When the leaves change colors and the streets run rampant with clowns, you know it’s almost time for Halloween.
And that also means people are watching more scary movies, donning creepy costumes and maybe even, trying to contact the dead.
Adams County is famous for housing one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, with over 51,000 casualties, and many believe some of those souls are still trapped on earth.
If you’re looking to hunt a ghost, contact a deceased loved one, hear some sinister stories or maybe even just want to feel a little freaked out, these local ghost tours are for you.
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Haunted Gettysburg Tours
From now until Halloween, Haunted Gettysburg will run two different tours; the spooky Dobbin Alley tour and the extreme paranormal investigation tour.
Both of these tours are fit for the whole family, owners Bob and Bonnie Wasel said.
“Kids love them,” Bob Wasel said.
And coming soon, the Wasels said, is a special Halloween tour that is unlike anything else in Gettysburg.
“It involves the haunted theater,” Bonnie Wasel said. “I’m not giving away any further information.”
Her lips are sealed when it comes to this terrifying surprise.
In order to find out what stories lie behind the walls of that theater, visitors are going to have to experience the tour for themselves.
The walking tours start every night at 7, 8 and 9 p.m. and the paranormal investigations start every night at 9 p.m.
Price: Walking tour $10, paranormal investigation $30, “special” Halloween tour $40
Visit ghostingettysburg.com/ for more information.
After Dark Investigations
“We talk to all kinds of spirits,” owner of After Dark Investigations, Susan Barton said.
During the paranormal investigations, Barton said, tour goers have reached soldiers from the Civil War, and as weird as it sounds, she said, some have even made contact with their deceased loved ones as well.
Ghost hunting equipment is handed out and tour goers are taught how to use the devices properly to detect paranormal activity.
“People love using the equipment because they see it on the shows,” Barton said referencing the many shows on television that feature ghost hunters.
Children must be 10 and up to come on the tours, Barton said, as it takes a lot of attentive listening to perform the investigations correctly.
Investigations start at 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. (also known as “The Devil’s Hour”).
Prices range from $30 to $75 depending on the tour.
Visit afterdarkinvestigations.com/ for more information.
Read more: Halloween events in York-Adams 2016
Farnsworth House Ghost Walks & Mourning Theater
Have you ever wanted to walk through a former Confederate hospital and hear the grisly tales of wounded soldiers from the war? Here’s your chance.
The Confederate hospital walking tour is just one of many tours the Farnsworth House has to offer. And there’s a tour for everyone, adults and children alike.
For children, ghost tour manager, Kaitlyn Becka recommends the East Cemetery Hill walking tour.
“It is the most family friendly,” Becka said. The cemetery tour is also the most educational, as it digs deep into Civil War history.
For adults, the mature tour is the way to go, and it isn’t for those that scare easily.
The mature tour gets into the really gory stories, Becka said, that aren’t always child-appropriate.
Tours start at 8, 9:30, 10:30 and 11 p.m. at the Farnsworth House.
Prices range from $9 to $16.
Visit farnsworthhouseinn.com/ghost-tours.html for more information.
Mason Dixon Ghost Tours
If you want to enjoy your ghost tour with a side of brew, the pub crawl tour at Mason Dixon is for you.
Those 21 and older can enjoy tales of the historic battle with a side of spooky at three different pubs on this tour.
And hey, the first beer is on the house!
For families with kids, co-owner Sean Wagner recommends the family friendly investigation tour.
Armed with ghost hunting equipment, families can look for spirits together.
And tour goers are encouraged to bring their cameras as well in order to capture any ghostly apparitions that may appear!
Price: Pub crawl tour $20, family friendly investigation $15, children 7 and under are free
Visit masondixonghosttours.com/tours.html for more information.
York County Ghost Walk
On Oct. 29, Raab County Park will get a little spookier.
The York Iron Company mine, home to creepy tales of deplorable conditions and workplace deaths, will be the site of a ghostly tour the Saturday before Halloween.
This one mile hike requires a flashlight and it is entirely free.
To register, call 717-428-1961 or visit yorkcountypa.gov
Read more: 10 Halloween costumes under $10
Haunted Hanover Ghost Tours
“The Civil War was one of the first great awakenings of spiritualism and people wanting to talk to the dead,” director of the Hanover Heritage & Conference Center, Marc Charisse said. “It makes sense, because so many people died in the war.”
The use of spirit writing and mediums to contact the dead may have became popular in this era, but the trend certainly didn’t die out.
It seems like people want to contact spirits now more than ever, and this tour might just help you do that.
The tour will include spirit writing demonstrations and the use of ghost hunting equipment. Oh and did I mention there will be an electric chair?
If you are interested in hearing authentic local history spun with folklore, the Haunted Hanover Ghost Tour is for you.
The tours will run four nights this Halloween season, Oct. 20, 21, 29 and Nov. 4 starting at 7 p.m. All tours meet at the Hanover Heritage & Conference Center on 22 Carlisle Street.
Price: $22 per person or $20 for advance tickets
Ghostly Images of Gettysburg
If you’ve ever wanted to venture inside a haunted orphanage? This is your chance.
Make no mistake, this tour is scary, Ghostly Images employee, Toni Michels said.
The history behind the orphanage, it’s evil matron and the cruel events that took place there make for one creepy place to find yourself at midnight on Halloween.
Ghostly Images offers bus tours, walking tours, and “ghostly encounters” where your tour guide will act as a ghost and tell their story firsthand.
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