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The real ghosts
of Salt Lake City - Ghost Tours tells haunted stories in a
tour of the city - 20081103
Cassidy Warren
Up for a good ghost story for this Halloween season? Story
Tours' Ghost Tours has a spooky, historical ride through downtown
Salt Lake City.
The tour begins at the old Rio Grande train
station. The story of The Purple Lady, who is said to reside
in the bathroom of the station tricking women of the present
by blasting faucets and flushing toilets, starts the night
of folklore with chills.
Never doubt the power of a good story to stimulate
the imagination -- a raven-haired beauty, dancing flappers,
chattering turn-of-the-century folks and the presence of the
old station itself makes you believe you hear sounds, catch
images of those on the other side, and feel tingly breaths
across your skin.
Other sites include the governor's mansion,
the Hotel Monaco and the Salt Lake City cemetery. Hear stories
of the ghost of Emmo and stand outside his grave; find yourself
wrapped up in the story of the lady dressed in lavender while
visiting Utah's very own lover's lane.
Throughout a majority of the night, the tour
remains on the bus and stops twice for outdoor tales and exploration
of ghostly sites.
Take time to wander around Fort Douglas and
take note of the light that randomly flicks on and off. Apparently
there is a ghost that enjoys playing a few games with those
on the tour.
Ghostly activity may often appear to those
who welcome it. If you prefer to maintain distance from the
other side, so be it. Although, the tour might be a bit dull
for the cynics.
The storytellers do not seek to try to convince
you that these stories are real or explain the paranormal,
however, all the stories were gathered by founder and storyteller
Kristen Bell, from local residents.
The tales are generally clean and appropriate
-- perhaps even a little too squeaky for discussing subjects
such as mistresses, murders, and suicide. However, it is appropriate
for kids, although I would not recommend bringing children
who could not sit through a non-cartoon movie at a theater.
The tour lasts approximately two hours. Expect
to wait for the directors to get organized and I highly recommend
making reservations in advance. You may come for a standby
seat, however, extra seats are slim.
I also recommend arriving early, even if you
made reservations, as my group had to scatter around because
we were the last ones on the bus. Unfortunately, there were
technical problems with the microphones. Both microphones
malfunctioned, some could not hear at all, and the sound issues
were distracting from the mood of the stories.
But despite the organizational and technical
difficulties, the night was satisfactory. Ghost Tours offers
an entertaining way to enjoy Halloween.
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