Southwest Montana Invites Travels to Experience the Paranormal

DEER LODGE, MONTANA, USA, August 12, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With fall around the corner, it might be time to start planning at road trip to uncover the spookier side of Montana. While the Last Best Place has plenty of places that tout paranormal activities, Southwest Montana – with ghost towns, old prisons and a diverse history – is the place to experience Montana’s most active ghostly environments.

From prison tours to ghost-hunting adventures and historic haunts, here are five places to connect with the past, while walking through the present.

1. Spooks & Spirits Tour
Once known as the “richest hill on earth,” Butte welcomed miners and residents from various walks of life. With a colorful past and a rough and tumble history, it’s likely no surprise that Butte has 38 certified hauntings. And while visitors can explore Butte’s history on their own, one of the most interactive ways is on a Spooks & Spirits tour. Led by Chris Fisk, a retired history teacher with a flair for storytelling and deep connections to many of Butte’s most intriguing characters, the three-hour guided tours take place on a trolley, with highlights that include a cemetery, Uptown Butte and the red light district.

2. Tour the Old Montana Prison
Located in Deer Lodge, the Old Montana Prison served as the Montana State Prison from 1870-1979. The prison has a storied past that includes a deadly riot, while its walls served as home for some of Montana’s most notorious criminals. Today, the museum offers a variety of guided and self-guided tours, including Old Montana Prison Ghost Tours. These paranormal tours include access to areas of the prison not open to the public, as well as ghost hunting equipment.

3. The Metlen Hotel
A Dillon staple since 1897, many outlaws and prestigious businessmen have hung their hats in the Hotel Metlen & Bar over the years. Originally home to 60 rooms on three floors, the hotel was beautiful, ornate and modern. While the property no longer welcomes overnight guests – it does have an on-site saloon with a beautiful bar that’s open to the public – it is said that there are spirits who remain at home at Hotel Metlen roaming the halls, with their footsteps echoing to the floors below.

4. Virginia City Ghost Walks and Tours
Referred to as the birthplace of the state, Virginia City was Montana’s first incorporated community. Today, it’s a largely intact ghost town that’s home to living residents, as well as spirits and ghosts. One way to see them – on a tour with Vigilante Carriages. Tours depart on a horse-drawn carriage ride and feature historic buildings and ghost stories of Virginia City’s past. Virginia City also has guided ghost walks.

5. Haunted Helena
The capital of Montana, Helena, has a past that dates back 160 years and includes mining, hangings and more. The best way to learn about Helena’s paranormal activities is on a Ghost Gulch tour with The Foundation for Montana History. Available in September and October, these tours include pedaling and non-pedaling seats, with highlights like Last Chance Gulch, the Myrna Loy Theater, Reader’s Alley and more.

Additional haunted activities include a ghost walk at Bannack State Park in Dillon, October 25-26. The tour includes learning about ghosts of some of the area’s past residents; tickets are required and available after Labor Day.

Beyond the paranormal, Southwest Montana has several fall events and offerings. A few of note: Pumpkin Sunday at Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Deer Lodge and family-friendly activities at Edgewater Farms in Townsend, like a corn maze, pumpkin patch, tractor-pulled wagons, fire pits and a slide.

Tia Troy
Lightning Bug Public Relations
[email protected]