In a 2006 survey, 36 percent of respondents said they thought places can be haunted, and 20 percent said they thought people can communicate with the deceased.
So it's no surprise people use vacation time to seek out the living dead. Ghost tours provide tourists the opportunity to brush shoulders with spirits, or at the least, hear a few ghostly tales. Some tourists stop in for these tours on a whim, and other enthusiasts design entire trips around visiting a string of haunted places.
The spook factor on a ghost tour depends on what you get -- a tour guide's suspenseful stories or a paranormal experience. For example, during a Charleston, S.C., ghost tour, tourists have reported blacking out in the dungeon, claiming their airflow was cut off and that ghosts breathed down their necks. On that same tour, pregnant women have reported being taunted by a female ghost who died in childbirth -- they've felt their babies kicking and have even experienced contractions. Several of them left the tour, and more than a few have fainted.
Recently, television shows like "A Haunting," "Ghost Hunters" and "Most Haunted" have compounded the fascination with paranormal activity. Although the latest technological advances and television trends have stirred additional interest, ghost intrigue is certainly nothing new. Ghost tales make up a large part of the mythologies of many ancient cultures, and literature has always loved a good phantom. William Shakespeare, in plays such as "Hamlet," used ghosts as plot devices to link the consequences of the past to the events of the present.
So, if you're searching for a ghost tour, where should you look? Most cities have at least one ghost tour company to guide visitors through the haunted digs. But ghost tourism seems to be most popular in areas that have been centers of historic change -- places where architecture connects us to the past and to catastrophic human suffering. Believers say ghosts can be spotted anywhere from homes to prisons to public squares. Can they? Let's take a closer look.
5. Charleston, S.C.
Few American cities are as beautifully preserved and historically vibrant as Charleston, S.C. In fact, not much of the city’s architecture and ambience has changed since its founding in 1670 and its heyday in the 18th century as one of cultural and social capitols of the American South. But the Holy City, as it's called due to the large number of church steeples that dot the skyline, has a menacing and mysterious side.
Bull Dog Tours, the only walking tour company in Charleston granted exclusive rights to go anywhere other than the sidewalks at night, guides tourists through some of the cities haunted sites, including the Old City Jail, Dungeon, and the oldest graveyard in Charleston.
The Unitarian Church graveyard is one of the oldest cemeteries in the city. Senior tour guide Stephen Beard recollects that while leading a group of 20 people, he counted heads before departing the graveyard. A woman asked Beard if the group was going to wait for the other woman in the graveyard. Knowing that he had counted correctly, Beard looked back in the graveyard and saw a woman in a white dress -- only he could see straight through her body to the trees behind. The group watched her for moment, then ran.
The Old Exchange Building and Provost Dungeon on East Bay Street was the final destination for many of the pirates that stalked the seas in the 18th century. Before he was executed for his crimes, Black Beard the pirate was jailed within the walls of the building. Many pirate hangings took place here. Additionally, the north side of the Old Exchange Building served as a slave market.
Visitors to the site report poltergeist activity -- angry ghosts acting out by making loud noises or throwing things to scare those trespassing their territory. Additionally, ghost tourists and guides have claimed they've been choked by ghosts. Visitors on the ghost tour have blacked out, felt extreme temperature shifts and have reported they were touched by an unseen hand. Guides say a recent tour guest was scratched by a ghost. The marks on his back were red, raised and clearly new, with no damage to his shirt.
One of the more infamous inmates of the jail included Lavinia Fisher, the first female serial killer in America. A few pirates waited their execution at the jail. During the Civil War, the jail housed the survivors of the 54th Mass, one of the only official African American regiments in the U.S. army and the subjects of the film "Glory."
3. Prague, Czech Republic
Writer Angelo Ripellino once remarked, “When I seek another word for mystery, the only word I can find is Prague”. Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic and the ancient capitol of Bohemia, is indeed a mysterious and magical city that provides an ideal setting for ghost stories. Prague’s dark, intertwining, narrow alleys and ancient bridges are said to be home to some of the most unusual ghosts and spirits in Europe. stories.
Prague Experience Tours offers the Prague Ghost and Medieval Mysteries Walking Tour. The tour takes visitors through some of the most historically significant and paranormally active areas of this Central European capitol.
One of the most famous tourist attractions in Prague is the beautiful Charles Bridge. This bridge across the Vltava River, with origins dating from the 14th century, not only links both sides of the city but is also home to some ghostly inhabitants. The bridge is lined with statues of saints said to bless those who cross it. However, legend has it that not all of the saints rest safely in the next world. St. John of Nepomuk took the confession of Queen Johanna, wife of King Wenceslas IV. When St. John refused to tell the king what his wife had confessed, Wenceslas had the priest tortured and thrown from the bridge to die. According to legend, for the next 300 years, St. John roamed the area around the bridge until his soul was captured in his statue in the 17th century. If you touch St. John’s statue, it’s rumored that if you have a secret, no one will discover it.
In addition to St. John of Nepomuck’s wandering spirit, 10 lords who were executed during the Middle Ages also haunt the Charles Bridge. The lords’ heads were placed on spikes on the bridge, and they're now said to sing ballads of sadness to scare away anyone brave enough to cross the bridge at midnight.
After crossing the bridge from Old Town, the tour comes to the Little Quarter. A Swede who lost his head during the 30 Years War can be seen on his horse carrying his head in a burlap sack. Next, the tour explores Josefov, the former Jewish ghetto of the city. Rabbi Loew and the Golem of Prague dominate the legends of this area. In the 16th century, Loew created the Golem, a figure molded out of clay from the Vltava River, to help save the Jews from accusations of murdering Christian children. Loew brought the Golem to life by reciting Hebrew incantations and released it onto the community. The Golem grew larger and larger, and the Emperor begged Loew to destroy him. After protecting the Jews from murderous attacks, Loew put the Golem in the attic of the Old-New Synagogue, where its body is said to rest to this day. Loew ordered that no one should ever enter the attic; even the Nazis were unable to penetrate this area of the Old-New Synagogue.
The Old Jewish Cemetery, which contains over 100,000 bodies, is said to be teeming with ghosts. The oldest existing Jewish graveyard in Europe, the cemetery was used from 1439-1787. Although the Nazis attempted to destroy all Jewish cemeteries, Hitler ordered that this one be preserved because he intended to construct a Jewish museum in Prague after he had exterminated all of the Jews in Europe.
2. Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is a city notorious for its ghost sightings. In fact, ghost tours are a popular way to take in this historic city situated in southeast Scotland. Along with being a cultural and political center in Scotland for centuries, Edinburgh is also notorious for its legacy of murder, plagues, and torture, which make it a prime location for haunting.
Mercat Tours, one of the premiere ghost tour operators in the city, offers several different walking tours to explore some of the most gruesome legends of this Scottish capitol. The most popular is the “Ghosts and Ghouls Tour,” a tour that combines dramatic storytelling with historical accuracy. On Mercat Tours, you’ll get both a good overview of the history of the city as well as entertaining ghost tales. Specializing in the Old Town area of the city, university-trained historians lead these tours, telling haunting tales and exploring the city's most chilling enclaves.
On the tour, you’ll explore the Royal Mile of Old Town and the haunted vaults beneath South Bridge. Constructed in the late 18th century, these underground vaults were abandoned by the 1830s and have remained virtually unchanged for 200 years. Because 18th century Edinburgh was so crowded, the vaults housed families in rooms the size of a small bedroom with no ventilation or windows. Lighted by fish oil lamps, the vaults were barely habitable; the stench of waste from garbage and chamber pots overwhelmed the area. The tour leads visitors through Edinburgh’s haunted underground vaults where, according to legend, the memories of all who have lived in the area are absorbed in the passageways. Visitors report hearing unexplainable sounds and shifts in temperature.
You’ll also have the opportunity to check out cemeteries that serve as the final resting places for some of the most famous Scots, including Adam Smith, author of "The Wealth of Nations." You’ll also learn about the body snatchers who used to frequent these cemeteries to gather freshly deceased corpses to sell to surgeons-in-training.
1. Venice, Italy
In addition to being one of the most romantic and beautiful cities in Europe, Venice also is enveloped in mystery. The legends that haunt the canals of this City of Water range from sea monsters to jilted lovers to Marco Polo's wife.
Tours of Italy offers The Venice Ghost Walking Tour, a ghost tour of the city. This tour offers you a chance to hear some ghostly legends and see the city's most important landmarks and hidden byways.
Along the way, you'll see the Bovolo staircase built by an extravagant, wealthy Venetian who climbed the staircase on horseback to gain access to his private apartments in his palace. This elaborate staircase is a stunning piece of the many architectural wonders of Venice.
One of the most chilling sites on this tour is the area called Milione, named after the memoirs of Marco Polo. Here, you'll hear the tragic tale of Polo's wife. Polo spent 25 years traveling; for 17 years, he worked for the emperor of China, Kublai Khan. Although never officially documented, Venetians have long told the tale that Marco Polo fell in love with Kublai's daughter, Hao Dong. He soon married this beautiful girl who was noted for her enchanting voice, and she followed him during his many years of travel.
The tour ends with a breathtaking view of the main bridge of the Grand Canal. The tours costs 20 euro for adults. You can also arrange for a private tour for a more intimate and personal experience. This tour is popular, so book well in advance.
The final Curious © phrase:
“It is with true love as it is with ghosts; everyone talks about it, but few have seen it”
(François de la Rochefoucauld)
