TRAVEL
DEBBI CHRISSINGER Destinations Unlimited Vacations
OCTOBER HAUNTED
GET-AWAYS
October is a great month for enjoying our first taste of Fall Weather , pumpkins , and hauntings . Grab you Pumpkin Spice beverage and take a fun trip to Galveston or Houston , and search for haunted sightings .
Galveston has several “ Haunted ” locations . The best being the Hotel Galvez , built in 1911 the hotel has a lengthy list of spirits from the 1900 hurricane to the The Love Lorn Lady who still haunts room 501 . The story tells that the bride-to-be , was a guest of the hotel while her fiancé was out to sea . She watched and waited daily from the turret to see his ship arrive but was told that during a storm the ship and all aboard went down and were never seen again . In her grief she hung herself in the hotel . The sad part is that after her death the ship did arrive in port with her fiancé .
Her spirit is still very active on the 5th floor and has been seen , heard and felt by many visitors and staff . they have reported hearing footsteps running down the empty halls and doors slamming throughout the night and even sightings of a woman in a white dress standing at the foot of the bed in room 501 .
There are other stories that haunt the hotel . The Galvez is currently offering “ Haunted Tours ” every Thursday and Friday $ 25 .. To make reservations call 409-515-2154
Another big haut in Galveston
is Hendley Row ; 2000 – 2016 Strand St , - the oldest commercial structure in the Strand District . Completed between 1855 and 1858 for shippers and cotton brokers , it was the town ’ s tallest structure during the Civil War ; the roof doubled as a Confederate lookout for Union ships .
The resident friendly ghosts of Hendley Row represent aspects of Galveston history . There ’ s the Confederate soldier seen on the roof and around the building . The bloodied , teenage “ factory worker ” is a vestige of the building ’ s cotton-grading days . “ The lady in white ” and the running and playing “ little boy ” and “ little girl ” are thought to be 1900 storm victims .
Other buildings in Galveston with “ added spirit ” include Ashton Villa . The Tremont Hotel , Bishops Palace and the “ face of UTMB .
Houston has a haunted bar to make your Happy Hour a bit more exciting . The La Carafe dive in bar is housed in Houston ’ s oldest commercial brick building . Opened as a bakery in 1860 the building was also a drug store and hair salon before becoming the bar it is today in the 1960 ’ s It maintains a ‘ haunted ’ atmosphere lit by candles and serves host to the occasional séance . Bartenders have reported bottles falling and sounds of children playing upstairs . Some even say an old manager lurks in the window . Want to check out more Texas Spirits ? Here are some great books that will help : Haunted Texas : A Travel Guide , Ghost Hunting Texas ( America ’ s
Haunted Road trips ), and Haunted Texas Vacations : The Complete Ghostly Guide .
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