2020/10/25 | Amber Guetebier, Red Tricycle
When it comes to scary things, 2020 might take the cake. But if you’re looking for a way to enhance the Halloween vibes at home this year, we’ve scared up a decent list of virtual ghost tours and ghost cams that skip the crowds. While you may not be able to go cemetery tripping in person, the silver lining is that you can tour and check out places from around the globe right from your own digs. Scroll down to see more.
photo: US Ghost Adventures
Southernmost Ghosts Virtual Ghost Tours
Known for their super spooky Key West tours (which have resumed for 2020, following COVID-19 guidelines) you don’t have to be in southern tip of Florida to experience Southernmostghost's haunting romps. Check out Ghostflix for on-demand, haunting virtual walking tours from Southernmost Ghosts and their parent company, US Ghosts, of 15 different cities including Boston, New Orleans, Key West, San Francisco, Portland, and Denver.
In addition you can also join live events on the following dates:
10/23 Asheville, NC
10/24 New Orleans, LA
10/27 Boston, MA
10/30 Washington, D.C.
All events take place at 7 p.m. local time.
On demand ghost tours are $13, live virtual tours are $15
Bonus! The parent company, US Ghosts, has teamed up with Amazon Alexa and Google Home: Just say "Alexa, Open Ghost Adventures" or "Hey, Google, Talk to Ghost Adventures" and you'll get a spooky new story from a different city each time.
Loftus Hall After Dark Cameras
Loftus Hall is one of Ireland's grandest old estates and reportedly said to be one of the most haunted. From apparitions of former residents, including that of Anne Loftus herself (who was said to play cards with the Devil and descend into madness thereafter) to strange images snapped while on tour, footsteps, whispers and more, there's no shortage of things that go bump in the night.
Now, you can see what happens in the Hall 24/7, as the current owners have installed webcams in nine of the rooms. On Oct. 31 the hall will debut a new online tv experience sure to send chills down your spine.
The Halloween Experience is a new members only website €9.99 at loftushall Remember to account for the time zone (Ireland is +5 hrs from EST). Warning: watching the cameras is addictive!
Learn more at realLoftusHall
The Willard Library
Visitors and librarians alike have claimed to see the Grey Lady ghost, an apparition of a veiled woman who is said to roam the Willard library. Many believe it is the ghost of Anne Carpenter (above) daughter of the library's founder Willard Carpenter. In addition to spotting the ghost, other experiences include water turning on or off; the smell of perfume; books and furniture moving around; and the feeling of being touched on hair or earrings. Sightings have been as recently as August 2020. (Read more about recent sightings here).
The Library has two ghost cams: The Library Ghost Cam, which includes different cameras around the library and is an interactive "hunt" that kids will love. And, the Willard Ghost Cam, which is running round the clock so you can pop over and try to spot her ghostly presence in one of the rooms, and check out additional images caught on camera over the years. You can even download an informational packet about the Grey Lady which includes a map of all of the sightings.
Visit willard and see for yourself!
photo: Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Mystery House 360 Virtual Tour
Sarah Winchester was a reclusive woman of wealth who, some say, was told by spirit guides to keep building her home. The result is a gorgeous mansion that has many unique features: including stairs that lead into walls, doorways that open to nowhere, and a seance room with 13 windows.
Visit every odd angle and doorway of this home of the strange with the Winchester Mystery House 360 Virtual Tour. For $8.99 you’ll gain access to an immersive, independent “walkthrough” of the estate, including rooms not accessible during an in-person tour.
Learn more at winchestermysteryhouse
The Paris Catacombs, Virtual Visit
These underground tunnels that wind beneath the streets of Paris are home to thousands of artfully displayed bones While there aren't any webcams installed currently, you can take a virtual tour (similar to Google Street View) of some of the tunnels. It's creepy as it comes.
Visit catacombes
Museum of Shadows Live Feed
Voted the most haunted museum in the world, this hidden gem in Nebraska houses over 3,000 haunted artifacts. For $5.99 you can sign up to view the webcam after dark. The website says to allow a minimum of 24 hours before your subscription is live, so be sure to take that into account before Halloween night!
Learn more at museumofshadows
Stage a Ghost Hunt Yourself
Want to look for ghosts in your own house or neighborhood? Check out this Beginner's Ghost Hunting Kit from Ghost Stop which includes an EVP and EMF recorder. If that's a little steep for your budget, this 16-GB digital recorder might be just the thing (plus you can use it to record all those cute Halloween songs they sing). You can also try this night vision trail-cam to catch any midnight roaming visitors.
—Amber Guetebier
