Haunted Nevada

These five guided tours explore the supernatural side of the Silver State.

By STEFF GREEN | September/October 2012

Unsolved murders, mysterious happenings, and unexplained visions—sounds like the makings of a B-grade horror film. But with Halloween approaching, fearless tourists can experience the ghosts of Nevada’s haunted past on one of the many award-winning ghost tours conducted around the state.

Led by local historians and paranormal experts, Nevada’s ghost tours promise experiences like no other. Guests are led down dark alleys and invited to explore old, crumbling mansions and forlorn cemeteries housing some of Nevada’s most restless and eerie spirits.

HAUNTED VEGAS TOURS

Hosted by celebrated actor, hypnotist, and ghost hunter Robert George Allen, this spirited and spooky ghost tour takes visitors to the haunting grounds of Bugsy Siegel, Liberace, Redd Foxx, and Elvis. The Haunted Vegas tour explores some of the most notorious sights in Sin City and is considered by many to be one of the best ghost tours in the world.

Allen claims that many of his guests encounter real ghosts while on the tour—one of the most terrifying was a woman who saw two ghostly feet near a park bench. The feet belonged to two young brothers who were murdered there. “Their ghosts appear and play pranks on people,” Allen says. “Many people say they have been touched on the neck or arm while standing near the area where their bodies were found. We visit Liberace’s old dressing room at the Liberace Museum, which is haunted by the Maestro.”

Allen relates a story of a cleaning woman who was working after hours when she saw a man sitting in a chair. She went to tell the man to leave, but when she entered the room, he disappeared. She looked up at the wall and screamed as she recognized a photograph of the man she’d seen. It was Liberace, who had been dead for years.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Haunted Vegas Tours
Tours depart from Royal Resort, 99 Convention Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109
hauntedvegastours.com
866-218-4935
Age Restrictions: 13 and older
Tickets: $69.25

GOODSPRINGS GHOST HUNT

Goodsprings is a more than 100-year-old mining town that is home to the Pioneer Saloon, one of the oldest saloons in the state and a popular backdrop for movies and television shows. The saloon is also the focus of Allen’s newest ghost tour: the Goodsprings Ghost Hunt.

“One of the stories involves the ghost of Clark Gable’s famous wife Carol Lombard,” Allen says. “She died in a plane crash in 1942 on [nearby] Mount Potosi. Her husband Clark Gable spent three long days in the saloon waiting [for news from the crash]. These days, her ghost haunts the ladies room in the saloon. On many occasions guests of the bar hear a woman crying in the bathroom. When someone goes into the room to [investigate], no one is there. Shortly after they leave, the crying starts again.”

On the Goodsprings tour, Allen gives participants a taste of real-life ghost hunting. Guests are issued lanterns and ghost-hunting equipment and readied to hit the darkened streets in search of wandering spirits. While exploring an old cemetery, miners’ cabins, and deserted buildings, guests are shown how to use the equipment and may catch a glimpse of orbs, ectoplasm, anomalies, and maybe even an apparition.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Goodsprings Ghost Hunt
Tours depart from Royal Resort, 99 Convention Center Dr., Las Vegas, NV 89109
goodspringsghosthunt.com
866-218-4935
Age Restrictions: 18 and older
Tickets: $79.95

BATS IN THE BELFRY: VIRGINIA CITY GHOST TOURS

Virginia City more or less appeared overnight in 1859 following the discovery of the Comstock Lode. With the miners came saloons, gunfights, and the ghosts of disgruntled and forgotten spirits. Debbie Bender spent a year compiling stories of local hauntings, consulting with historians and performing paranormal investigations at the sites to create a tour rich in spooky history and tales of paranormal experiences.

“One of the spirits we meet on the tour is Rosie at the Silver Queen Hotel,” Bender says. “Rosie was a young prostitute who fell in love and got pregnant. When she realized her love was not reciprocated, she killed herself. Rosie now wanders the hallways and the rooms at the Silver Queen checking on guests and sometimes playing pranks on them.

“Another spirit is the Shadow Man; he hangs out around the Mackay Mansion,” Bender continues. “He is a dark spirit that likes to scare people. Those that have seen him close up report that he has glowing eyes.”

Bats in the Belfry is offering special Halloween ghost tours and paranormal investigation tours Sunday, October 28 through Wednesday, October 31 at 5:30 and 8 p.m. nightly.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Bats in the Belfry: Virginia City Ghost Tours
Tours depart from the Silver Queen Hotel, 28 N. C St., Virginia City, NV 89440
virginiacityghosttours.com
775-815-1050
Age Restrictions: Not recommended for children 12 and younger
Tickets: $20

GENOA HISTORIC GHOST TOURS

As one of Nevada’s oldest settlements, Genoa has its share of unexplained happenings. Kim Copél (left), a local historian and paranormal investigator, created Genoa Historic Ghost Tours to teach tourists about the fascinating story of this historic town and the spirits that reside there.

Years of research have gone into collecting the stories from local sources and paranormal investigations. Copél offers two tours daily, plus one-hour cemetery and two-hour evening tours on Fridays. Guests learn about the town’s original Mormon settlers, the riders of the Pony Express, and visit the Dake Hawkins house, considered one of the most haunted places in Northern Nevada.

Copél says that some guests have reported paranormal experiences. “Two guests had their clothing tugged [while] on an upstairs floor of the historic Dake Hawkins house,” she says. “Another experience happened in front of the Genoa Country Store, which used to be a saloon and brothel in Carson City years before it was moved to Genoa. As I was telling the history of the building, a guest smelled heavy perfume right next to her and felt her arm being stroked by an unseen hand.”

On October 13, Genoa Historic Ghost Tours will conduct an Interactive Haunted Cemetery Tour, and the Dake Hawkins house, along with the White House B&B, will offer dinner and a chance to investigate these haunted places with the Thin Veil Investigators.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Genoa Historic Ghost Tours
PO Box 622, Genoa, NV, 89411
genoahistoricghosttours.com
775-220-0605
Age Restrictions: Friday evening tours are for adults only
Tickets: $20, $10 for children 6-12

CARSON CITY GHOST WALKING TOUR

The October 20 Carson City Ghost Walking Tour is the result of almost 20 years of research and work amassed from local historians, city leaders, reporters, museum employees, and volunteers that have worked on the walk over the years.

The Ghost Walk’s organizer, Mary Bennett, shares their stories and others during the special one-day event. Her favorite specter story comes courtesy of a mysterious woman in black. “She was reported to knock on the doors in Carson City [residents] in late 1800s,” Bennett says. “When the person answering the door didn’t recognize her, they would shut the door, sometimes locking it behind them. Upon turning around, they would find the woman inside their home without knowing how she could have entered.”

If you have further questions, e-mail Bennett at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). She also does a monthly Ghost Walk in Carson City, May through October on Saturday evenings.—Charlie Johnston

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Carson City Ghost Walking Tour
carsoncityghostwalk.com
775-348-6279