Ghost Tourism: Time to Get Scared
If the names Lizzie Borden or Count Dracula give your spine a few
pleasant tingles, ghost tourism may be beckoning.
Also called ghost travel or paranormal tourism, this type of travel
takes you to places that are in some way seen as... haunted.
Some
people - like Lizzie or the Count - need little introduction. Others
may be less famous, but their homes, towns or resting places are
magnets for thousands of visitors.
A fan of the vampire author Anne Rice? New Orleans awaits.
17th century witchcraft trials? Salem, Massachusetts, of course.
Some streets of London are said to still be haunted by Jack the Ripper.
The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast? This is where she axe-murdered her
parents and you can sleep in the room where it happened.
And
then there's Bran Castle in Transylvania, in Romania, home of the
vampires, and supposedly the inspiration for the novel. Transylvania's Bran Castle: Dracula's inspiration? Photo: Matt Musselman via Flickr
As interest in the supernatural becomes more widespread, ghost or paranormal tourism
has skyrocketed - few cities are without their own ghost tourism attraction.
No
one quite knows why - although the increasing number of horror movies
and ghost literature might be partly to blame. Remember Ghostbusters? I
certainly remember the Amityville Horror!
Others believe the popularity of ghost travel may be due to interest
in matters spiritual.
Many
cities have ghost tours led by so-called ghost hunters, who know the
local folklore and are steeped in the secrets of the paranormal.
They'll tell you that ghosts can be taped and seen or heard, or will
show you how to photograph them so their 'orbs' appear in the shot.
Some
even lead courses, filled with history and know-how about ghost hunting
and with such arcane sciences as dowsing or electronic voice
detection (or EVP). In addition to guided tours, haunted tourism may
involve investigation - an opportunity to investigate or experience a
paranormal event, perhaps in a location known for apparitions or other
similar events.
Is this Scottish cemetary haunted? Photo: Jen Nelles via Flickr Or a tour might be far simpler - just a guided walk through a city's more 'haunted' venues, the cemetary perhaps, or some old historical buildings.
If something is experienced, it simply adds to the folklore and
authenticity of the next tour.
Believer or not, these unusual experiences make for fascinating travel.
After all, even a scientist like Thomas Edison thought there might be life after death and that would allow you to
communicate with the spirits.
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