Ghost Tour of Seattle | Travel, Photography, and Other Fun Adventures

The month of March is nearly over and I know everyone is eagerly awaiting my Adventure of the Month post…or not. In either case, this might be a major let down. I know it was for me.

A while back Living Social had a deal of $8 (50% off) for The Original Ghost Tours of Pioneer Square. I thought, “why not”, so I purchased two tickets. I should have known, when I called to make the reservations we were likely to be disappointed. I had a hard time understanding the gentleman on the phone. I finally did get that the time would either be 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm and that it may not happen if they didn’t get more reservations. He said he would call me Friday.

After not receiving a call Friday I thought “maybe we are off the hook…let’s not go.” That was short lived; he called me on Saturday to say they had enough people and it would start at 8:00 pm.

We got to Marcela’s Creole Cookery on James Street between 1^st and 2^nd about 15 minutes early. I asked the waiter if we had time for an appetizer. He said “I don’t know. Let me see.” That was the last time he spoke to us. I asked another waiter if they would be open after the tour so that we could have a late dinner. He said “No. Well, probably not.” Now, if you are going to run a ghost tour out of your restaurant, wouldn’t you be looking for more business from that tour? I guess the answer from Marcela’s is a resounding “No.”

The tour started about 15 minutes late because one gal said “My friend is on her way.” Really…we should wait?…well, we did. The guide could not tell a decent story to save her life. About 15 minutes into our hour and a half tour, I wanted to strangle her for using the same words repeatedly. Every sentence included the phrases “…really, really, really…” or “…very, very, very…” I wish I could admit that I’m exaggerating…I am not!

The “meat” of the tour, if you can call it that, was “historical” stories of gore and then supposed testaments of seeing ghosts. Every story she told consisted of prostitution, robbery, or gory mishaps. I guess all the ghosts in Seattle are tragic soles looking for redemption. Not a tour for children!

I thought the tour might take us into some eerie alleys or include some of the Seattle Underground. Nope, we literally walked the streets of Pioneer Square…well, only a couple blocks of it. We did go down two alleys, but they were very brightly lit.

I mostly tuned her out for the last half of the tour, but I have a couple more “earth-shattering” quotes from our “lovely” guide. At one point she told us (and I quote) “Legends are a ton of bull.” Then she proceeded to tell us a legend. And, one story included the quote “They hated her guts.”

After the tour, my friend and I ate at The New Orleans Creole Restaurant on 1^st Avenue (see my Trip Advisor review here). At dinner I said “I think I’m getting my second wind.” My friend replied “That’s because you just took an hour nap.” And, he’s right the tour did put me to sleep.

But just in case anyone is thinking the trip to Downtown Seattle was a total waste. I actually had fun taking night photos. For obvious reason I didn’t bring my tripod, so I got a little creative and used what light there was.

Thoughts to Ponder…

…if you want to do a ghost tour of Seattle.

Some of my friends did one recently that included bar hopping and they enjoyed it. So, it’s possible there are other tour groups that are better.
It’s also possible that a different tour guide would make all the difference. I’m a firm believer that a really good guide can make almost anything interesting.
If you do decide to participate in this tour, do not pay $16. They have offered both Groupon and Living Social deals lately.