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Austin Ghost Tours
Rating Details »
Categories: Local Flavor, Tours
Neighborhood: Downtown617 Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 853-9826
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
7 reviews for Austin Ghost Tours
we loved it!
we were visiting family in Austin for my husband's 30th birthday which is on halloween. in my online research of the haunted Driskill hotel, which we stayed at for his birthday, i found the Austin Ghost Tour which sounded interesting.
i had my sister in law purchase tickets in advance as we were worried it would sell out being so close to halloween and from the looks of the group we were with i bet it did sell out.
our guide was Elizabeth, she was very good. she told stories in great detail, explained everything very well, entertained questions from the crowd and kept everyone involved.
like the other reviewers i wish we could have actually went into some of these places, but no biggie.
our favorite stop was the Driskill and this is where we got our 'orb' pictures. we really wanted to be freaked out here because were were staying here in just a few days!
this was a really fun, unique experience that got us into the halloween spirit.
I recorded my first official EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) while interviewing Jeanine Plumer (Owner, AGT) for a Public Radio program back in October 2008. Astonishingly clear Class A-type responses on a Marantz PMD-760 Digital Audio Recorder.
It only got better from there.
I have been on a real ghost hunt with some members of the Austin Ghost Tours crew since and actually had a 'presence' run right through me in one very haunted location North of Austin (it felt like someone dumped a bucket of cold, electrically-charged(!) water over my entire body). An EVP captured shortly after that experience the same night was equally profound and provocative. This time a full four word sentence in clearly spoken English.
I adore Austin Ghost Tours because they have cultivated in me what was once a mere curiosity into a full on obsession.
Brace yourselves for their TV program, "Haunted Texas", airing sometime in 2010 on PBS...
history nerds unite! I've been on the tour 4 times. 3 times, the guy was my tour guide and he's a great storyteller.
The last time, the woman was my tour guide. She dresses up in old-timey clothes. Unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy her style of storytelling.
My advice is to definitely go on the ghost tour but book it with the male tour guide if possible. I thought the difference in quality was quite dramatic.
Ok, I admit it. I'm addicted to Ghost Hunters on TV and I love a good ghost story. "I see dead people."
I was always the kid who got invited to all the slumber parties because I liked to creep everyone out and lead the seances, Ouija board, levitation and the classic....bring everyone into the pitch black bathroom one at a time so they could call on the ghost of Bloody Mary and see her staring back at them in the mirror. It was amusing and a few times I was so good at it I even creeped MYSELF out. I wanted to be a Gypsy Fortune Teller when I grew up so this was good training.
I'm also interested in history and love old buildings so what could be better than getting to know your newfound city by taking the Austin Ghost Tour?
This is a good activity for older kids too. My 12 year old daughter actually looked up from her cell phone texting frenzy to say excitedly, "Cool! Let's go!" I even got some eye contact, so I knew I must have been onto something.
We ate at the Moonshine beforehand since its the start of the Ghost Tour and is reportedly haunted as well. The tour started promptly and surprisingly was very crowded....there were at least 30 people waiting to be creeped out. Our guide was Elizabeth who showed up dressed in some period costume of sorts and proceeded to show us around the downtown haunts. I agree with other reviewers that it was a bit disappointing in that you couldn't go into the buildings and it was pretty much "ghost stories on parade" as we traipsed through the the streets of Austin. I snapped a few photos with "orbs" at the buildings as the guide suggested we do. Orbs are little anomalies of light that appear in many digital photos today but there is much controversy over whether or not orbs are really proof of anything paranormal. Mostly they are just dust or bugs reflecting the light. I tend to lean towards the dust theory but as one well versed in creeping people out, I went with it and showed the others the orbs I shot. There was even one in the window of "the most haunted building downtown."
All in all it was an interesting evening and a nice walk through downtown.
I think $20 is a bit steep for this tour but my daughter and I were pretty happy with the entertainment.
Useful info:
-Bring a camera
-Wear comfy shoes, there's quite a bit of walking
-Don't be a skeptic if you want to enjoy it
-Take it with a grain of salt
-If you bring your kid....be prepared for them to come to your room and say..."Mom, can I sleep with you tonight??"
http://www.hauntedtexa...
My experience was a good, solid, mediocre. Yes, I'd say I found myself lodged right there between "giddyup and call me edna" and "shoot me in the face" in the sweet spot of tolerability.
We did the "Warehouse District" tour last night. Our guide... what was his name... oh yes, Maverick was a nice guy, knowledgeable and willing to help. I learned a lot and have told several people about it... but as Mav put it, the tour is really about history. Didn't see any ghosts so a star off for that.
I think it'd be a fun thing to do for a date and I'd do it again for that purpose. But I'd probably do the one that focuses on The Driskill or maybe the Capital.
Like I said, we had a good time, just not a great time.
first of all, i appreciate austin ghost tours letting me cancel my 2 tickets from a year ago to use them when i would be back in town! i am very interested in the paranormal and have taken many ghost tours throughout my life. i look a tour of the warehouse district. it wasnt the best ghost tour i have taken, but not the worst either. i was disappointed with something in particular that made me write this review. we went to the driskill and our guide said that you wont see the number 427 and 429 (or one of those it doesnt matter) in that hotel because of one of the murders. well after the tour ended, my friend and i walked up there and we saw both rooms with those numbers clearly listed. i feel i got a good tour of austin though despite feeling a bit led on.
I agree, it was a fun way to learn about some quirky aspects of Austin History but not really much of a ghost tour.
We did the Capital Tour and what I found most disappointing was that we did not enter any buidings, with the exception of the Driskill Lobby; rather the guide walked us around the downtown area occasionally stopping in front of a building to tell ghost stories. Next time we'll try the Pub Crawl Ghost Tour so at least we will have guaranteed interaction with some spirits!
