Phasmophobia

Phasmophobia, also known as spectrophobia, is the irrational fear of ghosts. I have a tendency towards this phobia, which is completely unhelpful in a town like St. Augustine which is, like Savannah or Charleston, one of the most haunted cities in North America. Not only do we have a whole stinkin' lot of history (we were founded and named officially in 1565, making us the OLDEST city, since we are the oldest continuously run settlement in the New World), but the history we have is also gruesomely bloody or otherwise unpleasant. Even our more recent history is on the more ghastly side than not. This is an anxiety filled nightmare for a phasmophobe like me, but it has done wonders for our ghost tour industry which, in the past decade or so, has blossomed (see: exploded) and overtaken the town.

Now, I'm not necessarily complaining. I'm a tour guide for the City of St. Augustine and I have given my share of ghost tours. Yes, even I have dressed up in all black, lantern in tow and scared the willies out of friends and visitors. Even a phasmophobe like me has swallowed my pride now and again and partaken in the city's most prosperous and growing industry. Hell, I even live in Ponce Hall! But I won't talk about that...the college doesn't like to associate itself with ghost stories (they're sitting on a gold-mine).

I've also been on a handful of ghost tours in town and I've seen or overheard the ones I haven't actually paid for, and there are definitely ones which stand out above the others. They depend greatly on which tour guides you get, what kind of night it is, and how drunk the rest of the people on the tour are, of course, but you'll have a better chance of getting a better show with some tours over others.

One of my favorites, when we have the right tour guide and the moon is positioned right in the seventh house (kidding), is the one my parents currently work for: Ripley's Ghost Train Adventure. Now, do I like this tour because I can get on for free? Probably. But it's also darn good. All of the tours are bloody expensive, but for this one I truly feel that you get what you pay for.

The tour goes through changes once every few months, but the constant is that you jump on the train, armed with your free disposable camera and ghost meter, ride around the city listening to stories. You stop at at least two known "hot-spots" in town and then round out the tour in Castle Warden, which now houses the first Ripley's Believe it or Not museum in North America. So, not only is the castle haunted and creepy, but there's also loads of horrible things in there like tattoos with skin still attached and medieval torture devices. Cool.

The stories are true. I will put that out there. I say that a lot and it usually makes people cock their eye brows at me and shake their heads, but I tell you, most everything you hear on most of these tours you can find in a history book on the city. Will you find tales of spirits walking parapets and floating lanterns? No. But you will find story after story of bloody deaths, families torn apart, wars, lovers lost, and other brilliant and scary fodder for ghost tales. There's also lots and lots of dead people in town. Every where. It was a small city, they ran out of places to bury people. Often.

So come on a tour, any of them. They're great good fun. Take pictures even if you're a cynic. I've seen some terrifying photos which even I, while trying to make up excuses and reasons for things, have yet to be able to explain. Dust particles or not, there's some stuff caught on film that's darned scary.

The only picture I'm sharing with you today, however, is one that will relate to the post for tomorrow. Today is my friend TJ's 21st birthday and myself and a couple of friends are in charge of his "list." If you've not heard of this tradition, it involves friends who love you very much giving you a giant piece of poster paper to wear around your neck for an entire night of bar-hopping with a hilarious and embarassing list of things that must be completed during the evening. Lists can include anything from "make a wish in a fountain" to "get a lap dance from a stranger" to any number of sordid things. Last time we went out for someone's 21st, a friend got a lap dance from a drunk bride while her happy groom cheered from the sidelines. That was not on the list...

So this is what will soon be TJ's list. Oh...and a polar bear.

Until next time! <3