Hauntingly Good Time in the South: People and Places that go Bump in the Night Part One of Two
If you are looking for a Halloween treat that is sure to provide thrills and chills that you will not soon forget, take a walk on the paranormal side. A true ghost/cemetery/haunted mansion tour is sure to quench a amateur ghost hunter’s appetite.
From cemeteries to antebellum mansions to battlegrounds, the Southeast is filled with opportunities to spook even the most skeptic during Halloween.
ARKANSAS
The Eureka Springs Ghost Tour will take you through the Crescent Hotel, constructed in 1886 and was considered the “Queen of the Ozarks” during the Victorian period. While you are touring the hotel, you will learn about the legends of The Lady in the Garden and “Michael.”
TEXAS
It’s not only the eyes of Texas that are upon you when you are in the Lone Star state. You know with a state this size that it’s going to have some good (and spine-tingling) ghost stories.
The self-guided, ghost walking tour of downtown McKinney introduces you to some of the legends of the area. Try to find the Lady in White at the Collin County Courthouse.
Austin is filled with all kind of haunted places. Discover and find out the stories behind them during Haunted Texas’ special Halloween tour offered October 24 - November 1.
San Antonio Ghost Tours has a number of ghostly options to choose from. You can select from the Ghost and Graveyard Tour that includes walks through some of the city’s oldest cemeteries, or the Alamo Ghost Hunt Tour, which takes you through old hotels, the Alamo Plaza and more.
LOUISIANA
Myrtle Plantation Bed & Breakfast, located in St. Francisville (about 30 miles outside of Baton Rouge), is considered to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Twelve restless spirits of children and adults, roam the plantation. Tours are available on the weekends.
Hailed as the most actively haunted city in the country by National Geographic, there’s no doubt about it, New Orleans does Halloween up in style. With so many tours to choose from, some of the favorites include:
- Big Easy Tours offers everything from the Haunted History Ghost Tour to the Haunted History Voodoo Tour.
- The Cemetery and Voodoo Walking Tour offered
by New Orleans Spirit Tours takes an up look into St. Louis Number 1. You will learn about the unusual burial methods and hear stories of the city’s most historical figures. In addition, you’ll also learn more about voodoo, how it was used and by whom. - Haunted History Tours is known for their New Orleans Ghost Tour. This two-hour walking tour is definitely not for the faint of heart. See the city in a new light as you walk by some of the city’s most haunted places.
MISSISSIPPI
Learn about Vicksburg’s many spirits during the Vicksburg Historical Ghost Tours.
Even some of the most beautiful places have a sinister past. Learn all about Natchez’ during their one-hour ghost tour via bus.
ALABAMA
A free, self-guided walking tour in Selma, Ala., will take you around to some of the city’s haunted places. A printed guide is available at the Chamber of Commerce. You will learn about “Gerald” who lives at 501 Tremont Street, as well as other ghosts throughout the city.
Local author, Debra Johnson of “In The Closet, True Ghost Stories of the Shoals Area” narrates the Haunted History of the Shoals Ghost Walk tour. Among the tales that you will hear include young Molly, a little girl who died after being bitten by her rabid dog, or Priscilla, a college student who hung herself on the UNA campus.
From 1882 – 1971, the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham transformed coal and ore into hard steel for use across the United States. Still a part of the city’s skyline, the Furnace is quiet now, or are they? According to Alabama Foundation for Paranormal Research, they found the Furnaces to be a hot spot of paranormal activity. Just who are these ghosts? Employees that were killed during their job. The nearly 30 minute tour into the dark tunnels, complete with twists and turns, will leave you wondering if that cool breeze your felt was air circulating or someone, er, something else.
GEORGIA
In its 23rd year, A Tour of Southern Ghosts, presented by Art Station at Stone Mountain Park, includes six professional storytellers spinning 45-minute yarns about famous and should be famous southern ghosts along candle and lantern-lit paths on the Antebellum Plantation grounds. Each night presents a different set of six storytellers, so you could possibly hear different sets of stories.
The ghosts walk among us throughout metro Atlanta. Listen as guides spin tales about the most “spirited” residents as you walk along the Roswell Ghost Tour, Duluth Ghost Tour, Norcross Ghost Tour or Lawrenceville Ghost Tour.
With much of Savannah’s history dating back to the colonial period, it is no wonder that this city has many “spirited” residents. The city holds the reputation of being on America’s most haunted cities. With this recognition, there are a number of tours.
The Savannah Convention & Visitors Bureau provides a comprehensive list of all the tours available, including:
- Ghost Walk Ghost Talk tour is based on Margaret DeBott’s book, Savannah Specters & Other Strange Tales. Tours depart at dusk
- Take a 90-minute haunting walking with someone who knows their stuff. You see, the Hauntings Tour operator has written a book detailing all of the city’s ghostly places in Savannah Hauntings! A Walking Tourist Guidebook.
- The Sixth Sense Savannah tour is said to be more intense than the others. This tour offers a midnight tour for the serious ghost hunters.
Don’t miss out on Historic Riverside Cemetery Conservancy (Macon, Ga.) Spirits in October celebration. Events include Riverside Cemetery Walking Tour on October 30, and a Ghost Tour package on November 1.
Take a lamp lit walking tour of Olde St. Simons to learn about the haunts of the area. If you’re really daring, consider upping it by taking a late-night tour of St. Simons Lighthouse. The tours are offered by Ghost Walk of St. Simons.
TENNESSEE
Blount Mansion may be the birthplace site of Tennessee’s statehood, but it’s the stories inside the house that are even more interesting. Tour guides tell mysterious stories for you, including one about Knoxville’s Frankenstein.
See some of Chattanooga’s haunted sites during the Chattanooga Ghost Tour. This walking tour takes you through 12 city blocks, where you’ll discover the story behind room 311 at the Read House Hotel.
Learn exactly who is buried in the walls of the Tennessee’s State Capital during the 90-minute walking ghost tour with Nashville Ghost Tours.
The Appalachian GhostWalks includes such options as the Haunted Historic Erwin Ghostwalk that educates you about the bloodiest Civil War battle, the Haunted Historic Blountville GhostWalk talks about the state’s oldest wagon road and what happened there, and then there’s the Birthplace of Country Music GhostWalk. No, this isn’t Nashville, but Bristol. While it may hold this designation, there are many dark stories within the city.
Photo credits: On page one (top right) Eureka Springs, Crescent Hotel, flickr, creative commons by rauchdickson; (mid right) St. Louis #1, flickr, creative commons by randomfactor; (bottom left) Sloss Furnaces, flickr, creative commons by christophele. On page two (mid right) Kehoe House, flickr, creative commons by dizzygirl; (bottom right) Blount Mansion, flickr, creative commons by DouG!!
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POSTED IN: Haunted Places, Southern Byways, Things to See in Alabama, Things to See in Arkansas, Things to See in Georgia, Things to See in Louisiana, Things to See in Mississippi, Things to See in Tennessee, Things to See in Texas, tours
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