Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

Articles Sections >> Arts + Words Bars + Clubs Dating Festivals Fitness Food Lifestyle Music Theater Travel + Tourism Who's Who > View All Campus Road Trips Chicago Guides Day Tripping Untrapping Tourism Virtual L Guides

These fear-filled trips will take you into the depths of a supremely spooky city.

Wednesday Oct 08, 2008.     By Marla Seidell

Travel + Tourism Feed

Forget quiet costume-parties and rotting your teeth away on corn candy and mini Milky Ways. The best bits about All Hallow's Eve (ghost stories and mischief-making) can be explored throughout the year, one wacky tour at a time. The tour company Weird Chicago specializes in ghostly appearances, murder sites and sexual aberrations, although not necessarily in that order. And if it's good old-fashioned spookiness (read: not the kinky and freaky) you're after, look no further than the Glessner House Museum, where the stories of Edgar Allen Poe, master of horror, take flight. Whatever your fancy, these tours and readings guarantee to kick traditional Halloween happenings to the curb.

Weird Chicago

Weird Chicago tours last approximately two to three hours, and cost about $30-$40. And they're kept small (16-17 participants per tour) for a specific reason. "We're all about quality, as opposed to quantity," says Ken Malvoin-Berg, a psychic, ghost expert, author and tour creator/operator at Weird Chicago. Tours sell out quickly so book fast (via the website).

Red Light District Tour
currently space is available at 8 p.m. on November 14 and December 12; $40 per person (21+)
An increasingly popular favorite, this tour delves into the history of sexuality in Chicago up to the present day, porn shops and hooker sightings included. Spread out over various neighborhoods, the tour includes stops in River North for a peek (in more ways than one) at several adult bookshops as well as the Playboy Mansion, and Wicker Park, for a sighting of ladies of the night, as well as a lesson in extracurricular activities, with and without batteries. A tour of Chicago's sexual sights would not be complete without kama sutra chocolates in Andersonville. Last but certainly not least, an S&M dungeon on the South Side provides various "live acts" as a grand finale.

The Devil in the White City Tour
currently space is available at 8 p.m. on November 8 and December 19; $30
If you've read Erik Larson's book, you know the story of Dr. H. H. Holmes, the serial killer who took full advantage of the young and beautiful women passing through town during the World's Fair of 1893. As Daniel Burnham strove to build architectural perfection, Holmes lured women to his "castle" to commit some of the most heinous acts of the 19th century. The Weird Chicago tour addresses two elements of the book: the architecture of Burnham and John Wellborn Root, and the sites of the murders. Sites visited include: the Stockyard Gates, which Holmes visited with the Williams sisters (one of whom he later killed), the Murder Castle (now a post office) and an examination of blueprints and photos of the original Old Midway, the Museum of Science and Industry, as well as a walk to the Japanese Gardens.

Weird Chicago Tour
tours currently available on October 24 (8 p.m.) and 25 (4 p.m.); $30;
This mainstay tour covers Chicago's ghost and gangster history. Expect visits to sites such as the Oriental Theatre, site of the Iroquois Theater fire of 1903 (it's still rumored to be frequented by ghosts) and the Congress Hotel (the most haunted hotel in the city) for cocktails and stories about ghostly appearances. Other attractions: the Biograph Theater, where gangster John Dillinger was shot; the Virgin Mary Salt Stain; the only haunted tattoo parlor in town, and the Liar's Club, a haunted location that has seen its share of ax murders and horrors.

Walking Ghost Tour
7:30 p.m. on Saturdays (space available October 11, 18 and 25); $30
If you prefer to see the spooky sites on foot, Weird Chicago offers a walking tour of the city's most haunted locations, from the Fort Dearborn Massacre site to the haunted City Courthouse where Leopold and Loeb were convicted.

Glessner House Museum

Haunted Tours of Prairie Avenue
7 p.m. and 8 p.m, October 31 and November 1; reservations recommended, (312) 326-1480; $10
Join one of these tours to relive the capitalistic heyday of 19th-century Chicago at the historical Glessner House, one of the country's most important buildings due to its ornate floor plan and historical design. Tours led by docents clad in period costumes last for 45 minutes and include a stroll by the homes of Chicago giants Marshall Field and George Pullman. "Any time you have buildings that old, you're bound to have ghost haunting," notes Bill Tyre, executive director of the Glessner House.

Edgar Allen Poe Readings
Saturday, November 1 at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.; $25
Running for its 22nd consecutive year, the Edgar Allen Poe Reading presents staged poetry and stories from America's most mysterious author. Listen to a dramatic interpretation of "The Raven" and other haunting works by Poe performed by three actors from the Lifeline Theatre.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Looking for more ways to celebrate the season? We've got you covered with scarily accurate info on:

Haunted Bars
Costume Shops
House Party Essentials
Candy Stores
Spooky Stage Shows
Pumpkin Patches
Fall Food