Become a Ghost Tour Beta Tester

Here's an interesting opportunity for some of you Haunt Jaunters out there: a start-up company specializing in ghost tourism is looking for ghost tour beta testers.

This opportunity came to my attention because of a comment left on one of my postings about paranormal tourism. My interest was piqued and my curiosity prompted me to contact the poster.

Which I'm glad I did because she made me aware of a new company she's launching. I'm sure it'll be profiled more later, but for now I can write about how she needs beta testers to test her product.

WHAT YOU'LL BE BETA TESTING

It's a self-guided tour package which will be going up for sale in southeast Wisconsin. From what I gather, it's a collection of Haunt Jaunts you follow at your leisure. (See why I was intrigued?)

WHERE YOU'LL BE BETA TESTING

The southeast Wisconsin area.

WHEN BETA TESTERS ARE NEEDED

Between July 26 and August 8.

WHO TO CONTACT TO BECOME A BETA TESTER

Susan Scot Fry of the Caper Company susanscotfry@yahoo.com.

TALK ABOUT YOUR BETA TESTING EXPERIENCE

If you do this, I hope you'll leave a comment and let me know how it went.

Or, better yet, if you'd like to guest blog about your experience, I'd love to have you do that too. Just drop me an email at admin@hauntjaunts.net or leave a comment here so I can get in touch with you about it.

State Tourism Offices Realize Haunt Jaunts Boost Revenue

Recently I wrote about how some historical organizations are using haunt jaunts as fundraisers. Now I've come across an article about how state tourism departments are realizing haunt jaunts as revenue streams.


ALABAMA'S "GHOST TRAIL"


Yesterday I read a great article by Marty Roney on MontgomeryAdvertiser.com called "Alabama's 'ghost trail' may scare up tourism dollars." It was about how the Southwest Alabama Regional Tourism and Film Office plans to promote Alabama's Black Belt with a "ghost trail."


It's going to be set up as a driving, self-guided kind of tour. They'll have a website featuring ghost tales starting with stories from Dallas, Perry and Wilcox counties. More stories will be added as they're gathered.

They're hoping it encourages people to frequent this part of the state, which is more economically depressed than other areas of the state. (Not sure if that means it's more economically depressed overall, or if it's just not attracting tourists. That may be about to change.)


MORE CITIES EMBRACING PARANORMAL TOURISM


The Southwest Alabama Regional Tourism and Film Office took its cue from other cities that have realized that a good ghost business brings in tourism bucks. Some of the cities listed in the article that enthusiastically promote ghost/paranormal tourism included:

• Mansfield, Ohio (Specifically mentioning the Ohio State Reformatory, which you might have seen in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" or on an episode of Ghost Hunters.)


• Richmond, Virginia


• Cape Fear area of North Carolina


• Long Beach Island, New Jersey


• Houston, Texas

It'll be interesting to see if more and more tourism offices start promoting haunt jaunts or ghost trails or the like to attract visitors to their states. If not, they should seriously consider it. If there's one thing us ghost enthusiasts like to do, it's travelling to track down ghosts.

That means spending on gas, food, and sometimes even lodging at our destination. Not to mention if the haunt jaunt itself charges a fee, like many museums, prisons, and historic homes do. Oh yes, there's definitely revenue to be realized by catering to us haunt jaunters.

Haunt Jaunts on Vacation

As I wrote last week, we're heading out on a Haunt Jaunt to Gulf County, Florida.

For those who have been following me, I just wanted to give you the heads up that my posts may be sporadic, or even nil, until we get back. (Sort of depends on if we really have an Internet connection where we're staying. I'm not sure I'll make a trip somewhere just to find one if not...)

Hopefully if I don't relate any Jaunt info from the road, I'll have some good entries for when we return!

P.S.

There will be one post, either Friday or Saturday, relating to ghosts that I'll make. But it's not a Haunt Jaunt...just something neat I want to share.

Haunt Jaunts as Fundraising Venues

Increasingly I'm noticing a trend in some of my Google Alerts: stories about Haunt Jaunts as fundraising venues. Especially for historical societies and foundations.

This weekend I came across another one. How the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum in Alabama recently did a ghost hunt as a fundraiser. Specifically, The Friends of the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum held a Paranormal Weekend in conjunction with Southern Paranormal Researchers.

HOW IT WORKS

Oftentimes the venue's historical society (or preservation society, whatever name they might give it) teams up with the local paranormal investigation group. The paranormal investigators, along with members of the historical society, offer a night (or sometimes a weekend) of ghost hunting.

Both groups advertise the event, and usually so does the venue. As you might imagine, it generates a lot of local press. Which is great for all involved.

Also, experienced and novice ghost hunters are usually both welcomed (and encouraged) to attend the events. This offers a really great DIY opportunity for fans of shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures to experience the action for themselves.

RECENT AND UPCOMING HAUNT JAUNT FUNDRAISING EVENTS

I think the first one I came across was a dinner at a restaurant where the money would benefit something. Trouble is, I don't remember either the restaurant or the cause... (Sorry!)

But I do remember the Haunt Jaunt that would benefit Historic Fort Wayne's preservation society, which I wrote about in a previous article. Their next events will be on these dates: 8/16, 9/19, and 10/31.

Most recently I wrote about PARA's upcoming event at Fort Mifflin on 9/5. I went to their website today and saw their May 16 and 17 events raised over $6,000 for the fort. That just goes to show if you pair a great location with a ghost hunting fundraising event, you can raise some pretty decent money!

And here's another one I stumbled across: The Preston Castle Foundation (yes, as in the Preston Castle that was recently the focus of an investigation on Ghost Adventures), in conjunction with Ghost Trackers Paranormal Research Group, offers Overnight Ghost Tours. The cost is $100 per person and can be attended on the following dates: 7/25, 9/26, and 11/28. (There was also one for 8/22 but it's sold out.)

Don't be surprised if you see me post more of these as they come up. I think it's a pretty neat idea.

Roadside America: A Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions

After I posted my entry about haunted travel sites yesterday, I came across yet another travel site: Roadside America, an online guide to offbeat tourist attractions.

Its focus isn't necessarily restricted to haunted places, though. It's a smorgasboard of things.

WHAT YOU CAN FIND ON ROADSIDE
AMERICA

As travel sites go, they have pretty standard features, such as a listing of hotels & motels. But of course they put their own unique spin on it.

When you click on a state, it takes you to a page with a listing of links to hotels & motels by city. In the sidebar on the right, it also lists "Quirky Tourist Attractions" within the state.

But then they've compiled some very bizarre attractions. This is defiitely the site to visit if you've ever wanted to map out a route to see Muffler Men, Smiley Water Towers, Two-Story Outhouses, or Tiny Churches.

PARANORMAL LISTINGS ON ROADSIDE AMERICA

This is what caught my attention about Roadside America: their Mystery Spots and Roadside Creatures sections.

I didn't find anything really amazing I didn't already know about, but it is a neat concept.

OTHER NOTABLE ROADSIDE AMERICA FEATURES

Two other things I liked about the site were their Sight of the Week and their My Sights Route Planner (you can "create your own bizarre road trips" and save them on the site).

Planning a Haunt Jaunt to Gulf County, Florida

I'm planning a Haunt Jaunt to Florida's Gulf County for July. When I was blogging at Families.com I wrote about Cape San Blas, a dog-friendly city in Gulf County. I've wanted to go ever since (and so has my pooch, Murphy). Wayne finally agreed that's where we can take our next family vacation! Sort of a getaway to celebrate the end of my hitchhiker haunting me. Yes!

I'm now in the planning stages. I have to find us a place to stay. (Would be nice if it'd be a Spooky Stay, but I don't think Murph would appreciate it that much.)

I'd also like to check out some haunted places, if there are any, while I'm there. (Naturally. I couldn't very well call myself a Haunt Jaunter if I didn't, could I? Plus, it's more material for the blog and the website.)

Speaking of the website, since I don't have all the Jaunts loaded into HauntJaunts.net yet, I can't turn there for help. So what do I do? Why, research of course.

While I'm at it, I thought it'd make a fun blog entry, too. A step-by-step look at how I plan a Haunt Jaunt.

STEP 1: CONSULT MY TRUSTY TRAVEL BOOKS

There might be newer Florida books out dealing with ghosts, but I've trusted and enjoyed these two for many years now: Haunting Sunshine and Haunt Hunter's Guide to Florida. Whenever I go somewhere in Florida, I first consult them to see if there any haunts in the area I'll be.

In Haunting Sunshine I found a story about Magnolia Hall in Apalachicola. In the book it was noted at one time it was a B&B, but that the state was going to turn it into a historic site. I found a Magnolia Hall Guest House at 177 5th St on a list of Apalachicola hotels online, but no link to a website.

So is it a Spooky Stay still? A Historic Haunt? I don't know. It'll be a mystery for me to solve when I get there...

The Haunt Hunter's Guide didn't list anything in the area. The closest would be Shell Mound down in Cedar Key and the Island Hotel, also in Cedar Key. That's too far from where will be to scope out,though. (Over 4 hours.)

Okay, those didn't turn up much. On to the next step...

STEP 2: SEARCH THE WEB

Alas, Haunt Jaunts is not a one-of-a-kind idea. There are other similar sites, we all just present it a bit differently. Which is great, because I can still benefit from something they might have listed that I don't know about. Like now.

These are the sites I checked out to see if they had any info on haunted places in Gulf County, Florida:

• A Ghost in My Suitcase


• The Haunted Traveler


• TravelParanormal.com

A Ghost in My Suitcase and The Haunted Traveler didn't even have any listings for Florida. TravelParanormal.com had a Florida button, but it didn't have any articles relating to Gulf County.

Drat. But all is not lost. There's still one more step.

STEP 3: ASK WHEN I GET THERE

There are several lighthouses in the area we plan on touring. Don't know if any have any ghost stories attached to them, but, much to Wayne's chagrin, it's a question I always ask whenever we're out sightseeing.

I'll also do the same when we go to dinner or hit the shops. The locals always the scoop...and I just may turn up some new Haunt Jaunts that haven't been covered to death yet!

Yahoo! Groups Provide Haunt Jaunts Galore

Today I finally had some time to skim the posts on the Yahoo! Groups I belong to and ended up stumbling across Haunt Jaunts galore! (I didn't have much time to lurk around these groups before, but I do now that I'm done with radiation. After what I came across today, I'm stoked because what a great additional resource for me to find new Haunt Jaunt activities!)

All except one I found via the Haunted Times Yahoo! Group. (The other was via The Paranormal Research Society group.) I listed them by event date.

1. LIZZIE BORDEN BED & BREAKFAST WEEKEND RETREAT: JUNE 26-27, 2009

I know this doesn't give you much heads up since this event starts tomorrow. I don't even know if there's space still available. But I thought I'd list it anyway.

It's a Haunted Times event. On Friday June 26, Christopher Moon will give his Ghost Hunting 101 Seminar, followed by dinner which includes telling of the haunted history of of the B&B plus a tour. Then the night concludes with an investigation. On Saturday June 27, Moon goes more in-depth with his Ghost Hunting 102 class, and then dinner plus more investigations follow. (And, yes, Moon will be using his Telephone to the Dead during the investigations.)

Cost: $150 plus tax per person per night (includes class, dinner, investigation, room and breakfast) OR $50 per person per night for investigations only.

Call the Lizzie Borden B&B at 508-675-7333 to register.

2. AUDUBON COTTAGES - DAUPHINE ORLEANS WEEKEND RETREAT: JULY 24-25, 2009

Another Haunted Times event. Same kind of thing as described above, just the location and costs are a bit different.

Cost: $99 plus tax per person per night (includes class, dinner, and investigation...room is extra but discounted rates are available) OR $50 per person per night for investigations only.

Call Haunted Times Magazine at 877-880-6232 to register for the event.

To book a room at the event site, Call Dawn Ledet of the Dauphine Orleans at 504-586-1800.

NOTE: HT says space is limited for this one so if you're interested book sooner rather than later.

3. VILLISCA AXE MURDER HOUSE - SPIRIT COMMUNICATION 101: AUGUST 7, 2009

Another HT event. This time the focus of the class is on communicating with the dead, followed by a dinner and an investigation. Moon and his HT staff will leave at midnight, but the house will be open for further investigations until 2 a.m.

Cost: $99 per person (class, investigation and dinner only, you have to make your own room reservations)

Call Haunted Times Magazine at 720-344-6150 to make reservations for this event.

4. MASON HOUSE INN BED AND BREAKFAST: AUGUST 8-9, 2009

Yep, another HT event consisting of Ghost Hunting 101 and 102 classes.

Cost: $75 per person per event (Rooms are extra, but if you stay both nights you get $5 off your room the second night.)

Call 1-800-592-3133 to register.

5. FORT MIFFLIN PARA EVENT: SEPTEMBER 5, 2009

This is not an HT event. Rather, it's put on by Paranormal Association of Research & Assistance (PARA) in association with PARA-X Radio (who will be broadcasting live during the event).

Looks like they have some neat things lined up: presentations at each of the buildings, an EVP lab where you can listen to EVPs captured there, a photography lab teaching spirit photography techniques, and even an auction where one of the prizes will be a private investigation with investigators Shannon and Jeff Sylvia (who will also be there).

Cost: $75

Contact Lorraine Irby at 215.685.4167 to pre-register or visit PARA's website for more info.

ABOUT THE YAHOO! GROUPS IN THIS POST

If you're not a member of them but are interested in checking them out and maybe joining yourself, I posted their links below:

TheParanormalResearchSociety

Haunted_Times_Magazine_Public_group

Haunted Cruise Tour of New England and Canada October 17-22, 2009

Recently one of my Google Alerts included a press release that caught my eye for three reasons: (1) it was about a cruise (something I love to do), (2) it was about a cruise in New England and Canada (places on my Bucket List), and (3) it involved ghosts.

Mark Nesbitt, who's penned quite a few ghost books (most notably his "Ghosts of Gettysburg" series), will "headline this unique cruise of New England and Canada October 17 -22, 2009" aboard Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Seas.

Cruisers can expect to be treated to spooky stories from Nesbitt while onboard, but the main draw is sure to be his port excursions.

What are the ports? There are three: Portland and Bar Harbor, Maine, and Halifax Nova Scotia.

Nesbitt will lead a spooky tour of Portland, a haunted trolley tour in Bar Harbor, and a ghost walk in Halifax.

But the ghost touring doesn't end when the cruise does. Nesbitt is also offering a ghost tour of Boston followed by an overnight in Boston's haunted Park Plaza Hotel.

And what does all of this ghost touring, haunt jaunting New England cruise fun cost?

• Cruise rates: $514.39 (interior cabin), $664.39 (ocean view cabin), $794.39 (balcony cabin).
• Port excursions in Portland, Bar Harbor, and Halifax: $65 (for all three, which is not too shabby as far as excursion rates go).
• The extension in Boston with the ghost tour and stay at the Park Plaza: $120.

Interested in signing up? You have to book through Cruise Holidays of Alexandria, 866-368-7327, and put down a $250 deposit (refundable up to one day before final payment is due).

Haunting sailing!

Indian Magician's Ghostly Restaurant

The Times of India ran an interesting article recently called "Meet ghosts at a restaurant in Kolkata." It was about P C Sorcar, a conjurer or magician, who's planning to open a restaurant with ghosts, goblins and ghouls of every variety.

Don't worry. The ghosts aren't real. They'll be members in his troupe who will wait on patrons while performing illusions at the same time.

"Imagine how it will be like if a waiter takes off his own head and puts it on plate while noting orders from the customer. Or if a ghoul springs up from the nearby grave and sits next to you. Or a goblin walks out of the picture frame and asks your name," the master illusionist says.

It sounds spookily delightful doesn't it? I know I won't be heading to India anytime soon, but if you will be the restaurant is set to open in November, post-Diwali.

(I had to look up what Diwali was. It's an official holiday in India, also known as the Festival of Lights, which celebrates the triumph of good over evil within a person. It lasts for five days and is celebrated on a different date every year. It's always sometime around October/November and has to do with the new moon. Something about falling on "the 15th day of the dark fortnight in the auspicious Hindu month of Kartik," according to DiwaliFestival.org.)

Okay, and if you think calculating the date Diwali falls on is mysterious, here's how the article described where the restaurant will be located: "The restaurant is coming up on a secluded spot beside the National Highway-6, a few kilometres from Kolkata..." in Howrah.

I'm sure there will be more specifics once the restaurant is actually open. Sorcar plans to serve patrons seven days a week, serving them "multi-cuisine dishes," and hopes it will become "a one-stop destination for tourists and local people" alike.

It sounds like a neat concept. I'd Jaunt there. I'm hoping if it's a hit there, a variation might hop overseas here somewhere...somewhere I might actually have a chance of jaunting to!

(But if any of you end up going, I'd love to hear about it.)

Haunts Jaunts Extends a Friendship Blog Award to These 8 Blogs

Yesterday I saw an email from my good pal, Lisa Logan (who I introduced here last week who'll be making a guest post), saying she'd given me a friendship blog award or some such on her blog, Writing in My Wildest Dreams.

"Huh?" I thought, confused.

See, I'd had a rather exhausting weekend. I haven't seen my dad since March 2008, when I made an emergency trip back to Denver when my mom went into the hospital. That trip was the beginning of what turned into what I'll probably come to call my Catastrophe Year.

(I ended up moving my mom back to Nashville with me because not only was she diagnosed with lung cancer while she was in the hospital, but she also had dementia and doctors determined she could no longer live alone. That was just the beginning of it all. I keep hoping with my hitchhiker being in remission that the dark days of my Catastrophe Year are behind me, but....)

That brings me back to my dad. Wayne and I went up to Indiana to see him because he flew in from Denver for a high school reunion and to stay with his sister. We drove up to see him because now his health is failing. His girlfriend is exhausted trying to keep up with all his doctor appointments and hospital stays, so... I once again feel the pressure to help like I felt when my mom took a turn for the worst. Except his situation is different from my mom's in a lot of respects. Different complications and considerations and my mind hasn't been still for the past four days trying to figure out what to do about it all.

So to see this award from Lisa was just that little bit of a happy booster that I needed. To remind me that there is a lighter and happier side to life. One I want to participate in too. With that said, here's how I'm participating today: By extending some "Let's Be Friends Awards" myself!

ABOUT THE AWARD:

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

I'd hereby like to deliver this award to the following exceedingly charming, friendly bloggers:

1. Lisa Logan of Writing in My Wildest Dreams (back atcha babe!): I think that not only is Lisa one of the most talented, creative, and on the verge of breaking it BIG writers I know, I LOVE her theme days, especially that Wild Dream Wednesday!
2. Chris Verstraete of the Candid Canine: I was honored she let me read her Searching for a Starry Night and fall in love with her Sam character long before it found a publisher...and then to be there biting my nails with her as she awaited responses to submissions, rejoiced with her during her acceptance, lived vicariously through her as it found publication, and celebrated with her when it became a 2009 EPPIE Finalist. To top it off, she's developed a great blog that lets others celebrate her journey too.
3. AutumnForest of Ghost Hunting Theories: I had been interested in her blog, but didn't know who she was until I clicked through to her profile after she consistently left comments on mine. Then I was even more honored she was commenting because here I've been such an admirer of the hard work she puts in over at her blog. (Not to mention all the interesting theories she proposes, some of which I'm convinced might either revolutionize ghost hunting techniques or change the way ghost hunters view their data.)
4. Mike and Julie at Above the Norm: I found them via Ghost Hunting Theories and immediately respected them. They're my kind of people! All things paranormal intrigue them, so they include just about everything in their blog: TV and movie reviews, book excerpts (that they're writing), thoughts in general...it's very interesting and entertaining stuff!
5. Tom G of Dark Destinations: I stumbled across this blog thanks to a link in a Google Alert. I immediately respected it and became a follower because it's a variation of the same thing Haunt Jaunts is. (Its tagline: The online travel guide to the mysterious and macabre...)
6. ATrueOriginall of The Paranormal Casebook: This blog is way rocking. I admire ATrueOriginall because she relentlessly posts clip after clip of daily paranormal news. How she does it, I don't know, but she's made herself an authority and a respected one at that among a ton of bloggers who share an interest in the paranormal and unexplained.
7. Phantoms & Monsters: I don't know who's behind this blog, but I like the stories they post. Often it's reprises of stories published elsewhere with links to the original piece. I also dig, dig, dig their header graphic. Creepy...
8. Nick Redfern's There's Something in These Woods: This blog mainly focuses on another side of the paranormal: cryptozoology. From Bigfoot to werewolves to vampires and other creatures that we know as myths or from legends, Nick sets out to find evidence of their existence. I like following to see what new creatures I'll learn about. (Some are just legend, their existence hasn't been proven, but they're beasts I've never heard of. I always like expanding my horizons!)

Haunt Jaunts Welcomes Guest Blogger Lisa Logan

Just a heads up that author Lisa Logan is going to be making an appearance as a guest blogger on Haunt Jaunts.

While I'd love to take the credit for this idea, I can't. It was entirely her idea.

She suggested it after reading one of the posts. She was going to leave a comment, but it started getting lengthy, so she thought, "This would make a better post than a comment. I wonder if Courtney will go for me being a guest blogger?"

When she ran it by me I immediately thought it was a fabulous idea.

I don't know what she's going to write about or when she'll post, but I' hope you'll help me in welcoming her when she does!

ABOUT LISA LOGAN

Lisa writes romantic and erotic fiction. Check out her website here.

But wait, that's not all. There's more!

She also maintains a blog, Writing in My Wildest Dreams. My favorite thing about her blog is she does "theme days." Like Mystery Date Mondays, Wild Dream Wednesdays (where she analyzes dreams people send her, my personal fave theme day), and Feng Shui Fridays. I think that's so clever!

She's also the Senior Acquisitions Editor for Eternal Press Publishing and the webmistress for MysteryAuthors.com.

Ghost Conferences for the Rest of 2009

A while back I wrote about HauntedCon, but this week I got to thinking about other ghost conferences coming up for the rest of 2009. Where were they and when? (I knew I'd seen some others during my travels around various websites, so...)

I decided to do a little investigating and put together a list of what I came across. This is what I dug up.

Whether you're a ghost hunter or ghost enthusiast like myself, maybe one of these conferences will be near you. Could make for a fun (not to mention informative, educational, and possibly entertaining) little haunt jaunt!

1. June 19-20: 2009 Haunted America "Lucky 13" Conference. Where: The "haunted" Lincoln Theater in Decatur, Illinois. Cost: $60 (for both days.) Click here for more details. (Something I thought was neat was that one of the sponsors is Ghostology with Brian and Anna Marie, a show I mentioned in a blog not too far back. I have a feeling they might be the next breakout paranormal hit with their new show due out this fall. Of course, if they're not, you'll have this blog to quote me on...)
2. August 6-7: Paracon 2009, the First Annual Canadian-American Conference. Where: Sarnia, Canada. Cost: $37.50 USD - $72 USD. Click here for more info.
3. August 14-16: The Ohio Paranormal Convention. Where: Dayton, Ohio (Hara area). Cost: $35-$65. Click here for more info.
4. September 24-26: HauntedCon 2009. Where: Hotel St. Michael, Prescott, Arizona. Cost: $99.99-$284. Click here for more info.
5. October 2-3: 2009 Chicago Ghost Conference. Where: The Portage Theater, Chicago, Illinois. Cost: $50. ($30 for students.) Click here for more info.
6. October 8-11: Univ-Con 8 2009. Where: Pennsylvania. (The website hasn't been updated with all 2009 info as of this posting, so I'm not sure if Univ-Con will be held at Penn Stater again.) Advance tickets are on sale though for $25 plus a .99 cent surcharge. Click here for more info. (Click on the Univ-Con 2009 graphic to purchase advanced tickets.)

The Ghost and the Mystery Museum

I found this clip of an alleged ghost in a museum on YouTube thanks to a Google alert about an alleged ghost caught on a CCTV in an office building in South Carolina. (I went to YouTube to try and find it, but of course got distracted and found this "ghost footage" instead.)

Trouble is, I have no idea what museum this is or where it is. It didn't say in the description. (That I saw. I'm not 100% YouTube savvy so perhaps I didn't click through to something else that would shed some light on the mystery.)

However, I did find another posting of it and this one alluded that the museum was somewhere in Mexico.

And I'm not all that certain what it is I'm viewing in the clip. Is it an entrance and revolving doors? Is it something in a glass box? (Like one of the museum's displays, perhaps some kind of toy?) Is it a piece of machinery?

I don't know, but I can tell something starts moving when nothing else is there to move it.

But I'd rather know (a) what it is I'm looking at, and (b) where this museum is. What if someone wanted to make a Haunt Jaunt there? Don't these people on YouTube understand there's a whole bunch of us ghost enthusiasts out there who'd like as much info as possible?

Sheesh.

Thoughts about Ghosts

I don't know if ghosts exist or not. I've had some weird encounters (for instance, the Shilo Inn and Harry's), but I didn't have any kind of recording devices on me to capture any evidence. (And at that time I didn't know about EVPs and such so even if I had had something, I wouldn't have thought to use it.) But, as I've stated before, those kind of encounters sparked my interest in haunt jaunting.

However, yesterday as I watched stories emerge about James von Brunn's shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Museum, I thought about the guard who died. Stephen Tyrone Johns, age 39.

I'm 38. This year I was confronted with my own mortality. (Though it was cancer, not a gunman, whose barrel I stared down.) In fact, Haunt Jaunts the blog and HauntJaunts.net were born out of my will to live. (I explain about all that in the About section of the website.)

I once wrote about attachments and how I believe if I did end up as a ghost I'd probably haunt the house I grew up in. But most importantly I theorized that one becomes a ghost and ends up haunting wherever or whatever they were most attached to in life.

I thought about this again listening to all the hate that fills James von Brunn's heart. (Though he probably doesn't view it that way. He'd probably argue he just feels extremely strongly about his beliefs.) I couldn't help but think, "Wow. With that much animosity, that's the kind of guy who would end up as a ghost...and maybe the not too pleasant variety."

See, the way I view it is he has unresolved issues. Ones that made it necessary for him to feel he needed to take action. Since he's most likely going to leave this world before his vision of perfection comes to pass, he's not going to be a happily departed soul.

Where will he end up haunting? Or what?

And what about that guard who had no way of knowing when he went to work that day that it would be his last? That the old man he thought he was helping by opening the door would shoot and kill him? In years to come will we hear ghost stories from the U.S. Holocaust Museum?

It gives me a new perspective to keep in mind if I do come across ghosts or spirits on my next haunt jaunts. It's something Jay and Grant from Ghost Hunters say all the time, but that I didn't fully appreciate until now.

Ghosts (if there are such things) were once people too.

They had dreams, desires, emotions, and maybe destinies they felt they'd left unfulfilled. When we encounter them it may be normal to feel alarmed, but we shouldn't be frightened. We should extend them respect (most ghost hunters are pretty good about this) and remember to be as compassionate as possible. In fact, we should treat ghosts as unseen people who deserve the same level of respect that we'd like to receive.

A 'Haunting Formula' for Best Haunt Jaunts

On one of the blogs I've been following lately, Ghost Hunting Theories, the author has concocted a "Haunting Formula" in conjunction with some research she's doing to rate "50 haunted sites around the US." She uses a criteria of six things to base her scoring on:

1. What the building's constructed out of (i.e. brick, stone, etc)
2. Age of the building
3. The building's history (history or death or other traumatic events)
4. What it's built on or over (i.e. limestone, sand, granite)
5. It's proximity to train tracks
6. It's proximity to water

She may have scored other places using her Haunting Formula, but these are the ones I know she's examined so far:

Ft. Mifflin

St. Augustine Lighthouse

Eureka Springs Crescent Hotel

Iron Island Museum

Bunnyman Bridge

All have earned perfect 6 out of 6s except for the Eureka Springs Crescent Hotel. It got a 5 out of 6.

It's very interesting to me because what great Haunt Jaunts some of these places would make! (Some were already on my list to add to the Jaunt pages on HauntJaunts.net, like the St. Augustine Lighthouse and Ft. Mifflin, but her posts reminded me about the other places that would also be good adds.)

What's even funnier, I just realized today that Ghost Hunting Theories is the brainchild of Autumnforest. If you follow the comments on my blogs, you'll see I have two regular commenters and she's one of them. (The other is Lisa Logan, authoress of the blog Writing in My Wildest Dreams.) I was tickled to find that out, because hers is one of my favorite blogs to follow and here she sometimes leaves comments on mine!

At any rate, I'll continue to follow her findings. It's very interesting stuff and just may provide a new way of looking at haunted places. (Not to mention Haunt Jaunts.)

Using Haunt Jaunts to Teach

My husband and I don't have kids, but I got to thinking today how, if we did, what a great teaching tool Haunt Jaunts would make. Check out the various lessons that could be taught:

HISTORY LESSONS

Some kids find history dull. Others love it.

I was one of those somewhere in between. Certain things I found interesting (both the first and second World Wars gripped me), but battles with Native Americans over land or the Civil War would put me to sleep --until I was older.

When we moved to Florida a whole new world was opened up to me. We made trips to places like St. Augustine, Charleston, up to Atlanta, and saw sites where history had played out --which made it come to life.

I'll never forget our first trip to Atlanta. We stayed with Bill, one of our friends from college. He was newly arrived to the city and was still exploring it as well. A museum major, he was interested in checking out the Atlanta Cyclorama & Civil War Museum. That's when the Civil War began making sense to me.

The thing that always confounded me about the Civil War was that it happened soooooo long ago. Really it didn't, but I didn't have a frame of reference for the dates. (My parents and grandparents both talked about World War II, so it seemed more current to me. And my grandparents were recently married young adults when World War I was raging, so even it seemed not so long ago, but the Civil War? It seemed centuries old!)

However, suddenly, after visiting Cyclorama, 1861-1865 didn't seem as distant as it once had.

It was also the first time I'd ever taken in a Civil War anything. Maybe if I'd grown up with it I would have had an easier time categorizing it.

But that's just it: exposure. What better way to help kids understand history than exposing them to it? Not only that, but you also expose them to the stories of real people who lived during those times.

For instance, our recent Jaunt to the Sam Davis house was interesting because Sam Davis and his family were everyday people who found themselves living during extraordinary times. It wasn't hard to imagine the ghost of his mother, even if it might only be a residual one, haunting the place and crying on his deathiversary.

Or, like Donna Marsh illustrated when she wrote the "Stones River is Murfreesboro's haunted battlefield," you get to tour places where battles actually took place, walk on the same ground soldiers marched across. It sparks the imagination better than simply reading about it in a book.

GEOGRAPHY TEACHING LESSONS

Geography was easily one of my lousiest subjects in school. And I'd say this goes for most kids. But another great way to use a Haunt Jaunt as a teaching tool!

You can mark out on a map where you're starting from, where you're going, and give kids a perspective of place. Helpful for learning the layout of their own city, state, region, or country --or even if you journey overseas!

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY TEACHING LESSONS

Very few travelers venture out without a camera, but I bet few view them as technology teaching tools. But what a great way to teach kids about how cameras work (and maybe learn a few things yourself while you're at it).

And if you happen to also be a ghost hunter who brings along devices like digital recorders, mini DVs, heck even EMF detectors...well, think back to your youth. Wouldn't learning about science and technology have been a whole lot more interesting using a hands on approach like these devices offer? Your kids can learn about electromagnetic fields (all the things both natural and manmade that emit them), how things are recorded (not just EVPs but our regular, old average human voices as well), and then there's all the lessons they can learn about nature, advancements in technology (like indoor plumbing and electricity since many Haunt Jaunts, especially the historical ones, lack such modern day conveniences)...the opportunities for learning are endless!

And the exposure to such outside-the-box thinking? It just might lead to inspiring the next generation to find new devices to invent --or perhaps new ways to conduct paranormal research.

RELIGION/SPIRITUALITY TEACHING LESSONS

It's hard not to wonder about "The Beyond" when you talk about ghosts. What a great opportunity to introduce your kids to different beliefs from different cultures about ghosts, death and dying, and our purpose for being Here. Or to explore your own spiritual roots a little deeper and understand your denomination's take on such matters.

I'm sure there are even more teaching tools Haunt Jaunts could be used for, but these were the ones that sprung immediately to my mind. Can you think of other lessons Haunt Jaunts could teach? I'd love to hear about them!

Camp Grounds as Potential Haunt Jaunts

I never considered camp grounds as potential Haunt Jaunts until I stumbled across an About.com: Paranormal Phenomenon post called "Camping Encounters with Monsters and Ghosts" by Stephen Wagner.

The only thing I normally think about when it comes to camping and ghosts is telling ghost stories around the camp fire. But Wagner's article related incidents of ghost and monster encounters around camp fires and campsites.

MONSTERS IN THEM THAR' WOODS

I used to camp all the time with my family when I was little. I loved it. I have a pretty active imagination, but I don't remember ever being afraid of the forests we camped near. The only time I ever got a little creeped out was when my cousin Mike started scratching on the roof of the camper shell covering the back of my dad's truck. It woke me up and I didn't know it was him at first, so...there was a wee bit of chaos until my dad told him to knock it off.

However, Wagner told some good monster camping stories. One about a family who encountered some kind of bear-like creature with yellow eyes in the White Mountains of Arizona. (Lucky them. I don't know which is worse: being scared out of your wits by some creature roaring and then suddenly charging into your camp, or camping near that same region and having your dog suddenly bolt out of the tent only to get sprayed by a skunk. Oh yeah, that made for a pleasant experience...)

Anyway, Wagner also told of other stories: a glowing beast that showed up in a field next to where some people had set up camp, and a green "humanoid like" creature that surprised campers near a lake in a nature reserve. (The last one creeped me out because apparently they fled the scene only to return later to pick up their gear but found their tent destroyed and all their gear in the lake.)

GHOSTS IN THEM THAR WOODS, TOO

Well, the ghost stories in Wagner's post didn't really have much to do with woods. But people did spot ghosts while camping.

One was a silver lady a girl in Australia spotted while camping with her family. The other one recounted a tale of a guy who had been camping with his girlfriend and woke up to see a ghostly form hovering over her body.

WHERE CAN I LOOK FOR THESE MONSTERS AND GHOSTS?

That's what I didn't like about the article. It didn't tell specifics about the ghosts sightings, as in where they happened, except in a couple of cases.

Like the creature that surprised the family camping in the White Mountains of Arizona. It at least gave you that much, but where exactly did the family have the experience? I don't know.

The other two monster stories were vague. The settings were described, but states weren't even mentioned.

The ghost stories did give some indication of place. The "silver lady" was spotted at "a beachfront caravan park near Killala Beach, New South Wales, Australia." The hovering ghost encounter happened "along an unpaved forest road in the Manzano Mountains in northern New Mexico."

Wish I could give you more to go on if you wanted to set out this summer on a camping Haunt Jaunt of your own to investigate these places, but...that's all I got folks.

Haunted Landmarks

Today I stumbled across a pretty good article on Digg called "Someone Grab Scooby-Doo: The World's Most Haunted Landmarks."

What I liked most about the article: the pics and details of the ghosts supposedly haunting each haunted landmark.

What I didn't like about the article: I was surprised some places were left off. (Stanley Hotel, Myrtles Plantation, Waverly Sanatorium...)

So what were the haunted landmarks listed in the article?

1. Edinburgh Castle - Edinburgh, Scotland
2. The Whaley House - San Diego, CA
3. Bran Castle - Transylvania, Romania
4. Alcatraz - San Francisco, CA
5. Borley Rectory - Essex, England
6. Winchester Mystery House - San Jose, CA
7. Pollepel Island - Hudson River, NY
8. The Queen Mary - Long Beach, CA
9. The Bell House - Adams, TN
10. Rayham Hall - Norfolk, England
11. The Tower of London - London, England

I also learned of a few new places I wasn't previously familiar with (Borley Rectory, Pollepel Island, and Rayham Hall).

Speaking of learning things...I also learned Edinburgh Castle has a canine graveyard, which I didn't previously know, or that there are only two in Scotland.

Which made me wonder: How many canine graveyards does the U.S. have? How many do other countries have?

I like articles that make me think! (Duh. I suppose that's what everyone appreciates about a good article, right?)

But something else I want to know: why was it so slanted towards England and the USA? Besides Romania and Scotland, no other countries made the list. I know darn well there are other haunted landmarks out there.

Maybe the author is saving them for a follow-up article? If not, for any of you more worldly Haunt Jaunters out there, I'd sure appreciate an article on more international haunted landmarks. (Either for HauntJaunts.net's travel articles or to be referred to an already published one.)

First submissions in for HauntJaunts.net articles

I am so excited about receiving my very first submissions for travel articles at HauntJaunts.net.

I contacted Hope Clark at Funds for Writers to let her know about my call for submissions a couple of weeks back, and she included it in this week's Small Markets listings. But I also got a little bonus: advice from my hero, Hope. (I'm dazzled by all the successes and progress she's made with her different ventures and hope one day to be the same kind of success story!)

Anyway, in addition to some neat marketing tips, she also advised me to cut down some of my wording. She suggested I keep it around 300 words.

At first I didn't know where she meant. My Home page is pretty lean, and it's also "chunky." (Uses headers to make it more easily "digestible" by the Web reading eye.) But what I had forgotten was how long I'd made the guidelines...

I did that because I wasn't sure if people would understand what I was looking for. Turns out I needn't have worried. I didn't know what to expect (at worst an empty inbox), but no sooner did her list go out then I had 3 queries in my inbox. I was over the moon! And all of them understood exactly what it was I was after.

So I went back and edited the Submissions Guidelines page. Pretty soon I'll have specific articles to refer to for examples of what I'm looking for.

If you think you have something I'd be interested in reading, I've posted a condensed version of the guidelines below:

HOW TO SUBMIT

Looking for travel articles, short stories, and other articles relating to ghosts, paranormal activity, or haunted places up to 2,500 words.

Pays $5 up to 1,000 words. $10 over 1,000 words.

Submit IN THE BODY OF YOUR EMAIL (No attachments please) to submissions@hauntjaunts.net.

PHOTOS

Two submitters brought up an interesting dilemma for me. They had photos, which do have to be accepted via attachment. I told them I'll consider publishing those as well if I accept their articles.

Which I think will be my policy. If you have photos, let me know but don't send. If I accept your article I'll ask for them then.

If you have any questions, post them as a comment here of feel free to use the email above.

Anyway, I was pretty excited. Even more excited because when I logged on this afternoon there was yet another query!

HauntedCon 2009

Today I was perusing posts on the Haunted Times Yahoo Groups listing I recently joined and saw a post for HauntedCon. Of course that piqued my interest, so I clicked on the link and was taken to the HauntedCon 2009 website.

WHERE AND WHEN

HauntedCon 2009 will be held September 24-26 in Prescott, Arizona at the historic Hotel St. Michael.

I'm kind of hoping I'll get good news next week about my cancer. I used to live in Arizona and Prescott is one of my favorite places. I'd like to attend this conference! Not only because of the location, but because of who all they'll have there.

WHO WILL BE THERE

Guests they'll have there include:

Chip Coffey from Psychic Kids and Paranormal State
Demonologist John Zaffis
Christopher Moon of Haunted Times Magazine and Telephone to the Dead
Michelle "Babs" Babiarz from the PSI Network
Stacey Jones of the Central NY Ghost Hunters
Scotty Roberts, author and Intuitive Tarot Consultant
Mark Mihalko, cryptozoologist and Haunted Times Literary Director
Tim Meunier of River City Paranormal Investigations
Brian Cano & Chris Mancuso, paranormal investigators and urban explorers
Michelle Belanger, vampire author and energy worker

...just to name a few.

Looks like the Paranormal Activity Search Team (P.A.S.T.) of Arizona and Haunted Times Magazine (who are co-sponsoring the HauntedCon) have really gone to a lot of trouble to attract some neat guests.

They don't have the full agenda up on the site yet, but I imagine they will before long.

COST

They have several ticket options to choose from.

Thusday only or Friday only tickets = $99
Saturday only (with buffet dinner) = $124
2 day Thurs & Fri only = $182
2 day with Saturday = $194
3 day (Thurs, Fri, Sat) = $284

This is for the conference only. It doesn't include the cost of any hotel stay.