Haunted houses are so 2008 — this year, have a spooky adventure in Seattle

If you’re like me — and too chicken to deal with the chainsaw-wielding clowns at one of the haunted houses in Seattle’s warehouse district — opt for a fun, spooky Halloween experience: a look at the haunted side of Seattle, led by authentic ghost experts!

Market Ghost Tours

Led by local paranormal researchers, this group is led to various corners and alleys of Pike Place Market and Post Avenue, including Seattle’s first mortuary. The guides share eerie tales of our city, such as the story of a ghost that still haunts the market. Grown-ups can leave the kiddies at home and take part in the scandalous Adult Ghost Tour. As each group is led down 1st Avenue, the guide weaves a frightening, twisted tale of love and death that reveals the origin of the street’s nickname, “Flesh Avenue.”

In 2009, Market Ghost Tours was named by Tripadvisor as one of the Top 10 Ghost Tours in North America. Tours run Tuesday through Sunday, and are scheduled until Nov. 6. Tickets are available online.

1410 Post Alley (Below the Gum Wall), Seattle  |  (206) 805-0195

Spooked in Seattle

Guests can choose their own creepy adventure with this spooky crew. Ghost Hunts are offered at two local landmarks: Merchants Cafe, Seattle’s oldest restaurant, and (if you don’t mind driving) the USS Turner Joy, a haunted naval vessel docked in Bremerton. Walking tours are available in two different locations — the Waterfront and Pioneer Square — while a bus tour shuttles guests through the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Young ones can participate in Little Ghost Hunters, a kid-friendly excursion through Pioneer Square. Adults, on the other hand, can take part in the spirited Haunted Pub Tour that kicks off at the historic J&M Cafe.

Best of all, Spooked in Seattle guides — professional paranormal investigators — prep guests on ghost hunting basics, and then unleash them into the darkness for a firsthand experience with the supernatural. All the true ghost stories (no cheesy tales to get a scare out of the crowd — these guys mean business) told during the tour come courtesy of real-life investigations by AGHOST (Advanced Ghost Hunters of Seattle-Tacoma).

109 Yesler Way, Seattle  |  (425) 954-7701