| Ghosts
and hauntings are popular
topics today. Many people want to know how to find places where
they can encounter ghosts, too.
It's best start ghost hunting
near your own home. Here are ways to find local haunts:
Search online
for your city, town, state, and region, using words such as
"ghosts" and "haunted." Many websites list
every location that is even rumored to be haunted. In our
experience, only a small percentage of these will have ghosts.
However, if the sites are near your home, it's worth checking
every location.
Check recent news headlines
for reports of hauntings. Some websites, including
HollowHill.com, list the best regional news stories about
ghosts.
Read books
at the library. Most public libraries have a section about the
paranormal. Also look among books describing your local area.
Libraries usually have a section specifically about their town
or city, and the region in general.
While "ghost" books can
be unreliable, they are a good place to start.
Ask people.
You may be surprised by how many believe in ghosts, or at least
know a few places with ghost stories. Generally, college,
high-school and middle school students know rumors about local
haunted places.
Check back issues of local
newspapers. Most
newspapers feature haunted sites in their issues the week before
Halloween.
Ask the police.
You may be surprised that the police are often the best resource
for information about hauntings. Generally skeptics, the police
know which places generate complaints about odd
activity--noises, weird lights, and so on--but have no
reasonable explanations.
Some of the classic cliches can
help you to locate places that are haunted. Here are "tried
and true" choices for ghost hunters:
Cemeteries
are usually mildly haunted. Older cemeteries--from the 19th
century and earlier--are more likely to have ghosts. Explore the
oldest sections of cemeteries for the best results. However,
many cemeteries are closed between dusk and dawn. Be sure to
observe local laws whenever you go ghost hunting.
Abandoned building
sites are often haunted. People don't usually walk away from a
perfectly good house or building unless there is something
significantly wrong with it. What's wrong may be a ghost.
Theaters--the
kind that have a stage the people have performed on--are almost
always haunted. Usually, these are fun ghosts. Look for ghosts
around the stage, in the audience, backstage, and just outside
the doors to the seating areas.
Most colleges and some schools
usually have at least one poltergeist. However, you'll probably
have to ask the students for help in finding them. An EMF meter
can be especially useful for locating poltergeist activity.
Avoid investigating private homes
when you are new to ghost hunting. In addition to issues of
safety and the law, people who are troubled by ghosts--or proud
of them--have expectations that you may not be able to meet.
These should be a enough ideas to
get you started when you are new to ghost hunting or are looking
for some good local haunts. However, also rely on your gut
instinct. If a location looks haunted, it might be a good place
to investigate.
Ghost hunting can be a fun hobby,
and even more exciting than TV shows about hauntings. Almost
every community has a ghost or two. Use common sense and observe
local laws, and you may return home with ghost stories to
impress friends and family.
About the Author
Fiona Broome is a third-generation psychic and professional
ghost hunter. Her ghost website, http://www.HollowHill.com
, is one of the web's most popular resources for ghost
enthusiasts. Ms. Broome has been featured on radio and TV shows
and in magazines, especially at Halloween. She is currently
writing a series of travel guidebooks featuring America's most
haunted cities and towns. |
