he would see anything. I hope her husband doesn’t go on a lot of business trips! Tell her to put out dishes of salt and burn sage. Telling the entity to go away may help too. She’s only reappearing to her because your niece can see her. Our banger may be back. I’m going to go up in our attic and see if there are squirrels or raccoons pulling the wiring apart, just in case it’s something from this world. Ha!
Great to “see” you, Hugh!
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Thanks for saying you’ll both go with me. It’s a date.
I’ll pass on that information on to my niece. Her husband does work away sometimes.
I hope it was squirrels or racoons, Susie.
BTW – love that photo of those mysterious lights hanging from the balcony.
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