Lexington Ghost Walk, highly reccomended (Gratz: houses, school, university)

[robertdilbert]

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We did this on friday night. Was a blast, and you learn a TON of info about Lexington history. Just thought I would pass it on since most people don't know about it

[CraigCreek]

Too bad the Blue Grass Trust for Historic Preservation discontinued their popular "Ghost Tales and Tours of Gratz Park" this year. All proceeds went to maintain the Hunt-Morgan House, and they featured real Lexington history and carefully researched and documented dramatic accounts of ghostly encounters rather than horrors, and were family friendly (for school age kids and parents).

Featured were admission to the tomb of Rafinesque (see below), the Hunt-Morgan House, the Bodley-Bullock House and the Gratz Park Inn, and additional historic accounts of supernatural occurances in the houses of Gratz Park were also included. Occasionally a "person from the past" would reappear to tell their tale, along with "ghostly" artifacts like Mam Bet's red shoes or Little Anna's "second mourning" dress.

They even provided cider and cookies before the tour guides escorted the "ghost tourists" on the lantern-lit tours, which included a visit to the tomb of 19th century mad scientist Rafinesque (beneath the right wing of Transylvania University's Old Morrison), tales of the many historic houses said to be haunted in and around Gratz Park, and the "at least four - maybe more" ghosts said to inhabit the Gratz Park Inn.

Once in a while, the ghosts would make the lights at the Inn or the Bodley-Bullock House flicker during the Ghost Tours, right on cue, and no, it wasn't set up in advance or rigged, but just happened. I both heard about it from reliable witnesses and saw it myself, and I'm a skeptic!

Maybe next year the Trust will "see the light" - literally - once again, and the non-profit, very reasonably priced BGT Ghost Tours of Gratz Park will return as a good alternative to the for-profit tours presently available. A little competition encourages improvement all-around.

[robertdilbert]

that sounds like a much better tour. this was obviously kid friendly, but it didn't actually go into any of the buildings (sans the firehouse). It seemed to cover all the same topics you posted though