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People often think Halloween is a great time for ghost stories and ghost tours, and it is. However, so is Christmas. If your idea of making spirits brights includes visiting haunted places, here are 5 holiday 2020 ghost tours for you.
Although, it’s important to note that as we know, 2020 has not been a normal year. Christmas 2020 will be no exception. Normally this list would be much longer. Sadly, the pandemic has caused many tours to cancel this year.
However, for tours that do operate, be prepared to do several things, including:
- Wearing a mask.
- Keeping your distance from other tour-goers.
- Staying flexible in case the weather or new Covid developments causes a reschedule.
- Purchasing advanced tickets online.
1. Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage Haunted Holiday Tours – Nashville, TN
Keeping with the age-old tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage will host Haunted Holiday Tours that explore the mansion and the grounds in December.
Similar to their October ghost tours, lantern-bearing guides will “recount the strange encounters recorded (and even recently witnessed)” on their site. This includes “the ghosts of the Battle of New Orleans, sounds of children running in the upstairs hallway, and Jackson’s infamous meeting with Tennessee’s Bell Witch.”
But there’s also a sad history with a Christmas connection. Jackon’s wife, Rachel, died three days before Christmas in 1828. Guides will also share “the somber atmosphere at The Hermitage” during that time.
Tours take place December 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26 and 27 and tickets cost $35.
For more information, visit: https://thehermitage.com/ and look under the Events tab. (You’d think they’d be under the Tours tab, but they’re not. However, they do have other tours there if you want to visit during daylight hours too.)
2. A Charles Dickens Savannah Christmas Walk – Savannah, GA
Hear about Savannah’s Christmas stories and traditions, haunting Christmas carols and songs (courtesy of Chase Anderson, the Christmas Fiddler of Savannah), as well as enjoy live scenes from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
Walks are offered every night beginning Thursday, December 17 through Christmas Eve, December 24. Tickets cost $49 each.
For more information, visit: https://www.savannahghostwalks.com/christmas.html.
Another ghostly Savannah Christmas activity to note is The Ghosts of Christmas, A Charles Dickens Chrismas Carol in One Act.
It’s a performance, not a ghost tour, but it does involve both Christmas and ghosts. It’s performed by the same gentleman who does the Christmas walk, Chase Anderson. It runs every night from December 2 through 24 and tickets cost $45.
The “For more information” link above also leads to more details about it.
3. The Williamsburg Christmas Spirits Candlelight Walking Tour – Colonial Williamsburg, VA
Jaunt through historic Colonial Williamsburg adorned in its Christmas best with a “holiday ghost host,” who will share “traditions of Christmas past as well as the spirits that still linger” in the city.
Tours operate on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays starting on Thursday, December 3, and run through Thursday, December 31. The only exceptions to those dates are Monday, December 14, and Friday, December 25. No tours are offered on those days.
Tickets cost $15 for Adults, $13 for Military and Public Safety. Children 6 and under are free.
For more information, visit: https://www.theghosttour.com/tickets/.
4. Winchester Mystery House Walk with Spirits Tour – San Jose, CA
The house is once again closed to visitors due to Covid restrictions in Santa Clara county, but the gardens are still open. During the winter, the Walk With Spirits Tour returns with “all-new holiday ‘spirit’ enhanced stories and lights.” Visitors can experience “the Victorian Gardens of Sarah Winchester’s estate and hear ghostly tales from the home’s haunted history.”
Tours operate Friday and Saturday evenings. Tickets cost $24.99 (ages 13-64), $20.99 (ages 65+), and $14.99 (children ages 6-12). Unless you’re a member. Then you can snag tickets for free.
For more information, visit: https://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/buy-tickets/.
5. The Yorktown Christmas Spirits Candlelight Walking Tour – Yorktown, VA
This tour is operated by the same company that runs the Williamsburg Christmas Spirits Candlelight Walking Tour (The Original Ghost Tour). Just like the Colonial Williamsburg tour, your “holiday ghost host” will regale you with tales of Christmas traditions past and Yorktown’s spirits.
Tours operate on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays starting on Friday, December 4 and run through Thursday, December 31. The only exceptions to those dates are Thursday, December 10 and Friday December 25. No tours are offered on those days.
Tickets cost $15 for Adults, $13 for Military and Public Safety. Children 6 and under are free.
For more information, visit: https://www.theghosttour.com/tickets/.
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Have you ever taken a Christmas ghost tour?
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.