Anytime is a good time to take a ghost tour, but ghost tours aren’t always offered year round. Soon the high season of ghost tours (October) will be upon us. After that many of them go on hiatus during winter before reemerging in spring.
Technically we have about three months of good ghost touring opportunities left in most places. (Less as some tours start filling up and selling out in advance here shortly.) If you’re wanting to take one and haven’t before (or have but didn’t enjoy it), here’s five things to consider when choosing a ghost tour to make it the best experience possible:
- Walking or riding: This one is key. How mobile are you? How much standing and walking can you endure? Most tours last anywhere from one to three hours. Are you up to three hours on your feet for a walking tour? Or would you be more comfortable on a driven tour? (It may seem like a given, but people sometimes overestimate their physical abilities. The point is to enjoy your ghost tour experience, not hurt yourself.)
- Age appropriateness: Are you hoping to take the kids along? Some tours aren’t kid-friendly. Most are pretty good about including disclaimers or setting age limits if they cover mature themes, but if you’re not sure it’s always a good idea to ask first.
- Physical exertion: This sort of relates to the first one. If you’re going to take a walking tour, how far will you be walking? Are there hills? Steps? Will there be places to sit and rest along the way? Keep in mind your physical limitations, and that of any little ones you may be bringing along.
- Bathrooms: Do you foresee anyone in your group needing one during the tour? If so, ask ahead of time if bathroom facilities will be accessible during your tour.
- Weather: Inclement weather often cancels some tours, but not always. And sometimes it’s not inclement enough to warrant canceling, but it also might not be ideal. Make sure you dress appropriately and have whatever paraphernalia you may need. Be that water bottles during hot weather, umbrellas and rain coats during wet weather, or hats and mittens for cold weather.
FIND A GHOST TOUR NEAR YOU
These sites list ghost tours by state:
- Ghostvillage.com’s Ghost Tours
- FindGhostTours.com
- Angels & Ghosts’s Ghost Tours
Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.
Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.
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That was really informative! Yeah, I've been on some unorganized ghost tours, some where we had to wait for patrons to leave, and others where we had to walk a mile down the downtown roadway where loitering men proceeded to try to procure me for the night. It's always good to hear other's reviews from these tours if at all possible and when booking it ask about walking distance and photo taking opportunities.
Say what??? OMG! Thanks for the laugh about men trying to "procure" you for a night. UGh! That's a danger I've never encountered, but could see how, depending on the neighborhood of the ghost tour, could see how it might! And dang it! Photo taking opps. Shoot. I knew there was one other I wanted to mention. Oh well. your comment covered it. THANKS! 😉