Green Valley Park

About Green Valley Park

Green Valley Park is a small neighborhood park in Henderson, Nevada. There are a lot of amenities here for such a small park. The park has a baseball diamond, basketball courts, a playground, bathrooms, and even horseshoe pitches. We came to this park as part of the Haunted Vegas Tour.

Ghost Stories

According to the tour, two boys were found murdered in the park some time in the 70’s. They had very little information about the other that they were brothers, and that the court records surrounding the case had been sealed. Regardless, strange things have happened in the park near the picnic tables and barbacue at the corner of Pecos Rd. and Milcroft Dr. There is even a photograph on the tour’s website of possbile paranormal activity. Our most compelling photograph was taken at the site as well. You can see that on the photos page or our Ghostly Images? page.

There was also a story of another body of a 29 year old whose ghost haunts the park. The tour guide told us his body was discovered in the park, and that there was a tree and a plaque memorializing him in the park. We went back the following day and found a plaque dedicated to a man, Christopher D. Brown, who was 29 at the time of his death, but after investigating his death found that he was killed while trying to cross interstate 15, and not murdered. Here is a link to a news article detailing the events surrounding the death of Christopher Brown of Henderson Nevada. We did not investigate further, so there could be another plaque in the park that would help confirm the story told on the tour.

The Las Vegas Paranormal Investigations group has investigated the park three times between 2004 and 2006 and concluded that it is not haunted according to their website.

Our Review

He Says:

My wife took what I would consider our first picture of something odd that could not easily be explained away as a mundane occurance while in this park as part of the Haunted Vegas Tour. It is featured on our Ghostly Images? page and included on the photo page here. I am naturally skeptical of the supernatural, and even this picture gives me pause. I cannot find a rational explanation for it.

She Says:

After shooting shot after shot of Orbs (possibly some pollen or dirt, it was rather windy) in Green Valley Park, I really hadn’t expected much for the night. I didn’t even see the blurry figure in the photo in the camera screen when I clicked yet another picture of expected orbs. It is strange how he is blurred out and slightly see thru when other things infront of and behind him are in sharper focus… I feel like I missed out on something, not seeing it with my own eyes!.

Flamingo Hotel

About Flamingo Las Vegas

The original Flamingo Hotel was started in 1945 by Billy Wilkerson. He owned the Hollywood Reporter as well as several night clubs in Las Angeles. As the story goes, Mr. Wilkerson was addicted to gambling and would make frequent trips to Las Vegas where he would lose… a lot. His wife suggested to him that he should make his own hotel/casino so that he could lose to himself. He purchesed land in Las Vegas and hired George Vernon Russell to design him a hotel. The high cost of finding building materials during World War II quickly left Wilkerson in deep financial trouble. Wilkerson was soon “pursuaded” to take on partners in his venture by Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel the famed mobster of Murder, Inc. Bugsy had no experience in designing a hotel so costs continued to mount. The hotel finally opened the day after Christmas in 1946.

The hotel was named after Bugsy’s nickname for his girlfriend, Virginia Hill. According to the tour guid on the Haunted Vegas Tour this was due to her having died her hair red. According to Wikipedia, Ms. Hill earned this nickname because of… well… other reasons.

When the mob bosses back east discovered that Bugsy had been skimming off the top, allegedly because of a tip by Virginia Hill who was a mob informant, his death was ordered. Despite the bullet proof glass and protective measures he had built into his Las Vegas apartment at the Flamingo. His assassins smartly took him out while he was visiting Las Angeles in a far less fortress-like atmosphere.

The hotel changed hands a few times before being sold to the Hilton company. The las remnants of the original hotel was torn down in 1993 and replaced with the lavish gardens that include the wedding chapel and a memorial to Bugsy Siegel.

Ghost Stories

The ghost stories revolve around “Bugsy” Siegel of course, and he is said to haunt two locations on the property. His ghost has been seen in the “Bugsy” or Presidential suite which supposedly has the gold faucets and bathroom fixtures of his apartment from the old hotel. The other location is in the gardens near his memorial and the wedding chapel where his old apartment is said to have been located.

Our Review

He Says:

I have never actually stayed at the Flamingo, but have eaten at the buffet before. The garden behind the hotel was a very nice experience. Our tour guide, Jac Hayden, called it “the jungle.” Did notice an odd wildlife sign that labeled a water turtle with the scientific name aix sponsa, which is actually the scientific name for a wood duck. I wonder how long that has been there. (there is a sign for wood duck that has the proper name.) Why do we know the scientific name for wood duck you ask? Geocaching.

She Says:

Hidden behind the hotel is a quaint little garden of various birds, fish and turtles. I did find it rather interesting that the wood duck and the turtle signs both were referred to as Aix Sponsa (Scientific name for “Wood Duck”), but I looked, I couldn’t find one singular wood duck anywhere…lots of turtles, and other ducks… but no wood ducks.

Las Vegas Hilton

About the Las Vegas Hilton

The Las Vegas Hilton is a large hotel that is slightly off strip and near the Las Vegas Convention Center. The hotel was built in 1969 and has 3,174 rooms. Elvis played their numerous times when he was in Las Vegas and stayed in the penthouse suite while he was there. This suite stretched across the entirety of the top floor. The hotel has gone through two expansions since its original contruction and the top floor is now significantly larger than it was on Elvis’s initial stay. Both enlargements happened while Elvis was still periodically performing there, however. After Elvis’s last performance there in 1976, Liberace had a succesful run at the casino.

The original sign, which fell in 1997, was the largest free standing sign in the world. Its replacement, although smaller than the original, is still the world’s largest.

The hotel was the site of a fire in 1981 just 90 days after the devastating fire of the old MGM Grand, and of the infamous Tailhook Scandal.

The hotel currently houses the Star Trek Experience, a science fiction themed casino area, and Quark’s Bar (a restaurant made to resemble Quark’s Bar from the television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Ghost Stories:

Elvis has not left the building. Yes, The King of Rock n’ Roll himself is said to haunted the Las Vegas Hilton. He is said to haunted numerous locations in the building. His ghost has been seen in the penthouse suite. Initially all one suite it is now divided into smaller suites. (One of them is occupied by Barry Manilow at the time of this writing.) Elvis’ ghost has been spotted in a freight elevator that he often took refuge in from his adoring fans. He has also been spotted in the basement area underneath the theater where he would hang out with the musicians, and backstage where he has been seen by stagehandds. It has even been reported that Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton has seen the ghost of Elvis at the Las Vegas Hilton. (these stories all assembled from the Haunted Vegas Tour)

Our Review

He Says:

Unfortunately we are not wealthy enough to afford the penthouse suite, we do not know Barry Manilow, and we didn’t have access to the freight elevator…so… our exploration of the hotel was limited to the public access areas. OK, you caught me, it was limited mostly to Quark’s and the blackjack table I lost $100 dollars at.

I have never actually stayed at the Las Vegas Hilton, it has become a tradition for me to eat at Quark’s Bar every time I visit the city going back to when me and my friends (in our single days) would visit sin city once a year. The food is decent, the atmosphere is neat (as long as you stay in the bar area which used to be the smoking section), and the drinks are unusual. I had a warp core breach on my first visit with my friends and although I did not enjoy its taste, the shear size and the fact that it come bubbling and smoking because of the dry ice is a nice twist.

She Says:

While we have yet to stay the night at this location we have visited Quark’s and the Star Trek Experience two times now. The majority of the Hilton a normal casino, but in this specific area they have done a really good job to make it feel like you are in the Star Trek world.
They even include walking characters (a vulcan, a klingon and a ferengi, while we were there.) If there’s one thing I enjoy in a casino, it’s a good in-depth theme.

Haunted Vegas Tour

About Haunted Vegas Tour

The Haunted Vegas Tour was started by Robert Allen in 2004 and leaves out of the Greek Isles Hotel/Casino. Before the tour there is a short stage show featuring magic acts and some video clips about some of the haunted locations featured on the tour. The V.I.P. tour consists of a tour bus ride around Las Vegas and Henderson Nevada and a set of dowsing rods that you are invited to use in Green Valley Park (which we have reviewed on a separate page). The show and tour last approximately 2 and a half hours. We went back to most of the places featured on the tour explore them more completely.

Ghost Stories

Most of the ghost stories told on the tour are taken from other sources, which the tour guide, Jac Hayden, freely admitted, although they leave off any stories that are unsubstantiated or undocumented. What criteria used to make these determinations was not explained. The tour starts at the Greek Isles casino and as we left the tour guide told us stories of hauntings at the Stratosphere Hotel and the Oasis Motel (two sites the tour does not actually pass).

The Stratosphere Tower

The Tower has been the site of two suicides. A teenager who climbed over the railing and jumped after an argument with his parents. According to the tour guide drugs were found in his system during the autopsy. The ghosts are said to be seen near the escalators to the entrance of the tower’s elevator.

Oasis Motel

David Strickland (imdb link) an actor who appeared in the Brooke Shield’s sitcom Suddenly Susan was found dead in room 20 of the Oasis Motel on March 22 1999, the victim of an apparant suicide. He had tied a bed sheet around his neck and hung himself from a ceiling beam.

Bally’s Hotel Casino

Once the MGM Grand Hotel before they built the current MGM Grand and sold the old one to Bally’s. It was the site of a disastrous fire in 1983 that killed 84 people. At the time the hotel was built Nevada law did not require Hotels to have smoke detectors in areas that were occupied 24 hours a day (with the assumption that an employee of the area would notice the fire and report it). The area where the fire broke out was not used all day by the year the fire broke out. Furthermore, the fire started in the walls where no one would have been able to see it. Most victims died of smoke inhalation as they tried to escape. Some bodies were allegedly found in the stairwells still holding on to each other. We have a page dedicated to Bally’s Hotel Casino.

The Flamingo Hotel

Next we were taken to the Flamingo Hotel where Bugsy Siegel is said to haunt two locations of the hotel he helped build. The penthouse suite of the new hotel which is said to have the gold bathroom fixtures that used to be in his apartment, and the area around his memorial in the “jungle” behind the hotel near the wedding chapel. According to our tour guide, that area used to be occupied by Bugsy’s apartment. This is one of the two locations where we were lead off the bus and allowed to explore a location. We have a page dedicated to the Flamingo Hotel and its hauntings.

Tupac Shakur Memorial

We drove by the spot on Flamingo Road where Tupac Shakur was gunned down by unknown assailants in a drive by shooting. There is a street pole at this location that is used as a memorial to the rap star. Tupac has on a few occasions been seen walking in the area late at night.

Tupac’s street

We were driven by the street upon which Tupac Lived. His house is on Road. It is said that neighbors have seen him walking along the balcony that stretches across the front of his former home. This is a private residence and is not open to the public.

6660 Pecos

The house across the street from the entrance to Wayne Newton’s Casa de Shenandoah estate, 6660 Pecos, is constantly changing hands because it is haunted by the ghost of a teenage girl who was taken there by Hell’s Angels or another biker gang where they performed satanic rituals on her before killing her. Her body was found in the house. It was very dark when we drove by on the tour and difficult to photograph, so we returned to the location the following day. It is in the midst of being remodeled. We did not seen the address marked on the property, but according to the tour guide the owners are constantly changing the address to avoid the “666” demarcation the house originally had. While no one was living at the house at the time, if you visit the location remember to be respectful of the owners.

Redd Foxx’s house.

The home once occupied by Redd Foxx, of Sanford and Son fame, is now a real estate agency. The home was known to be haunted before the current business occupied the home and performed an exorcism and had a medium tell them to paint a red fox on both sides of their sign to appease him. He is still there, however, playing pranks on the people that work in the office.

Green Valley Park

There are two stories surrounding Green Valley Park in Henderson. It is said that in the 70’s two boys were killed and there bodies were dumped in the park. According to Jac, our tour guide, the court records about the event were sealed and it is impossible to find information regarding the names of the children. However their ghosts have been seen in the area of the barbecue near the front of the park. The tours website has an enteresting photograph taken at the location by a member of the tour. We have an odd photograph of the area also that can be seen on our Ghostly Images? page. We also have a full page dedicated to Green Valley Park.

The other story surrounds the death of another person whose body, from what I remember, was also found in the park. His family placed a plaque and a tree in the park to memorialize him. Jac mentioned the tree was too far away to allow us to see. However, when we went back in the daytime we found the tree not really very far from where we were, and learned the name: Christopher Brown. Doing some internet research we discovered that 29 year old Henderson resident Christopher D. Brown died while attempting to cross a Interstate 15 on foot. (news article). The dates listed on the memorial plaque match the year of death and age. We do not know what significance this park had to Mr. Brown.

Carluccio’s Tivoli Gardens

The restaurant is housed in a building that was designed by the famed pianist Liberace and is located adjacent to the Liberace museum. Liberace is said to be seen starring at guests inside the banquet room in the back through the window from the outside. Other stories about his presence in the building include a story about how one day all of the power switched off suddenly with no explanation. The other businesses in the area still had their power. When one of the waitresses remembered it was Liberace’s birthday they sang happy birthday to him. When they were done the power was restored. The owners had an electrician come out on the following day, but he found nothing wrong with the electrical system. Another story involves a large tree in a planter near the bar in the piano room. Someone said something insulting of Liberace and the tree fell over. It took three men to set the tree back up again. We have a full page dedicated to Carluccio’s Tivoli Gardens that include information from employees of the restaurant and our review.

We also were driven by Liberace’s house, but no stories of the supernatural were conveyed.

Luxor

There have been a couple suicides in the Luxor pyramid. According to the tour, one of them fell from the 26th floor into the area that was once the buffet. The person who jumped was suffering from AIDS and as a precaution the hotel closed the buffet and moved it to a separate part of the building out of fear of contamination. The second person jumped from the 10th floor and hit the ground around the area of what was once the express check out. On the tenth floor guests report having someone whisper in their ear, or blow down their neck only to turn around and see no one there. (according to some web sources this phenomena occurs on the 10th floor of the adjacent Excalibur Hotel, although it does not specifically mention which of the two towers of the Excalibur.)

The old Nile River ride that was only open for a few years after the hotel opened was said to be haunted, potentially by ghosts of men who died when the building was being constructed and a wall fell on them.

We have a page dedicated to the Luxor Hotel Casino.

Las Vegas Hilton

The ghost of Elvis is said to haunt the entire top floor of the hotel (now broken up in to smaller suites with one occupied by Barry Manilow at the time of our visit) He has also been seen in the basement near the theater and in a freight elevator that he used to ride in to avoid the crowds of fans that would follow him. We have a page dedicated to the Las Vegas Hilton.

Our Review

He Says:

While I found the pre-show to a be a little cheesy, the actual tour portion is entertaining and informative. They freely admit they got some of their stories from other sources, but they cite some of them on the tour. Our tour guide, Jac Hayden, was funny, friendly, and informative. I enjoyed the opportunities we had to depart the bus and explore two of the locations. It was on one of these excursions that my wife took the photo of the strange shadowy shape that is clearly not there in other photographs

She Says:

If you enjoy ghost stories, macabre humor and have a few hours to spend, I recommend this tour. I think that it is a real sign of professional integrity that they do not promote random rumors. When other guests would ask “What about the one I heard about…”, they stated that they did not wish to promote stories that had no research to substantiate them. So they may know more stories, but they only wish to present the best of the best and the most documented tales.

Moss Beach Distillery

About Moss Beach Distillery

Originally established as a speakeasy during prohibition, The Moss Beach Distillery is a restaurant in Moss Beach, California overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The restaurant offers exquisite views of the Pacific Ocean and high quality food. The restaurant has a very tongue in cheek way of celebrating its resident ghost (see Our Review at the bottom of the page for more information). The ceiling art of a bull and bullfighter in the bar is original from the buildings days as a speakeasy.

Ghost Stories

The “Blue Lady” is the most famous guest of the Moss Beach Distillery. She is called the Blue Lady in reference to the blue dresses she is often seen wearing. Her haunting has been featured on several television shows including Unsolved Mysteries. Her identity is a mystery as is her cause of death, but there are a few theories. Loyd Aurebach, a prominent parapyschologist, has investigated the hauntings at the Distillery many times with different psychics and come up with several names. Some have picked up on the name Elizabeth, while others Cayte. There is also a story of a Mary Ellen who was in love with a piano player who worked there. She was already married and had a child while she was having her affair. She died tragically in an automobile accident. Another story connected to the piano player involves a woman who threw herself off the cliffs near the Distillery when she discovered that the piano player had other lovers.

In our interviews with the staff we were told that none of them knew of anyone who had seen her apparition in recent years, although they mentioned several unusual occurrences involving strange sounds and bottles behind the bar moving from one place to another when no one was looking. Doors have also spontaneously locked themselves.

Matt, our waiter, mentioned that a bartender’s sister went downstairs only to come back up into the main part of the building to see a mist shape in the bar room.

The bartender told us that when he was new and still just a busboy that he folded up all of the patio blankets and arranged the benches as he was supposed to do. When he came back inside the manager told him to go fold the patio blankets. When he went back outside one set of the chairs had moved against the shed and all the blankets were unfolded. He locked them in the shed.

The Manager reported that he was cleaning up behind the bar moving bottles around, he went downstairs to the storage room only to return and find all the bottles moved back to their original positions.

Our Review

He Says:

The food was excellent, with prices ranging from $30.00 to $60.00 for most dishes. The decor is nice, and the view is excellent. The bar is set up with numerous simulated paranormal activities in a kind of tongue in cheek way. If you take a seat at the bar, do not be surprised if your stool suddenly seems to be shrinking, or if the lights above the bar begin to sway. These are all mechanical effects not the supernatural. In the woman’s bathroom the image of a blue woman will appear in the mirror as well. They used to have a video loop that appeared to be old black and white film footage that would interrupt the television, but guests started to complain when this would happen in the middle of sporting events so that effect was removed. They also used to have tables that would vibrate, but things would fall off of the tables so they go rid of that trick. I did find it odd that a restaurant with such a high class menu and a rich paranormal history would have such a tongue in cheek way of celebrating it. I guess it is almost a Chuck E. Cheese’s and a 4 star restaurant rolled into one.

She Says:

AWESOME SCALLOPS!!! It is odd the way that the food is First Class, but the fx are played up about their ghost… The Bathroom mirror is just cheesy. The lamps and stools are kind of neat though!

Oh, if only this place were closer to home!!!

Stokes Adobe Restaurant and Bar

About Stokes Restaurant and Bar

Originaly built as a single room adobe in 1833 by Benjamin Day, the adobe was purchased in 1837 by James Stokes, a druggist, doctor, and former sailor. He marries Josefa Soto de Cano, a widow with four children, in 1840. They soon have two children of their own, and need for more room. James expands the adobe into a seven room two story house with a wing for the kitchen and storage rooms. A wall and several shacks surround the building. One of these shacks held the printing press for California’s first newspaper. Stokes serves for a time as mayor of Monterey.

The property is sold in 1856 to Honore Escolle. Escolle installs a large oven used for his bakery business and uses it as a kiln. He uses it to bake bread and make pottery. The property goes through several owners until Mortimer Gragg purchases the home in 1890. He lives in the home with his wife Harriet, who is known as Hattie. The property has a bustling social scene until Hattie’s death in 1948.

In 1950 it is converted into the Gallatin Restaurant by Mr. and Mrs. Gallatin Powers. It closes in 1980. Through the mid 80s to the mid nineties several restaurants occupy the space until 1996 when it is opened as Stokes Adobe Restaurant by Kirk and Dorothy Probasco with Brandon Miller as the restaurants chef. After an extensive remodeling, the restaurant is renamed Stokes Restaurant and Bar.

Ghost Stories:

The history of ghostly encounters goes back to the building’s time as Gallatin’s Restaurant when the first reports of the figure of a man in 1800s style clothing and an apparition of a beautiful woman are seen by the employees. It is believed they are the ghosts of James Stokes and his wife Josefa. It is also believed that the ghost of Hattie Gragg also haunts the building.

According to the employees we talked to there are several manifestations on the property. In the main room if you stand in front of what used to be the front door to the building, you will sometimes get tapped on the shoulder. People sitting in chairs on the left side of the main room will sometimes complain that someone keeps moving their chairs. In the booth to the right cold spots can be felt sometimes. On the staircase to the upstairs parts of the building a ghost in period costume can be seen. The mirrors in the upstairs room that used to be the main bedroom are original and sometimes get nudged to the side. People will also experience a disembodied female voice that will call you name when no one else it around.

Our waiter reported a few personal experiences that he has had on the property. He has been tapped on the shoulder, and heard his name. One night, after closing, he heard a woman’s voice say “Excuse me, cna you help me?” He went to the front of the restaurant, but there was no one there. He and a female coworker heard the voice a seocnd time, this time she went, but also did not see anyone. The heard the voice a third time and they both went to check it out, and again there was no one there.

Our Review:

He Says:

The food was decent, and the waiter was excellent. We did not have a lot of time to explore the building as we were late for the Halloween Party at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, but it was a nice restaurant that I would definitely go to again if I was in the Monterey area. Especially because I would like more of a chance to look around.

She Says:

The food was fine but our Waiter was Great! I, for a change, agree with my husband completely!

Bella Saratoga

About Bella Saratoga

Bella Saratoga is a restaurant in Saratoga California. Converted from a private residence long before its current incarnation. It was the former site of the restaurant Bella Mia (which is now located in downtown San Jose), and before that it was the location of the Saratoga News. There were reports of ghostly activity in the building as far back as its use a news office.

Ghost Stories

The ghost of a woman is said to haunt Bella Saratoga. Most of the supernatural activity happens on the second floor. The woman’s bathroom and second floor office in particular are sites of activity. Doors open and close on their own and an eerie or uneasy presence has been felt.

Our Review

We have been to Bella Saratoga three times in the past year. The morning after the evening of our first visit on Friday the 13th of January, I came down with a case of Transient Global Amnesia. As a result, my recollection of the experience is a cloudy. Luckily I was there with two other people. Our meals have always been very good here, and the service has been excellent. It is not the fanciest or most prestigious restaurant in the area (Saratoga’s little restaurant row), but it is a good meal and on most days you can walk in without needing a reservation.

Winchester Mystery House

Sarah Winchester was the wife of William Wirt Winchester (3rd president of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. They married in 1862 and a few years later had a baby daughter that they named Anne Pardee. Unfortunately their daughter died only a few days later. They never had another child. Sarah’s tragedy did not end there. Her husband died young in 1881 and inherited a vast fortune and shares of the Winchester company. She sought the advice of a medium who told her that the ghost of her late husband wanted her to know that there was a curse on their family that was responsible for his death and the death of their daughter. The medium told her that in order to appease the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle, she sell her home in New Haven, Connecticut, move west, and buy a house that Sarah would have to continually build. Sarah moved to Santa Clara Valley in California (in present day San Jose) and bought an unfinished six room farmhouse and the 162 acre property on which it rested. For the next 38 years she had workers constructing and reconstructing 24 hours a day 365 days a year. When she died and the construction ceased, the house had a grand total of 160 rooms. The house is constructed oddly, with rooms that have no entrances or exits, stairs that lead to the ceiling, windows in the floor, and doors that lead to a one floor drop. The house was state of the art for the time, with many water saving innovations.

Ghost Stories

it is said that Mrs. Winchester held seances in the special “seance room” in her home to consult with the spirits over the design of the home. She either built the odd home as a way to appease the spirits or to confuse them. She was obviously worried about the spirits, she never slept in the same room for two nights in a row. The home was built as a way for Mrs. Winchester to appease the ghosts of people who were killed by Winchester Rifles.

A few groups on tours have been said to have seen ghosts roaming the halls. Footsteps and other noises have also been heard.

There is a story of a tour guide that saw Mrs. Winchester reach out towards her.

The tour only shows you a very small portion of the third floor. It is said that is because the third floor is the most haunted. There is supposedly (and we got this from a tour guide as well as other sources) a room on the third floor with a rocking chair in it that will rock without any one touching it.

There is an odd story from the days when Mrs. Winchester was alive about how she would go down into the wine cellar every night to pick out a bottle of wine, until the night she saw a black hand print on the wall of the wine cellar and had it sealed up. It is said that when it was sealed up there was a vagrant or an employee sleeping in there, and he died. He now wanders the basement searching for the sealed up wine cellar.

Our Review

If you are ever in San Jose and can only do one thing:
Go to the Winchester! It is my Dream Home. If it were possible, I would live here. Spiderweb themes, the number 13 is incorporated throughout the home. However, I am biased towards most anything spooky.

On a more objective note: The story of the house is wonderfully entertaining. Finding out the -reasons- behind why certain things are made the way they were and what her motivations were. At one point in the tour, you see a picture of the home as it stood before 1906 earthquake. It is a reminder of the true age and mutability of the place. It is truly spectacular.

Our Winchester Mystery House Gallery

Knott’s Berry Farm

About Knott’s Berry Farm

Starting in the 1920s Walter Knott and his family sold berries from a small stand on California State Highway 39. He was the first person to successfully cultivate the Boysenberry developed by Rudolf Boysen. Starting in 1934 Knott’s wife, Cordelia, began serving fried chicken dinners and boysenberry pie for dessert. Their location alongside a major north-south thoroughfare became a popular rest stop. In a few short years the restaurant became so popular the wait for a table lengthened to several hours. In an effort to entertain his waiting guests, Walter Knott built a ghost town by transplanting buildings from Calico California and Prescott Arizona. Eventually, Knott started adding attractions such as a train ride and a mine ride.

In 1968 the family built a fence around the attractions and began to charge admission. Knott’s Berry Farm currently claims to be the world’s first theme park.

In 1997 the Knott family sold the amusement park to Cedar Fair (owners and operators of Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky Ohio) There has been a shift since then to more thrill rides and rollercoasters, but the park still has plenty of connection to the past. There still is a fired chicken dinner restaurant and a ghost town.

Ghost Stories

Strange noises and eerie feelings have been described by employees of the Peanuts Playhouse in camp snoopy. It has also been reported that lights turn themselves on and off with no one else present. The old Dinosaur Ride (which was in the area now occupied roughly by the Johnny Rockets in Boardwalk) was also said to be haunted by a former maintenance employee and a young boy. We have not uncovered any reports of those hauntings continuing now that the ride has been torn down. The upstairs of Virginia’s Gift Shop on the exterior of the park is said to be haunted as is the Bird Cage Theater and Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The lady that was working in the Teddy Bear store told a story about the building when it was still the old Print Shop (when we were there you could still see the faded word print underneath the word shop on the sign to the Teddy Bear store). Apparently there were stamps (not the kind you mail) on display on shelves on the wall and for no apparent reason some of them started falling off of the shelves.

Our Review

He Says:

I miss the Haunted Shack that had to be removed. Apparently the old management company did not do a very good job maintaining the park, and the Haunted Shack was in such a state of disrepair when Cedar Fair purchased the park that they could not refurbish it without having to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act which would have ruined the optical illusions that made the attraction what it was, so it was removed. The coin artist was very neat, and informative about the history of the park. If he is still there, I highly recommend you spend some time viewing his wares and watching him work at his shop/store in Ghost Town. The rollercoasters here are also very good, but I miss some of the simpler older rides that have been removed and replaced such as the old Soap Box Racer ride.

She Says:

By this time, I was pretty much burnt out at the end of our vacation. I don’t recall having ever been to Knott’s before, so I cannot compare old vs. new, but I did enjoy some of the more natural scenery as well as talking to the man at the coin-carving booth. Considering that I tend towards motion sickness, I stuck to the ground, with the exception of Montezuma’s Revenge. It is almost identical to Great America’s Tidal Wave ( Now gone 🙁 .) I felt I had to ride it for old time’s sake.

And don’t forget… The candy shops had chocolate covered boysenberry truffles!!!
Yummm… Suuuugaaaarrrrr….

Now that Cedar Fair owns both Knott’s and Great America, I am hoping for both parks to have a true revitalization and many Great years to come…

Queen Mary Hotel

About the Queen Mary

The keel was laid for the RMS Queen Mary in 1930 at Clyde, Scotland, but was not completed until 1936. She made her maiden voyage on May 27 of that same year. She served three years as a passenger liner carrying passengers across the Atlantic until war broke out in 1939.

When the United States entered the war, she was converted to a troop ship. Painted grey to make her more difficult to detect, she was known as the “Grey Ghost.” She ferried troops from the U.S. to England in preparation for D-Day. During this time she set the record for the most people on an ocean voyage at one time with 16,683 people.

After the war she continued to serve the military by transporting war brides and the children from Europe to the United States. She made 13 voyages in this capacity before she was refurbished and returned to passenger liner service.

By the 1960s ocean liners were falling out of fashion with the rise of air traffic between the continents. She made occasional luxury cruises before being sold to the city of Long Beach in 1967. She made her final transatlantic crossing she was permanently docked. Her boilers were removed and she was rendered unable to move under her own power. She was converted into a hotel and museum.

Ghost Stories

There are numerous ghosts and hauntings reported on the Queen Mary.

Stateroom B340 is no longer rented out because the the volume of paranormal activity. Some people claim that it is haunted by the ghost of a murdered purser, but we found that information on other ghost websites and not on any of the tours conducted by the Queen Mary. The faucets are supposed to turn on by themselves, and sheets from the bed are said to have flown across the room. The room is now stark white with very little furniture in it.

One of the most famous ghosts of the Queen Mary is believed to be that of John Pedder, a fireman in the engine room who was crushed by the infamous “Door 13” in the part of the ship known as “Shaft Alley.” Apparently during emergencies, the watertight doors would be closed to seal off sections of the ship to avoid sinking. The legend goes that crew members would hop back and forth through the doorways as many times as they could before the door would close. John Pedder apparently tried one too many times and was crushed by the closing door.

A man seen wearing blue overalls sometimes described as having a beard has been seen walking down shaft alley and disappearing at Door 13. On the Ghost and Legends tour they refer to this man as “Half Hatch Harry,” but that was not the real name. John Pedder is listed on the sign in the infirmary of crew members that died.

The First Class Swimming Pool is another famous haunted location on the Queen Mary. Some reports claim that it is haunted by the ghost of people who drowned in the pool, but the Queen Mary’s own sign detailing the causes of death for passengers on the liner does not list a single death due to drowning. The ghosts seen in the first class swimming pool seem to be exclusively female. There are reports of at least one adult woman and a little girl that haunt this location. The little girl is said to have drowned in the second class swimming pool (which has since been removed). Her name is reported to be “Jackie,” and she is seen in many places across the ship.

The changing rooms at the back of the swimming pool are said to hold a vortex of negative energy, or perhaps a gateway between dimensions. One story suggests that this is due to a woman having been raped in the changing rooms at one point. There is a live ghost webcam that continuously films the swimming pool. The pool is also part of the special effects tour Ghosts and Legends of the Queen Mary which includes smoke and light effects.

While all of the boilers have been removed from the ship when it was docked at Long Beach, the massive rooms that once housed them remain. The forward boiler rooms are now used as part of the Ghost and Legends special effects show, the massive middle boiler rooms have been converted into conference space, and the aft boiler rooms are included on the regular tour and the late night paranormal tours. The boiler rooms were dangerous places, and it is not surprising that these locations may have there own ghost stories. Jackie is sometimes seen in the boiler rooms, as well as a male ghost that is thought to have been a crew member that worked on the boilers. The rooms are very massive and have a creepy feeling to them.

During World War II when the Queen Mary was known as the Grey Ghost, she accidentally rammed one of her escort ships causing it to sink. At the point on the bow of the Queen Mary where she collided with the escort screams can sometimes be heard. The public is normally only allowed to visit this part of the ship on the Ghosts and Legends tour.

There are many other parts of the Queen Mary that are said to be haunted. It seems the whole ship is a beacon for paranormal activity. The infirmary and the Lounge are other parts of the ship with their own tales of ghosts. In our interviews with various members of the crew, we got reports of strange feelings fairly often. The only crew-member who reported seeing a possible apparition related this story to us.

One waitress at the Chelsea restaurant states that she had been
working the host podium and saw three guests walk towards her through the long hallway that leads from the deck to the restaurant. She looked down at the reservation book for a party of three, but when she looked back up there were only there people. She asked the guests whether or not they prefer to wait for their third member before being seated, but they said that there were only two of them. She also reported that the faucets in the nearby woman’s bathroom go on and off by themselves.

Our Review

He Says:

The Queen Mary was an excellent place to visit for a few days, if not a bit overpriced. When we were there there was not a lot to do after dark, but taking a romantic walk on the decks while viewing Long Beach across the harbor is nice and romantic (and a little chilly). I would have preferred more to do that did not involve a tour. While it is a vast ship with a lot to do, it can easily be done in a single day with good planning. We spent three nights at the QM, but we spent one of our days visiting Disneyland, and part of another day driving around downtown Long Beach. There are also limited choices for breakfast, as there is only one restaurant that serves it and it did not have the greatest hours. Our accommodations were fair, but we did not spend a lot of time in our room.

She Says:

There were several tours available for the daylight hours. We bought the Haunted Encounters Passport. The Ghosts and Legends tour was all flash, but no substance. Much like your average Haunted House complete with spooky lighting, sound, and fog machines.

The Haunted Encounters tour was very informational and took you thru more rooms inside the ship. As you go through the ship, you also find small plaques that list ghost sightings. These are part of the self-guided scavenger hunt. The Paranormal Ship Walk, with psychic Erika Frost, was not included in the passport. Being the only evening tour we took, more lights were dimmed down, adding to the ambiance. This is the only tour that gave us access to the front of the ship, the brig, the pool dressing rooms and some other roped off areas. We did pass on the Paranormal Investigations tour and the Burlesque show. We ran out of time and money.

The dinners were quite tasty, the rooms were cozy, but most of all I loved the atmosphere. It was just very welcoming in general.

You do NOT need reservations to dine in the three restaurants or tour the many attractions. If the hotel room prices are out of your range (as they are a bit pricey.)

I strongly recommend at least making a day trip out of the Queen Mary!