Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Magical Mystery Hokey Tour

I was reading an article that Marianne had written for Chicago Parent about a tour she took while in London - - the Jack the Ripper Murder Tour!   Right up my alley!   And it reminded me of a tour I took a few years ago in Las Vegas.   My tour wasn't a serial killer murder tour, although murders played a part.   Let me explain. 


Most people go to Las Vegas to gamble or see The Blue Man Group or Celine Dion.  Not me.   No way.   The blue guys kind of creep me out.   So does Celine Dion.   Nope, none of that stuff for me.   For me?   The Haunted Vegas Tour, baby.  That's my kind of Vegas vacation.   So, while my husband, son and brother-in-law went off to the Excalibur to enjoy a show, eat meat with their hands, and wipe their mouths with their sleeves, my daughter, sister and I boarded a bus, dowsing rods in hand, ready to meet and greet the departed celebrity souls of Las Vegas. 

We took our seats on the bus and were already looking out the windows to see if we could "see anything."  We hadn't even left the hotel parking lot yet!   But, we were excited to see what we could see.    As we pulled out, the tour guide told us stories of the haunted places that we would visit, and we got more and more excited.   The bus driver took us by Liberace's house and restaurant, our guide regaling us with stories of its haunted history.   We drove by the murder site of a rapper - - I want to say CPAC, but I know that's wrong (I've been watching too much politic junk).  We went to the Flamingo and toured the garden where Bugsy Siegel's spirit continues to be seen, snapping pictures all the while hoping against hope that we would catch something.   We stopped at a park in Henderson said to be the home of several spirits who had been murdered.   We all got our cameras out, again hoping to catch something.   Personally, I think it was too loud for the spirits because some of the tourists were very irreverent.  Amateurs.   Not surprisingly, no ghostly apparitions made their presence known at the park.   We drove by a few other places - - I don't remember where.  I didn't see any ghosts during the tour, the hair on the back of my neck never stood on end, I didn't feel any cold spots, and I never once was scared.   Honestly, I was hoping for a little more "haunt" in my haunted tour.  But, the tour guides were amusing and the tour was fun, thanks mostly to my sister and daughter.

On The Haunted Vegas Tours website FAQs there is a question:  "Is the Haunted Vegas Tour hokey?"    The answer on the website:  No, of course.   My answer:  Yeah, it was pretty hokey.    It wasn't the Jack the Ripper Murder Tour, but it was fun - - hokey fun.  And I got a really cool set of dowsing rods.  The guys?  Well, they just got heartburn.

13 comments:

  1. I would totally have done that tour with you! I did the Ghostly Walks Tour twice in Victoria BC and the second time was the best (it was a different route than the first one I did). I caught a weird black shadow in one courtyard on my camera and there was another one we went in that did creep me out big time. Aren't they fun to do?

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    1. See, JoJo, that's what I want - - to be creeped out. The tour we took was more "entertainment" - - I really really want to do a real ghost hunt.

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  2. It would be interesting to go back without a tour group and just wonder some of those places to see if you could conjure any feelings. That is if you wouldn't be trespassing.

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    1. The tour was fun, but I want to go on a serious ghost hunt - - like at PA's own Eastern State Penitentiary :)

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  3. I am so bummed for you you! There should always be a LITTLE something scary in a ghost tour, right?

    One of my biggest regrets in life comes from when I was living in NY and only a town or two over from "Sleepy Hollow" (now Tarrytown I think). I visited the legendary cemetary, but didn't know about the ghost tour. D'oh! I was in my 20s and very stupid.

    Even with your lukewarm review, I will definitely check out the Vegas tour next trip! I just can't help myself.

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    1. I guess there's spookiness all around - wait - is that a good thing?! The point is, I guess, I am open to other opportunities!

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  4. it sounds like great fun--i have always wanted to go on a haunted house tour!!

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  5. Maybe they were camera shy that day. :) I think you might mean Tupac Shakur???

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    1. Yes! Stacey you're so smart! I knew it had a "pac" in it!

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  6. Sounds like fun although I admit I would be pretty scared and probably hiding if a spook or haunted being would manifest anywhere around me. :)

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  7. Sounds fun—definitely something I would enjoy. :)

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  8. I agree with Dana. I liked the Blue Man group. I thought they were pretty funny. Never saw Celine Dion perform, though.

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