As winter bares the landscape, it also unearths all those spooky stories about Southern destinations. Ghost-hunting and paranormal tours are extremely popular right now, thanks to shows like Syfy’s Ghost Hunters and the Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures. Both Shreveport and Baton Rouge have their own ghost stories to tell about locals who never quite went away. These events delight attendees and take them deeper into each city’s local culture and history.
In Baton Rouge, the walls of Louisiana’s Old State Capitol (225.342.0500; www.louisianaoldstatecapitol.org) hide fascinating old stories that come to life in an immersive presentation called “Ghost of the Castle.” The exhibit tells tales about the 160-year-old building through the interpreted voice of Sarah Morgan, a girl who many believe still haunts the site today. Morgan kept a diary during the Civil War and she once lived on the land where the capitol was built. Many of the events in the exhibit are based on her writings. The presentation is short but interactive, and group rates are available.
Built around 1796, Myrtles Plantation (225.635.6277; www.myrtlesplantation.com) has gained a reputation as one of America’s most haunted homes. Now a bed-and-breakfast, stories swirl about deaths on the property, and people report seeing former slaves moving around the site as well as physical interaction with ghosts, including being touched or poked. Mystery tours are available at Myrtles every Friday and Saturday evening. Reservations are required.
From May through October, Shreveport offers the Shreve Town Ghost Walk (318.200.0711; www.shrevetownghostwalk.com), a 90-minute walking tour through downtown Shreveport featuring legends and stories shared by local historian Steve Smith. Although the public tour is set only for Saturdays, the Shreveport-Bossier CVB can set up a ghost walk for groups or include tours of the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, which is reportedly haunted, and the Oakland Cemetery, where an allegedly frisky spirit is known to tease the ladies with a tug at their hair or clothes.
Two Victorian homes in Shreveport are available for tours by appointment only: the Logan Mansion (318.459.2285; www.theloganmansion.com), built in 1897, and the Davis House (318.221.3881, www.shrevetownghostwalk.com), built in 1916. Eyewitnesses and paranormal investigators have experienced phenomena at both houses, including seeing the spirit of a young girl at the Logan Mansion and watching the empty sleeve of a gown rise and fall as to tap a researcher on the shoulder at the Davis House.
