On Friday, Oct. 28, “Spirited Columbus” tours will explore the city’s “haunted past.”
Deluxe mini-buses will carry passengers on tours departing at 6:15 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m., 7:45 p.m., 8:45 p.m. and 9 p.m. from the Hitching Lot Farmers’ Market site at 200 Second Ave. N.
“Each family-friendly tour will last approximately 65 minutes and will feature 10 to12 points of interest, including four stops, where attendees will disembark and view a tableau,” said Chris Hannon of presenter Southern Culture Tours. The excursions are co-organized by the husband-wife team of Hannon and Adele Elliott.
During tours, passengers will encounter several recognizable Columbians and will have the opportunity to interact with some of the city’s ghostly or historical figures.
“Here in Columbus, unlike some other cities, we embrace our history,” said Hannon. “We don’t try to tear down old buildings and put up new steel and glass structures. That’s one reason for the rich history and, with it, those ghostly occurrences that we can explore on this tour.”
Hannon also cited the city’s survival of the Civil War and the fact that it was a hospital town, treating — and often burying — hundreds of soldiers who were transported here from the battlefields as another probable reason for its trove of spirited accounts.
Since 2006, the Columbus-Lowndes Convention and Visitors Bureau has presented an annual Ghosts and Legends tour, in a similar format. Ghosts and Legends is on hiatus this October, but will return next autumn, in partnership with an arts or theater entity, according to Nancy Carpenter, executive director of the CVB.
Hannon said, “We knew there was a significant amount of interest in ghosts and ghostly occurrences in this area, so we decided to put this together because the CVB will not conduct Ghosts and Legends this year.”
Both Hannon and Elliott have backgrounds in event planning in New Orleans, their former home. Both have been involved in previous Ghost and Legends tours.
“We have done a lot of research, and we feel we’ve got stories that are as accurate as any ghost story can be,” said Hannon. “We’ve built upon some of the research that was done by Carolyn Burns Kaye and blended that with other accounts to make what we feel will be an exciting experience.”
Tickets for Spirited Columbus tours are $13 for adults and children, and may be purchased at Main Street Columbus, 107 Fifth St. N. Tickets can also be ordered through a secure link online at southernculturetours.com. Seating capacity is limited for the one-night-only tours.
For more information about tours or tickets, contact Hannon at 662-368-8181.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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