When’s the last time you brushed up on your Texas history? Was it, say, over a couple of beers and on a Ghost Walk? No? Well, here is your opportunity to change that. I mean, what is more frightening than hearing scary stories that took place right where you are standing? Although that Uber driver who commented on your perfume more than one time was pretty damn freaky, we think you should grab some friends and ghoul all out for some of these frightening features.
Denton, $15
A town that has a man buried on the downtown courthouse lawn is bound to have a ghostly past. Shelly Tucker a nationally recognized storyteller and leads a year-round ghost tour called Ghosts of Denton every Friday and Saturday evening. The insightful yet frightening tour takes you through Denton's history-packed downtown. Tucker tells her stories at local schools, for private parties and just about every single weekend throughout the year. You have to get your tickets in advance and the small spaces do tend to sell out quickly. It’ll all be worth it.
Fort Worth Ghost Tours
Fort Worth, $25
This organization says that seances and private readings are available. I repeat, seances are available. What better way to enjoy the creepiest month of the year? If seances aren’t your thing (we aren’t judging), there is a 90-minute ghost tour led by a certified parapsychologist (aka professional ghost finder). This tour takes you through the Fort Worth stockyards, including the Stockyards Hotel where infamous bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde stayed.
Lewisville, $20 - 30
Besides being home to Lake Death (aka Lake Lewisville), Lewisville apparently has some other scary history to offer as well. The tour starts once the sun sets and walks you through Old Town Lewisville, nowhere near the scariest part of town (read: the lake). They do have a pretty cool Halloween gig, though — for $25 you get 3 beers, the ghost tour and you get to play with paranormal detection gear. Can ghosts tell if you’ve had spirits inside you? Oh, wait.
Legends of McKinney Ghost Walk
McKinney, $15
Happening two nights only on October 23 and 24, you can venture out to McKinney for the Legends of McKinney Ghost Walk, grab a ticket booklet and a map, and begin your tour. This self guided, self-paced tour offers many different stops with a storyteller at each. There will be food as well as frights. (To be completely honest, they had us at food.) The stops include an old school building. This is starting to sound an awful lot like a bar crawl for ghost story junkies.
Denton, Free
Former UNT communications studies professor Shaun Treat has spent years researching and uncovering the city's history, focusing on the creepy details. The best part? Treat has (ahem) treated us all to a bunch of stories, written on his blog linked above. He offers more than just scary stories, though. Treat has written a plethora of informative articles about the rich history of Denton, including stories of Denton legend Pops Carter, Denton’s Krampus and the ghosts of Quakertown. This is more of a self guided, online tour - rumor has it, he hasn't done ghost tours in years.
Road Trip Bonus: Jefferson Ghost Walk
Jefferson, $14
If you venture about 2.5 hours east of Dallas, you’ll stumble upon Jefferson, Texas. Although far from the DFW Area, the Jefferson Ghost Walk brings in people from all over the country. This walk takes place year round, so if you don’t make it out before the end of the month, don't stress. The tour lasts about 1.5 hours and includes stories from local historian Jodi Breckenridge.