"Ghost Tour Responsibly."

Ghost Tours are one of the best ways to explore haunted history while getting a taste of real paranormal investigation. Whether you're visiting a centuries-old inn, a historic prison, or walking the streets of a haunted town, bringing a few carefully chosen pieces of ghost hunting equipment can make the experience even more engaging.

The key is to remember that a ghost tour is a shared experience. Your equipment should help you observe and document your surroundings, but not distract the tour guide or other guests. Lightweight, quiet devices are ideal, allowing you to investigate respectfully while still enjoying the stories and history being presented.

Choose Equipment That Won't Disturb Others

When selecting equipment for a ghost tour, think small, simple, and unobtrusive. Large setups with multiple flashing lights, loud alarms, or bulky tripods can quickly become a distraction for everyone around you.

An EMF meter is one of the best choices because it quietly monitors electromagnetic fields and typically uses simple LEDs or a small display to indicate changes. Choose one that fits comfortably in your hand or pocket and requires very little attention while the tour is moving from location to location.

An EVP recorder, or digital voice recorder, is another excellent companion. Recording the guide's stories (with permission) along with ambient sounds gives you the opportunity to review the audio later for potential EVPs or other interesting sounds you may have missed during the excitement of the tour.

Choose items that provide an option for lowering the volume or muting entirely.

Examples of some great tools to use on a Ghost Tour.

• EVP Wrist Recorder: the smartest way to record any potential audio evidence (EVPs) during the tour without even having to fiddle with settings. Just hit record and enjoy the tour
• Ovilus Ghost Box: maybe the most popular and well-known for superb contextual evidence on a ghost tour
• Rook EMF Meter: simple and easy to use EMF energy meter
• Solus Meter: measure all kinds of data on an live graphing screen
• SBox Spirit Box: the only spirit box with recorder built in. (Reminder: best to use with headphones on a tour)
• Phasm Video Camera: full spectrum / night vision video recording
• Onvoy Ghost Box: many features all in one super interactive ghost hunting device.

Using a Spirit Box Respectfully on a Ghost Tour

A Spirit Box is one of the most popular and fun ways to experiment with real-time communication, but they should always be used courteously. Since they rapidly scan radio frequencies, playing the audio through a speaker during a public ghost tour can interfere with the guide and other guests.

Instead, connect your spirit box to a comfortable pair of headphones or earbuds. This allows you to listen privately without adding additional noise to the group. If the tour includes dedicated investigation time after the guided portion, ask your guide if it's an appropriate time to use the device more actively. Every location has different rules, and respecting those guidelines helps ensure everyone has an enjoyable experience.

Equipment to Save for for Private Investigation Time

Interactive devices like EMF-triggered bells, flashing lights, or other ghost hunting equipment can produce fascinating moments during an investigation, but they are generally best reserved for locations that allow guests to conduct their own sessions after the tour or on your own at a later time.

During a moving walking tour, setting up trigger objects can slow the group down or distract from the guide's presentation. If your tour concludes with free investigation time, however, these tools can become a valuable part of your equipment.

Equipment you shoud NOT USE on a Ghost Tour.

• Loud Meters: *BEEEEeeeeeep!* You know them. The Rem-Pod, motion alarms and other blaring, beeping and obnoxious-sounding tools.
• 'Portal' Ghost Boxes: The 'guitar ampliphier' boxes that garble and spit out noise for all to hear at a concert.
• Bells: Yeah, we love our Dead Bell. But it's best for private investigations where everyone is down with the experiment. Please don't use these while a Tour Guide is trying to speak.
• BooBuddy: Again, BooBuddy is our favorite little investigator. However, this talkative little bear has a tendancy to speak over a tour guide. It doesn't mean to be rude. It just happens.
• Lasers: Just don't. Especially outside.

Don't Forget the Basics

A simple flashlight is the smartest addition for safety and seeing the dark. One with a red-light mode is even more smart! Red light preserves your night vision while minimizing disruption to others, making it much more considerate than shining a bright white flashlight around historic buildings or dark streets.

Let the Tour Come First

Perhaps the most important piece of advice is to remember why you signed up for the ghost tour in the first place. Listen to the guide, enjoy the history, and take in the atmosphere. Your equipment should complement the experience, not become the show.

Some of the most memorable paranormal experiences happen when investigators are simply paying attention to their surroundings. Use your equipment as a way to document and explore those moments, while remaining respectful of the location, the guide, and the other guests sharing the experience with you.

With a small collection of thoughtfully chosen tools and a respectful approach, you'll be well prepared to make the most of your next ghost tour and, perhaps, even capture something truly unexplained.

On the note of respecting the tour...

How to find the right Ghost Tour

When choosing a ghost tour, try to find a company that is LOCALLY owned and operated. Yes, there are some national ghost tour chains out there - the "McDonalds of ghost tours." They operate in dozens, if not over a hundred cities using copied routes, AI-written scripts handed to short-term guides with little experience or connection to the area's history.

Look for a Ghost Tour That Knows the City

The best ghost tours are built on local knowledge. Guides who have spent years researching their city's history, or who have investigated its reportedly haunted locations themselves, can offer stories, historical context, and firsthand experiences that simply can't be found in a generic script written by AI or a national headquarters halfway across the country.

The 'national business' will likely have a bunch of logos on their site to puff up the "we've been mentioned on all these well-known media channels!". Your legitimate, local, ghost tour might not get recognition on MTV and The New York Post. But do look for LOCAL "Best-Of" awards. Also, look at the reviews. The national chain's reviews will be from all over the country or not even mention the city name.

Support LOCAL Tour Guides

Choosing a tour led by people who are PASSIONATE about their own city not only creates a richer experience, but also supports local businesses dedicated to preserving the history and folklore that make those places so fascinating.

There are many ghost tours out there. Ours, Lynchburg Ghost Tours, starts right here at GhostStop and was written by GhostStop owner, Shawn Porter, along with true local historians. As a solid example of a local-grown and operated ghost tour, we are honored to be the TOP local "Best-Of Lynchburg" winner for multiple years.

Find one in your town - or the city you are visiting.