Like all great ghost stories, it
began on a dark and rainy night on Church Street in Downtown Orlando. If you’ve
ever been to the Church Street Station, you know that it has a very old time
feel. The buildings have been restored and modeled to represent a past Orlando.
However, most of the stories that you hear of Church Street are those of
alcohol induced frolic, not of years gone by. Last night was different though.
Last night those fire burning lanterns helped transfer me back in time to see
past the partying of the night into the actual history of Orlando.
Whether you’re a firm believer, a skeptic,
or just curious.... a night with the ghost ambassadors from American Ghost
Adventures is guaranteed to be an interesting time that you will always
remember. They offer several different tours in the Central Florida area
throughout the year. The tour of Downtown Orlando met at Harry Buffalo’s last
night, which used to be the old Orlando Hotel. We took an hour walk around a
few blocks learning about various ghost sightings, interactions, and haunts. These
are more than just stories to the ambassadors for most of them have actually
had interactions with these ghosts when they’ve done investigations within the
buildings. You will learn the three different type of ghost haunts and how they
are able to research and communicate with the ghosts.
If you are a history buff, like me,
I definitely recommend the tours because you get to learn the actual history of
the areas. There were more brothels, graveyards and hospitals in Downtown
Orlando than I had ever even imagined! Also, I had no idea that Ted Bundy was
on trial in the old Orange County Courthouse which is now the Orange County
History Center. I have so many interesting facts that I can now spout out about
Downtown Orlando!
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| Do you notice what is on top of the pillars at the UCF building downtown? Urns! This used to be a funeral home! |
One of the unique things that I
love about this tour is that the second half is actually an interactive
encounter, where you get to attempt to interact with actual ghosts. We went
inside the Harry Buffalo, up to the third story, where it is believed to be haunted.
We were provided with our own ghost hunting equipment and were able to walk
around looking for activity. We also sat in one room and used the equipment to
try to find out information about the spirit(s) in the room. This allows each
tour to be a different and unique experience.
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| If it flashes up past green.. it may be a spirit. Mine kept going off; I'm apparently popular with ghosts |
I cannot say for certain that I am
a true believer, but I am curious and I love history. I have been on several
ghost tours before in different cities within the US and I must say that
American Ghost Adventures is my favorite. This was my second tour with them (I
did the one through the Greenwood Cemetery downtown) and I would definitely do
another. They provide a fun environment, a few laughs and an accurate history.
As for whether or not the ghosts exist, that is up for you to decide….. so you
better book a tour soon!
You can book your tour at www.americanghostadventures.com
