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Is Cape May the new paranormal tourism hotspot? I’m thinking it must be because this summer it’s the one place that I keep seeing over and over again.
CRAIG MCMANUS IN CAPE MAY
It all started when I got one of Craig McManus’s newsletters earlier this summer. He talked about a paranormal weekend he was going to do in Cape May starting on August the 13th.
As part of it he was returning to Historic Cold Spring Village. But this visit the Historic Cold Spring Village was going to be open for a first-time ever ghost hunt.
Then on Saturday of that weekend he was in Cape May for a “Ride with the Ghost Writer” ghost trolley tour. Making for a very neat way to take in Cape May’s paranormal hotspots.
THE GUY & GIRL TRAVELS CAPE MAY TWEET
Soon after reading McManus’s newsletter, @GuyNGirlTravels on Twitter tweeted me about Cape May. I thought I had their Tweet saved in my Favorites but apparently I didn’t “star” it like I had meant to.
No worries. A quick search of their blog and I found the subject of their Tweet to me: Haunted Happenings in Cape May, NJ.
It’s actually a post from last year about all the Halloween happenings planned in Cape May. (Oh, and the opening sentence of their article answers my question I guess: “Cape May, New Jersey is one of the most haunted cities in America.”)
THE NEW YORK PARANORMAL SOCIETY’S SPINE-TINGLING FRIDAY THE 13TH WEEKEND IN CAPE MAY
The Occult Section (which is the official blog of the New York Paranormal Society) blogged about the (then) upcoming paranormal weekend in Cape May. Again I noted a phrase they used in their post: “…Cape May, NJ, believed by many to be one of the most haunted cities in the country…”
I also noted that the weekend was being “funded by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities and endorsed by the city itself.” Neat! I love places that embrace their paranormal tourism!
At any rate, members of the New York Paranormal Society attended Cape May’s paranormal weekend festivities. How do I know? Most recently I couldn’t help but notice the mention about Cape May on the New York Paranormal Society’s Facebook page.
They thanked their tour guide, Shannon Baker, for giving them a great tour. They also posted pictures from the visit.
NEW TO ME
Listen folks, I know I’m newer to the writing/covering haunted places part of things, but I’ve been fascinated with haunted places since I was bitty. And by “fascinated” I mean tracking haunted places and paying attention to the who, what, where, when and why and storing them in my “future places I’d like to visit” files.
Before this summer I had never heard of Cape May. WTF? I’m really feeling left out of the loop!
Cape May sounds and looks (if the pics NYPS put on their Facebook page are any indication) like a gorgeous, historic haunted place to visit. It is definitely on my radar and stashed in my files now!
Better late than never I guess, right? I never said I was the fastest roadrunner in the flock. This is just another example of me taking some time to get up to speed!
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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Now you are talking about my backyard. I live in South Jersey. This is one topic that does come up many times. As far as anyone from here knows we never heard of it being haunted (Right across the bay is Fort Delaware) But, there are tons of (in recent years) Ghost Tours. Most Haunted had done “one” of their USA shows there (they were first). That’s what caused the boom. My family spent our weekends there.
Okay, so now you got me curious….did you grow up to rumors of it being haunted? Or did it catch fire thanks to Most Haunted and the popularity of ghosts this past decade???
Most Haunted had done “one” of their USA shows there (they were first). That’s what caused the boom. My family spent our weekends there.
Most Haunted had done “one” of their USA shows there (they were first). That’s what caused the boom. My family spent our weekends there…
Jason and traveti: THANKS for your comments! Okay, so now I’m not feeling so bad. I admit I’m not as familiar with East Coast haunts as Southern or West Coast, BUT…that Cape May sure looks GORGEOUS! Totally a kind of place I’d like to visit. So I was feeling really clueless that I hadn’t heard about it before now. BUT…word is out so I will have to check this place out one day.
And travesti, I have the same question for you I had for catnipthyme: has the ghost vibe changed since when you and your family spent your weekends there? (Like did people talk about it back then too, or was it more just sort of interesting tall tales?)
Thanks for both of your comments!
Oooo! It sounds wonderful there. And looks wonderful. The pics posted on NYPS’s FB page were SO pretty. Like you said…Gingerbread houses and lots of neat looking architecture. I’d love to go there. It sounds like my kind of place. (I’m a sucker for that kind of place.)
And the Jersey Devil walks sounds FANTASTIC! I can’t believe they don’t do them anymore! That sounds like a blast!!! (And WILD the Jersey Devil even visited Cape May! Guess he heard about it’s haunted little rep too! LOL)
Thanks so much for the comment. And if you happen to hear of any Jersey Devil tours and want to guest blog about that too, the offer’s open…
I have seen and heard enough to believe that Cape May is haunted. My parents own a 143 year old Victorian there and there have been many unexplained happenings, as well as several sightings by my children and our handyman, of the existence of a spirit.
My daughter was even playing hide and seek in a store, the Cotton Company, with an unseen child, at least unseen to my eyes. Later I read the Craig McManus book and learned the spirits of two children “lived” there!
OH WOW! That is so cool. I love hearing stories like this. THANKS so much for stopping by to share your experiences and 1st hand knowledge!
But lots of places have a lot of colonial history 😉
And if you happen to hear of any Jersey Devil tours and want to guest blog about that too, the offer’s open…
Hi Courtney,
My name is Jane and I’m with Dwellable.
I was looking for blogs about haunted places in Cape May to share on our site and I came across your post…If you’re open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Jane