How to Ghost Hunt in Northern Virginia

Northern Virginia, often thought of as a suburb of Washington, DC, has a rich history in its own right, a history encompassing many wars and numerous other minor tragedies. And wherever you have dramatic events unfolding, eventually you have ghosts, and ghost hunters hot on their trail. Local ghost-hunting groups have reported numerous haunted happenings all over Northern Virginia, but you don't have to join any kind of secret society to do a little ghost hunting of your own.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• A camera to record any sightings
• A thermometer to record unexpected drops in temperature
• A tape recorder to capture any strange sounds

1. Take in a movie at the Old Town Theater in Alexandria. Try to find one that's slow, boring, and quiet so you can watch for the dancing orb in seats just to the right of the projection booth and listen for the mysterious giggling that can sometimes be heard in this theater. There have even been reports of staff members getting pinched while all alone in the projection booth, so whoever is haunting this theater seems to be a fun-loving sort of spook.
2. Do a little shopping at The Christmas Attic in Alexandria. It is supposed to be haunted by the ghost of a sea captain, but one local ghost hunter caught a glimpse of him and said that he's actually more recent, or at least has updated his clothing style since his death. He's notorious for stroking the hair of the female customers and employees and tangling up all of the Christmas lights. (Mine always just seem to tangle themselves.)
3. Shop some more at The Country Christmas store, also in Alexandria. (Ghosts just love Christmas!) The resident ghost at this store has a name-Laura. Seems she was a bride-to-be who died in a fire just days before her wedding back in 1868, and has haunted this location ever since.
4. Check out Alexandria's Carlyle House, now a museum, where three mysterious deaths occurred between the 1870s and early 1900s. The haunting here is pretty low-key, taking the form of footsteps and strange noises but nothing visible.
5. Have a bite to eat at the Occoquan Inn in Occoquan, supposedly haunted by an Indian chief. Seems he likes to hang out in the ladies room upstairs. Not too many restaurants can boast a ghostly restroom attendant, that's for sure!
6. Spend the night at the Bailiwick Inn in Fairfax. This historic inn boasts at least three apparitions, along with mysterious cold and water spots and doors being slammed by unseen hands.