How to Go Ghost Hunting in Denver

Denver, Colorado, was first established in 1851 and its original history as a mining town made for a colorful history filled with gambling, dance halls and saloons. That kind of history doesn't fade away too easily and many of Denver's more infamous residents seem to have a habit of revisiting their old haunts...even though they, themselves, are now the ghosts doing the haunting.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Start your tour at the governor's mansion on Capitol Hill. Ghosts of old governors long gone are said to walk the halls.
2. Stay on haunted Capitol Hill for a while longer. If you visit the State Capitol you might catch a glimpse of the woman in a long dress who often appears there.
3. Explore creepy Croke-Patterson Mansion, said to be one of Denver's most haunted buildings. It may actually have been built on haunted ground, as the original owner, Thomas B. Croke, only set foot in the mansion one time after it was completed in 1890 but was horribly frightened by some sort of evil emanation. Later hauntings were attributed to a little girl supposedly buried in the basement, although no body has been found.
4. Beware Cheeseman Park, for many years a cemetery for outlaws and paupers. Their restless spirits, ill-treated in death as in life, are said to roam the park and the surrounding neighborhood.
5. Visit the century-old Brown Palace, one of Denver's most luxurious (and haunted) hotels. Among the spooks encountered here have been a long-dead railroad ticket manager who walks directly into a wall, a ghost waiter who rides the service elevator, a mysterious baby heard crying in the basement and a spectral string quartet still playing music.
6. Have a drink at the Buckhorn Exchange to wind up your tour. If you're lucky you may hear the voices or footsteps of some of the long-dead miners and cowboys who used to patronize this saloon. You may even catch a glimpse of one of the tables moving all by itself.