Ghost tours seek out the supernatural
If haunted houses and horror movies don't scare you, you can still get seriously spooked this Halloween.
Local ghost tours throughout Chicago and the suburbs take groups to the sites of murders, suicides and alleged hauntings to seek out the supernatural. While some tours run year-round, many of them offer extended hours to meet the increased demand this season, so call for schedules.
Historic Ghost Tours of Elgin
Meet at Mel's Pizza, 728 W. Chicago St., Elgin, (847) 695-8180, historic-ghost-tours-elgin.com
Price: $30
The brand new Historic Ghost Tours of Elgin travels by van to some of the city's scariest spots.
“It is creepy. Very, very creepy,” said founder Diane Ladley, whose group also does historic haunted tours in Naperville and Aurora. “We don't allow anyone below the age of 16.”
Stops include Channing Elementary School where ghosts are said to attend classes along with the living, and Mount Hope Cemetery where strange mists and lights have been spotted. The tour also stops outside Elgin State Mental Hospital, where guides discuss the facility's history and the treatments that psychiatrists used on patients in the 1920s and '30s.
Everyone on the tour has the opportunity to carry an electromagnetic field sensor, a tool used by paranormal investigators. The three-hour tour finishes back at Mel's for a hypnotism demonstration. Tarot readings are available at the restaurant for an extra fee.
Ghost Tours of Naperville
Central Park, 36 S. Washington St., Naperville, (630) 205-2664, naperville-ghosts.com
Price: $20, $15 for students and seniors
Paranormal investigator Kevin Frantz has been giving Naperville ghost tours for five years. On his two-hour tour through the city's downtown area, he discusses historic ghost stories, shows pictures of the people who are now said to haunt the area and shares strange video and images that he attributes to supernatural activity.
“I only share things that I can back up with other evidence like police reports and newspaper articles,” Frantz said. “I share a lot of personal experiences on the tour.”
He said most spirits are just past residents that like to hang around, but that Naperville has some particularly disturbing ghosts like a dark entity that appears to be wearing a cape or cloak. Stops can vary, but typically include Central Park, the YMCA, the city's old library and the Red Geranium, Naperville's most notorious haunted house. Visitors are encouraged to bring cameras to snap pictures looking for ghostly images, which Frantz said are more common around Halloween when the veil between the living and the dead thins.
Historic Ghost Tours of Naperville
Quigley's Irish Pub, 43 E. Jefferson St., (630) 978-7033, historicghosttours ofnaperville.com
Price: $15, $10 for kids younger than 14 and seniors
The two-hour walking tour through downtown Naperville runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 15. You'll learn about the Great Naperville Train Disaster and hear local legends and ghost stories like “Charlie Yellow Boots” and the “Weeping Bride” and tales of paranormal encounters. Special trolley tours also are available on a few dates.
Historic Roundhouse Ghost Tours of Aurora
America's Historic Roundhouse, 205 N. Broadway, Aurora, (630) 978-7033, historicghosttours ofnaperville.com
Price: $13
Built in 1856, the massive circular limestone building that now houses America's Historic Roundhouse was originally a place where railroads built and maintained train cars and engines. Tours run at 7:30 p.m. Mondays.
“It is a very haunted place,” Ladley said. “The number one thing has been shadow people moving where there should not be a shadow. Even during our ghost tours we've had several people say they've spotted them moving by.”
Ghost Walk of Palatine
Durty Nellie's Pub, 180 N. Smith St., Palatine, (847) 358-9150
Price: $5
Tour areas of Palatine said to be haunted and help the Haitian relief effort at the same time. Remaining walks are at 6 p.m. Sundays, Oct. 24 and 31, and start with a short presentation at Durty Nellie's.
Chicago Hauntings
Rock & Roll McDonald's, 600 N. Clark St., Chicago, (888) 446-7891, chicago hauntings.com
Price: $28-$32
Based on Ursula Bielski's “Chicago Haunts” book series, the bus tours cover stories from Chicago's history as a frontier outpost, the Great Chicago Fire, the gangster era and the modern day. Tours run at 7 p.m. daily, with extra runs weekends in October.
Excursions into the Unknown
Westfield Chicago Ridge Shopping Mall, 444 Chicago Ridge Mall, Chicago Ridge, (708) 425-5163, ghostresearch.org
Price: $35-$45
A bus tour of south and southwest Chicago, Excursions into the Unknown makes 10 to 12 stops including Jane Addams Hull House, the Glessner House and the Marshall Field Jr. Mansion.
Owner Dale Kaczmarek, who has been leading tours since 1982, discusses the city's history, covering the Fort Dearborn Massacre, gangster ghosts and the old Lexington Hotel. Guests are encouraged to bring an open mind and a camera to look for spirits.
“A lot of people think ghosts come out on Halloween, but they can come out any time of year, day or night,” Kaczmarek said. “But this time of year, people like to get spooked more.”