Marietta Ghost Trek- Marietta Ohio

Marietta has been big on my list of places to get to for some time.  I know there are a couple of odd books on the area, AND an interesting web site about the history and legends of the town, so I really wanted to get there.

As we travelled on our last trip, we realized that we could swing by the area in the evening AND do their "Ghost Trek"!

First off, this is a spectacular town.  Old river towns with a sense of history and preservation always are.

The downtown area is pretty lively. Still, parking and walking around was easy.

We made our way to the area in front of the Lafeyette Hotel where the tour meets.  Our guide was conspicuous with her sign.  We called the number on their website before going, and we were assured that no reservations were needed, and that we could just show up.  Really, it was that easy.  We also thought it was cool that an actual person answered our call and was super friendly.  We have passed through areas before where you call a number about a tour, and you are asked to leave a message....  well, if you are on a tight time limit, playing phone tag isn't something you want to do.  We did not have that experience with these guys.

The tour started promptly at 8.  There was a large crowd.  Our tour guide had a mic though, and she was easy to hear.  The tour lasted a pretty solid two hours which were packed.

Our guide said that we would only be going a few blocks, but we were all over those few blocks!  It was a good workout!

We went inside of the Lafayette Hotel, through alleys, past restaurants and shops....  I am pretty sure we covered the good parts of downtown.

I was trying to keep a rough count of how many stops we made, and of how many different stories we were told.  I THINK both were around 13-14, but I lost track.

I remembered another ghost tour we went on that was barely an hour, and we made three stops, all of which were close enough that we really didn't even need to walk.

This tour was MUCH more involved.  Our guide told us of decapitations, fires, islands where the sick were isolated, asylums, etc.  Many of the sites of crimes, mysteries and hauntings are now antique shops, restaurants, and other businesses.  I was a bit let down that we had to leave town early the next morning, as exploring these businesses when open would be great!

We REALLY enjoyed the Marietta Ghost Trek, and we will be back to see more of the town soon!