Raleigh Ghosts Tour

By the light of the street lamps, your guide gathers the group in front of the main entrance to the North Carolina State Capitol. This is where the first story begins, a Civil War gravedigger who is said to still patrol the corridors of the building. Without leaving the square, you already feel the echoes of 170 years of politics and conspiracies.

The group moves along W Morgan Street to the Victorian façade of the White-Holman House, where the silhouette of a woman in a lace dress has been seen behind the curtains since 1896. The guide details how a fire revealed a blackened portrait that is now part of the city's historic collection.

Just a few blocks away, the route stops at the Heck-Andrews House, a Second Empire-style mansion whose mansard tower is said to have served, according to legend, as a makeshift hospital during a yellow fever epidemic. Stories of footsteps in the attic and self-balancing chandeliers make the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

The itinerary continues to Haywood Hall and the Executive Mansion, the official residence of the governors since 1891. Among its gardens, there have been reported sightings of a ghost dog that is said to guard treasure buried by Confederate soldiers. As you listen to the story, the guide shines a torch into the shadows of the century-old oak trees - perfect for a spectral photo op!

After passing through alleys where loose shingles rattle like chains and the wind seems to call out names, the walk ends back at the Capitol. With the last story - a cursed poem found in a drawer in the governor's office - the guide bids the group farewell and suggests nearby bars where you can discuss the apparitions over a local craft beer.