Email Author: Ellen Hopkins
Story Posted: 11/4/2005 03:58 pm

Haunted Honeymoon

October brings to mind autumn leaves and pumpkins on the vine. Not to mention pumpkins, carved into jack o’lanterns, set out to confuse wandering spirits on All Hallows Eve. Are there really wandering spirits, better known as ghosts? Many people in Nevada say yes.

If you’re planning an October honeymoon, Reno-Tahoe is the place to go, not only for gorgeous fall weather, excellent travel deals and great special events, but to explore Northern Nevada “haunts.� We can’t promise you’ll see any ghosts, but you never know. And even if you don’t, these places are worth visiting:

Carson City’s Brewery Arts Center. This converted brewery now hosts classes and meetings for artists, theatrical productions and musical performances. The upstairs ballroom also is a place for parties, receptions, etc. Downstairs, you’ll find an artisan’s store and art gallery.

Local performers, waiting to go onstage in the Brewery’s Black Box Theater, report a ghostly apparition, who apparently lives in the lighting loft. Lights sometimes go on and off, with no one at the controls. And once or twice, actors have been “tapped on the shoulder.� When they turn, they see (or think they do, which is good enough) the retreating form of this gentleman, who seems to wish them no harm, only a good spook.

Information: www.breweryarts.org

Virginia City’s Gold Hill Hotel. Virginia City is home to many reported ghosts, from the nurse who haunts the old St. Mary’s Hospital to the young girl who moves dolls around in a local home. Most residents have seen or heard something unusual in the saloons and old mansions once frequented by silver barons, miners and gamblers looking for a quick buck.

The Gold Hill Hotel is the oldest continuously operating hotel in Nevada and home to two ghosts. One is a child, mostly seen downstairs by visiting youngsters. The other is William, who died in a mine fire and today “lives� in a certain room, trailing a scent of tobacco where no smoking is allowed.

Information: www.goldhillhotel.net

Reno’s Ghost Walk. This isn’t one place, but many. Take a two-hour walk, guided by local author/paranormal researcher Janice Oberding. These Saturday evening excursions allow you to “meet ghosts, discover the city’s rich history and learn techniques used in ghost detection.�

With or without actually coming face to face with the dearly departed, you’ll enjoy the leisurely look at a city rich in history and steeped in high desert beauty. Information or reservations: 877-511-5782 or Janice@renoghostwalk.com