Spooky Saturday: Adventures on the Sanford Ghost Tour
Whenever I visit a city with a lot of history, one of my favorite things to do is to embark on a ghost tour. Whether or not you believe in paranormal activity, ghost tours can give you a lot of insight into a city’s heritage and some of its darker days that you may not hear about during a daytime tour. I’ve previously shared my ghost tour experiences in St. Augustine, Savannah and New Orleans, but in the six years that I’ve lived in the Sanford/Lake Mary area, I had never gone on a ghost tour in my own backyard.
As part of my 28 at 28 bucket list, I decided to finally book a Sanford Ghost Tour — and I’m so glad I did!
The Tour
The tour begins at Sanford Homebrew Shop and is led by the knowledgeable Gary, who shares his own experiences with ghost activity in Sanford along with stories passed down from the families who built the town. This 90-minute walking tour explores Historic Downtown Sanford and will shed light on many of the buildings you may have even frequented in the area, including Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café.
For someone like me, who grew up in an area with all new construction and not much history, learning about Sanford’s early residents (both human and animal!) was such a blast. I have always admired the old buildings, but learning about their former owners and the ghosts who still inhabit them gave me a new appreciation for the place I now call home.
Know Before You Go
Sanford Ghost Tours take place on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. and can be booked online here. You will need to climb stairs to access part of the tour. For a few extra dollars, you can add on a craft beer flight from one of my favorite Sanford bars, Celery City.
What is your favorite ghost tour experience? Sound off in the comments below!
Hey Valerie! My daughter and I have been on several ghost tours, but St. Augustine has the best one (so far!) Did you see any spirits on your tour?
Hi Sally, I love the St. Augustine ghost tours! Those might be my favorite too. I didn’t see any spirits (the tour was in the busy downtown area on a food truck night!), but we did end up in the attic of the German restaurant I go to and it was definitely scary up there. I would not want to be there after hours or by myself!
I think I felt the spirits on my Savannah ghost tour, actually!