“I cannot promise you that we will see, hear or encounter a ghost or spirit. It will happen whether you are ready or not. If you cannot deal with the real possibility that it might happen, this walk is not for you,” says Jim Couling at the start of each Twilight Walking Tour in Traverse City. October 6–10 is your last chance to experience a Traverse City Ghost Walk this season.
This is an hour-and-a-half guided, leisurely walk with Jim (known as Wood Smoke), who will share haunted tales of the Grand Traverse area. The final tours of the 2019 season run nightly from October 6–10 from 8–9:30 p.m. Guests meet outside the Bijou Theater in Clinch Park (181 E Grandview Parkway, Traverse City). Dress for the weather—tours run rain or shine.
“We will bring your family into our stories,” Jim says. “We have fun playing instruments and singing songs, but most of all we like to bring the past to the present by weaving you a wonderful story. We hope we make you laugh and send shivers down your spine.”
These ghost stories are not fabrications, but myths and tales that have been passed down, often with strong cultural ties. Over the years, Jim and his wife, Mary (River Lark), have collected many stories through interviews with authors and experts, and guests have shared their own experiences and knowledge, too. Miners, lumberjacks, lighthouse keepers and sunken ships are at the center of many of their stories. Each tour, however, is slightly different; one never knows what will happen on a Twilight Tour.
Tour tickets are $10 and available online at MyNorthTickets.com or at the event (cash only).