“Columbus’ oldest ghost stories, deepest secrets” revealed on 5 haunted tours
Some folks choose to celebrate October with pumpkins, leaves, and beanies. Others choose to observe Spooktober with haunted houses, horror movies, and Halloween festivities.
If you identify with the latter camp, Columbus Landmarks has just the ticket. All through October, the local advocacy group is presenting ghost tours through Columbus’ most storied neighborhoods led by experts in the fields of history, architecture, and culture.
From the ghostly namesake of Neil Ave. to Scioto River’s “dark and bloody past,” these five ghost tours are sure to sprinkle a little scare throughout your spooky szn.
Ghosts of Neil Avenue Haunted Lantern Tour
Sunday, October 6 at 6:30pm
$20 Members/$25 Non-Members
The neighborhoods along Neil Avenue date from the death of William Neil, the owner of this vast land holding, to the birth of Ohio Mechanical and Agricultural College (OSU) in the 1870s-1880s. One hundred years later, during the area’s extensive renovations, stories began to emerge about ghostly happenings …and uninvited former inhabitants who don’t want to leave!
Join us for an informative and entertaining Haunted Lantern Walking Tour led by Doreen Uhas Sauer. Victorian architecture and the shadow of mature trees combine to create the perfect atmosphere for an evening stroll with authentic stories they have been collecting for decades. BUY TICKETS
Ghosts of South High Haunted Lantern Walking Tour
Thursday, October 10 at 6:30pm
Tuesday, October 22 at 6:30pm
$20 Members/$25 Non-Members
South High Street is deliciously close to the Scioto River’s dark and bloody past, and to some of Columbus’s oldest ghost stories and deepest secrets. Join us for an atmospheric walking tour and hear how the river’s chilling influence has set the tone for ghost stories involving forgotten funeral homes, a bakery with an unnerving mystery, and an old school that watches over all the neighborhood mysteries. BUY TICKETS
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Haunted Spirits Tavern Tour
Tuesday, October 15 at 6:30pm
$25 Members/$30 Non-Members
The perfect combination of tavern tour and walking tour with stops at one-of-a-kind gathering places where you can enjoy a beverage (on you) and some nibbles (on us.) Doreen Uhas Sauer and Tom Betti, co-authors of Historic Columbus Taverns, will weave in stories of unsolved murders, forgotten burial grounds, smoldering passions, and scandalous gossip.
Tour begins in Thurber’s Bar in the Westin Great Southern Hotel, 310 S. High St., and continues to nearby, mysterious locations. BUY TICKETS
Ghosts of Town-Franklin Haunted Lantern Tour
Wednesday, October 23 at 6:30pm
Wednesday, October 30 at 6:30pm
$20 Members/$25 Non-Members
Our most popular haunted lantern tour on the most beautiful 19th century street downtown happens to be in the most haunted neighborhood – Town-Franklin. This nexus of restless spirits has provided Columbus Landmarks with a collection of ghost stories that are certain to send a shiver up your spine!
Each building seems to have a story—the spirits that hated the painters, the dark presence of a man who has never fully been explained, a tragic death, a party-loving woman in a pink gown, a presence who waits for a ride that never comes, and a “ghost light” on a stage managed by a ghost. Meet at the Topiary Park Gatehouse on Town Street; parking available at meters on East Town Street. BUY TICKETS
Autumn Walk at Green Lawn Cemetery
Sunday, November 3 at 2pm
$10 Members/$15 Non-Members
Join us for perhaps the loveliest seasonal walk of the year through Columbus’s preeminent Victorian cemetery. Columbus Landmarks and Friends of Green Lawn partner to provide quarterly walks to help support the missions of these two preservation-minded nonprofits. In addition to learning about the botanical and wildlife features found within this 200 year old cemetery, this fall walk will also cover some of our favorite 19th century stories of notable and forgotten lives, architecture, and symbolism. BUY TICKETS
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