HELENA — Children's laughter in Reeder's Alley, a mischievous cat spirit in the Original Governor's Mansion, and the ghost of a miner solving his murder are a few of the stories you could hear on a Ghost Gulch Haunted Pub Trolley Tour.
The Foundation for Montana History hosts the tours in conjunction with Bert & Ernie's Pub Trolley.
Each tour starts at the Myrna Loy, which used to be the Lewis & Clark County Jail.
"Can I be scared by something that's happening in my hometown? But it's also just really fun because oftentimes even our scariest stories eventually lead people to laugh. It's fun, and it's seasonal. You don't need to be scared year-round, but when Halloween comes around, you expect the scary factor to go up a little bit," said Zach Coe, the community outreach manager for the Foundation for Montana History.
The tours start on September 23rd, but MTN was able to participate in a "practice" ride.
Pedaling through downtown Helena, attendees enjoyed refreshments they brought and stories of mysterious deaths and unexplainable situations.
Coe said, "These are ghost stories. These are haunted stories. I think they needed to be rooted in history for there to be that credibility of what you're hearing and who could be involved. I think it just adds to know that these are real people, real places that we are talking about. None of this is made up."
Last year, the tour was offered three days a week, but this year, people can choose from seven slots each week.
Tours are two hours long with one to two breaks, including stops at downtown Helena businesses.
Tickets are being sold online through October 18th, but they hope to extend the tours if weather permits.
"Part of the fun of fall, in addition to carving pumpkins and going out to fall fest, is the haunted stories, histories, and things you can do. I mean, what's fall time without a scary story," said Coe.
The Foundation for Montana History estimates that at the time of this story's publication, 70% of the available spots are booked, so grab your costumes and your ghouls and get a place before they are gone.
For more information or to buy tickets, click here.
