updated 2019-09-05
The hottest ticket in town is one for a Music Hall… Ghost Tour.
Ghost Tours were back – for a while. In 2019, tickets for the January and February tours sold out quickly. We hear you – we are working to bring back the Ghost Tours!
Ghost Tour History
Prior to closing for revitalization, these popular Music Hall Ghost Tours had been held the last Friday of each month, for about five years.
Scott Santangelo, Director of Operations, leads the tour with Judy Knuckles of Cincinnati Research and Paranormal Studies (CR&PS). The organization has research, investigated and documented activity in Music Hall.
Some of their findings are presented – sound and photos – on the CR&PS website. Many are related on the tour.
And Music Hall’s History
Stories of unusual activity and spirit unrest are deeply woven into Music Hall’s history.
Even before Music Hall was built, the Cincinnati Commercial newspaper reported on the site’s haunted history.
The area under the south end of the structure was once a Potter’s Field. Each renovation that has involved excavation has turned up the remains of the poor, the sick, individuals for whom no relative was found.
Stories of “Activity” are Legendary
Both patrons and individuals who have worked in Music Hall have stories that they themselves often find difficult to believe.
A small sampling of reports include:
- music with no known source
- footsteps when no one else is around
- shrouded figures
- whispers and cool touches
- bedraggled girl warning a worker of bad things happening in the basement
Enter Into the Spirit of It
The history of Music Hall – factual information – is related by Scott and Bill Furbee, Music Hall Event Manager.
Lights are dimmed.
Tour groups are small and they, along with a few select staff members, are the only ones in the building.
They go everywhere – even places off limits to the general public, like backstage and the basement.
Woven into the tour and Music Hall’s history are the stories. Bill and Scott provide historical context in each room. Judy describes what the CR&P group has found. Scott relates a few details from employees of Music Hall. There are recorded statements from former staff members themselves.
And the two-hour tour goes by too fast.
Post Renovation… post Ghosts?
Cincinnati Music Hall has long been considered one of the more active sites for hauntings in the city. Now that Music Hall has been renovated, have the spirit occupants moved out?
As the renovation made some big changes, moved walls and removed an elevator, CR&P is looking for an opportunity to bring in equipment and determine if the response differs from previous investigations.
Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, the Music Hall Ghost Tour is entertaining and interesting – truly an evening well spent.
Ghost Tours are back
More dates are coming! Information and tickets are on the CAA website. While on that page, stave off the disappointment of a missed opportunity and sign up for the CAA newsletter.
In Closing
The lawn
Is pressed by unseen feet, and ghosts return
Gently at twilight, gently go at dawn,
The sad intangible who grieve and yearn….
– T.S. Eliot To Walter de la Mare
Keri
When will you be adding more ghost tours?
SPMH website Administrator
Hi Keri,
As Music Hall is hugely busy, it’s a challenge to find dates where the rooms needed for the tour are all available. The next Ghost Tour will be in August, and tickets will go on sale in late July/early August. However, ghost-themed events, titled “Spirits & Skeptics” are planned. As soon as tickets become available we’ll post that information on SPMHcincinnati.org.
The Ghost Tours and Spirits & Skeptics are presented by the Cincinnati Arts Association. If you subscribe to the CAA newsletter, you can get advance information on ticket sales.
Natalie
What time will the ghost tours start?
SPMH website Administrator
Hi Natalie,
“Spirits and Skeptics” events are being held over the next few months, and then the Ghost Tours resume in August. Check out “Spirits and Skeptics,” a new offering in which you can learn about the history of Music Hall and why it is considered to be one of the nation’s most active paranormal sites.
Tickets for Ghost Tours will go on sale in late July/early August, so check the Cincinnati Arts Association website at that time to learn the dates and times of the tours.
SPMH Admin
Ghost Tours return! If you signed up for the Cincinnati Arts Association newsletter, and requested information on the Ghost Tours, you’ll receive information in a few days about ticket sales.
Lauren
My family and I did a tour before construction began and during the tour a more in depth experience was mentioned. Is that something that is still available for purchase?
SPMH Admin
Lauren, thanks for posting! There are regular indoor tours of Cincinnati Music Hall that you and your family can enjoy. These tours take you Backstage and Beyond to see Music Hall from a different perspective than that of a building’s visitor, and they provide historical context. This link has more information on tours and this link takes you to the sign-up page for tours.
For Paranormal or Ghost Tours: there is work going on behind the scenes to bring these tours back to Music Hall. If you’d like to be notified about these tours when they are scheduled, that information will be posted on this website. Or you can sign up to receive notifications here. Be sure to choose “building tours” as your interest.