Haunt Jaunts Adventure in Front of the Camera

This morning I had the very exciting opportunity to venture in front of the camera and talk about both Haunt Jaunts and its mission to raise money for the Lymphoma Research Foundation when Better Nashville’s Jennifer Herron contacted me for an interview.

I still can’t believe I got to meet her or go to the studio. That in and of itself was totally exciting. But while I was there? WOW! Talk about getting a warm greeting and the chance to talk a lot about Haunt Jaunting.

WARM WELCOME

I’m always leery of how people will take me.

“Oh, you like ghosts? Interesting…” As they back away from me and look for the nearest exit.

That’s why I’m usually pretty subdued when it comes to talking about this passion for paranormal tourism of mine. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got to WSMV’s station. I sure was not prepared for the warm and enthusiastic welcome Jennifer greeted me with.

I mean, that’s how she comes off on TV when I’ve seen her interview others, but from the moment she met me in the lobby when no cameras were present that’s just how she was: the most genuine and warmest of women. The butterflies in my tummy instantly stopped fluttering. I felt like I was meeting up with an old friend.

GHOST STORIES

Another thing I was not prepared for was the sharing of personal ghost story anecdotes. I love hearing them when people are brave enough to share them. But that’s just it. Most people are sort of leery about admitting to encounters. (I think they’ve also had that “Back away from the crazy person and make your way to the nearest exit” experience too.)

But almost every one Jennifer introduced me to at WSMV had some kind of story or comment about ghosts. (And, boy, did she give me the VIP treatment the way she stopped and introduced me to people on our way to the set. It was very exciting!)

At any rate, here’s the haunts that came up:

• GRAND OLE OPRY – Jennifer said when she worked for the radio station WSM (which is on the Opryland’s “campus”) they had a ghost. The station was housed in what amounts to a converted room in the Gaylord Opryland hotel. Jennifer explained how the “ghost” liked to turn the water on full blast in the bathroom at random times. And she’d heard tales from other people who worked there who claimed to have seen apparitions. The story as she knew it was that the ghost was Mrs. McGavock, who used to own the land. Legend has it she intended it to be used as an orphanage, but then it was bought out and Opryland sprung up. Some say Mrs. McGavock’s not happy about that and haunts the property. Could be! Even if you’re not staying at the Opryland hotel and don’t find any spirits (except the kind lurking where food is served), it’s a worth jaunt. The hotel is amazing. I’ll dig out some of my pics (or perhaps jaunt on over there and take new ones) and post them sometime. Words don’t do that place justice!
• BUCHANAN LOG HOUSE – I’d never even heard of this place, so I was totally excited when Steven (or it could be spelled Stephen…hope I’m not butchering it too bad!) related his experience there. Him and Jennifer went to do a story on it. It’s a historic site which also hosts special events like weddings, receptions, parties and more. Steven said he felt a presence when he went upstairs to get some shots of one of the bedrooms. Not once, but twice. And then he saw “something.” What, he can’t explain. All he knew was it left him uneasy…and me very excited to check this place out sometime!
• CARNTON PLANTATION – This civil war site is known for its ghosts. Its a popular haunt jaunt/ghost hunting destination. It often hosts ghosts walks even. I already was familiar with it, and no one exactly had any stories, but it was the one that came up as being the Nashville based hot spot for paranormal activity.
• THE MYRTLES PLANTATION – No, the Myrtles hasn’t relocated from Louisiana. However, one of the gentlemen Jennifer introduced me to had a pretty funny outlook on all this ghost business. Unfortunately I don’t remember his name. (Which is really a shame and bad on my part because after the interview he took the time to show me some of the behind the scenes workings of the studio.) I couldn’t tell if he was a believer or a skeptic, but ghosts seemed to interest him. He said he’d like to check out the Myrtles sometime. Not surprising. It’s among the places that comes up most often on people’s Haunt Jaunting lists. (Whether they call it that or not!)

FAVORITE GHOST SHOWS

I also got a big kick out of all the talk about who was a fan of what ghost shows.

Jennifer said her husband was a die hard Ghost Hunters fan. Another man said his wife’s favorite was Most haunted and she was glad to see it coming back on air. The  Myrtles man (I am so sorry I can’t remember his name! He was a great guy.) said he was partial to the Ghost Adventures guys.

GRATEFUL FOR THE BIG ADVENTURE

I am really thankful Jennifer contacted me and gave me a chance to talk about Haunt Jaunts’ mission to raise money for LRF. And I’m absolutely floored by the warm reception I got. I sure wasn’t expecting that. It was kind of like a Make a Wish kind of dream come true day for this grown up.

So, again, I am very grateful that even though my hitchhiker’s gone, it’s still bringing me blessings. Today was a mighty fine example of that!

Courtney Mroch

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.