Unveil the Secrets of Interactive Ghost Hunting in Charleston
Charleston’s rich history and haunted reputation: Explored through Interactive Ghost Hunting
We visited Charleston during our winter break trip in December 2023. Our winter trips allow us to escape the cold and grey Kentucky winter and enjoy some “forced” family time before school kicks back into high speed!
South Carolina was a state we had not camped in, yet. Charleston became our destination because of warmer weather than Kentucky, its rich history, and the opportunity to explore paranormal activity.
With an abundance of paranormal activity, we were drawn to both ghost tours and interactive ghost hunting like we did in Gettysburg PA!
Charleston’s Historical Roots
Settled in the 1670s by the English, Charleston quickly became a shipping port vital to the agricultural economy of the New World. By the mid-1700s Charleston (originally, Charles Town) was a top 5 port in the colonies. Exporting agricultural products and serving as a major player in the slave trade.
Charleston’s harbor lay largely unprotected leaving the city prone to pirate attacks and raids. Violence associated with the slave trade, pirates, and transitory population has no doubt contributed to the paranormal activity in Charleston. (Sourced from History Charleston, SC)
The Rise of Interactive Ghost Hunting Experiences
Immersive ghost-hunting shows have inspired growing populations to get out and search for paranormal activity. Our son, Jack, is an avid fan of finding paranormal experiences.
As a family, we enjoy “doing” and experiencing so much more than simply listening. Interactive paranormal hunts are perfect for our family. We were thrilled to meet Nick McGirr, not just a guide but a skilled paranormal investigator, who led us through the streets of Charleston.
As a quick disclaimer, our kids are older (15 and 12) and as parents, we believe able to handle paranormal investigations with the proper respect.
Interactive Ghost Hunting Experiences for Kids
In Charleston, we selected Stories In The Cemetery as our guide into the paranormal world of historical Charleston. From our experience in Gettysburg, finding the right guide is paramount.
Experienced guides quickly assess their groups and guide the experience in a way that all participants have an amazing experience.
Nick McGirr with Stories In The Cemetery turned out to be a perfect guide for our family’s experience.
On our past immersions into the paranormal world, Jack’s expertise around the equipment, contacting paranormal matter, etc. impressed Sara and me as much as our experienced leaders!
At 12 years old, his knowledge of ghost hunting is deep and continues to expand.
The benefits of making ghost hunting interactive and educational for children
Our experience with interactive ghost hunts is the leader shares some historical facts, and details about the equipment, and turns the investigators loose to connect with the paranormal matter present.
Since investigators are attempting to connect with paranormal spirits and learn more about the spirits, the historical context tends to be very factual. In our case, Nick kept the history very accurate and allowed us to uncover the details during our investigations.
Nick also mentioned several times, that he was looking to disprove any data we found as much as simply validating we found paranormal activity. In short, he was being very objective about our findings!
Whereas, Ghost Tours tend to mix history, folklore, and storytelling to provide tourists with a hair-raising experience. In the right locations, these ghost story tours are entertaining. Some like Charleston’s Old City Jail include terrifying elements.
Stories In The Cemetery: Our Family’s Immersive Ghost Hunt
Thanks to endless hours of YouTube, Jack is our resident paranormal expert! Over the last several years Jack has begun acquiring a toolbox of paranormal investigation equipment. Beyond testing our home, Jack has not been able to put his equipment to use.
Jack brought some of his new ghost-hunting equipment on our trip to Charleston. Naturally, we looked for an opportunity to put Jack’s new tools to the test! On our first night, we wanted to use Jack’s new EMF reader at the Old City Jail. The tour guide was less than enthusiastic about this. We used it sparingly.
This led us directly to our guide for the night, Nicholas McGirr, known for his expertise in ghost hunting. Nick and Stories In The Cemetery were an awesome guide for our experience!
Hunting for Ghosts: More than a Walk In Charleston
Nick promised was ALL participants serve a vital role in the investigation.
We arrived at our designated meeting place, Nick communicated the details with each group leader in advance, and began interacting with our team and Nick! The moments before a big adventure are filled with awkward silence and light-hearted jokes.
As a highly experienced paranormal investigator, Nick “interviewed” each of us using simple questions. Armed with these data points, Nick began assigning roles to each team member.
And more importantly, he handed out our ghost-hunting equipment. I had the infrared camera system. Sara had an EMF. Madeline carried the Digital Ovolus. Jack was in charge of the spirit box.
This wasn’t just a tour; it was real-time ghost hunting, with each moment bringing new and thrilling discoveries.
After our session, Nick provided us with a Spirit Box Word List, a compilation of words we heard, to help piece together the ghostly stories.
Note – We did not take many pictures on our live paranormal investigation because we were so immersed in our assigned jobs…and having so much fun we forgot to snap photos!
Paranormal Investigation Briefing No. 1
In our first briefing, Nick distributed the equipment. Nick emphasized the importance of a small group, limiting the experience to 10 ghost hunters, to ensure a personalized and in-depth exploration.
Nick’s equipment toolbox is constantly evolving and he maintains high-quality gear. Among the tools provided by Nick was a Full Thermal Imaging Video camera, which we were eager to use to capture any unseen presences.
Jack confirmed this by his amazement at the tools Nick pulled from his backpack! Not surprisingly, Jack knew what all the equipment was and the purpose.
For the rest of us, Nick shared the type of equipment, the purpose, and how to use it. The equipment we used in our investigation included:
- Onvoy Device
- Philips VoiceTracer Voice Recorder
- Zoom multi-channel recorder
- SLS Video Camera
- Phasm Cam with 53 Infrared LED Lights
- SBox Spirit Box x2
- SB11-ANC Spirit Box
- TriField EMF Meter
- Mel Meter
- Digital Word Generator App
- VR Headset with SEER App (Estes Method)
Before heading on our mission Nick shared a quick safety briefing and the overall mission details.
Paranormal Missions: On the Hunt for Spirits in the Night
Our investigation included 6 interactive stops throughout Charleston’s historic district. At each location, our missions were specific to historical events related to that location.
Investigators should be aware each night is unique to the characteristics of that evening.
These were our favorite locations during our investigation.
Pinckney Masion Site
Today the old Pinckney Masion has been reduced to a parking lot. The non-descript parking lot would be easy to walk past. I would have without Nick.
When we arrived at the Pinckney Masion Nick shared some historical facts about Eliza Lucas Pinckney including how she arrived in Charleston and the influence she had on local commerce. Ms. Pinckney pioneered indigo.
Our briefing included a number of open-ended questions designed to solicit a response from Ms. Pinckney’s spirit if she was present that evening. Each investigator was monitoring data points to help determine if spirits were present.
Throughout the investigation Nick provided coaching. My sole job was filming the happenings in hopes of capturing some paranormal activity on film. Others were listening to spirit boxes for clues, watching EMF readings, etc.
Philadelphia Alley: AKA Dueler’s Alley
This alley has a storied past and one that generally has very active paranormal spirits. According to local history, Dr. Joseph Brown Ladd, the “Whistling Doctor”, befriended Ralph Isaacs upon moving to Charleston. Mr. Isaacs and Mr. Ladd found themselves in a disagreement leading to a duel in Philadelphia Alley. Mr. Ladd died in the duel.
Our investigation was lucky to have activity in this site leading to it. The Onvoy revealed several terms like “MORTAR”, “COW”, and “PAN” (a term related to a dueling pistol…). We took Digital Pictures in Philadelphia Alley, hoping to catch visual evidence of the Whistling Doctor’s spirit. Take a look at our YouTube video (from Nick’s site) to see what we captured!
Washington Square
In Washington Square, Nick introduced us to Henry Timrod known as the Poet Laureate of the Confederacy. We learned Mr. Timrod attended the University of Georgia (formerly Franklin College) and enlisted in the Confederate Army, but was not physically up to the rigors of military life.
Mr. Timrod applied his writing skills to rally support and communicate the spirit of the Confederacy with his fellow Confederate rebels. The Blood Book, from the blood coughed up by Mr. Timrod from his struggles with Tuberlucos, became his final literary work.
This investigation was amazing because Nick led two members of our team through the Estes Method of investigation. WOW! How cool!!
The other locations were really cool as well, but we recommend you connect with Nick for your own investigation!
Bringing the Investigation Together
Following a night of data collection, Nick returns to his office and performs an in-depth analysis of all the data. Nick’s passion for paranormal investigations is infectious…in a good way! After, the analysis is complete Nick shares the results on his site. Here are the results (December 29) from our investigation.
Stories In The Cemetery: Our Rating
Stories In The Cemetery is amazing! We rate this interactive ghost hunt experience at 10 out of 10! Nick was an amazing guide and leader throughout our journey.
Tips for a Fun and Safe Experience
Interactive ghost hunts expose investigators to all sorts of elements. Advance preparation is critical for the best experience.
Ghost Hunting Packing Essentials
Our investigation included walking a couple of miles or at least being on our feet for several hours. Comfy shoes are a must!
Depending on the weather, extra water may be nice to have.
The weather on our Charleston hunt was chilly (40’s and windy). Needless to say, we were bundled up. Mike was practically frozen, but he has a low tolerance for cool weather!
Setting expectations: discussing the nature of ghost hunting with children
Madeline and Jack are older now and understand the nature of ghost hunting. It’s important to gear your adventure to the age of your family!
Paranormal Safety precautions
Our Charleston investigation team remained together for the entire adventure. In Gettysburg, teams split up and conducted their own research.
In any event, create a plan with your group. If you split up create a designated meeting spot and time to reconvene and compare findings.
Throughout our investigation, Nick remained vigilant about respecting property owners. As a member of the community, this was important to us so we remained on public property.
Finally, our goal is to communicate and learn from any potential spirits. Spirits often have a message and want a way to convey it.
Wrapping Up Our Evening of Immersive Paranormal Investigations
Stories In The Cemetery was a fantastic experience. Since it changes on every investigation this would be an experience we would love to repeat next time we visit Charleston.
As for our group, Mike and Jack believe paranormal spirits are real. Sara remains open to the possibility. Madeline is our lone skeptic and paranormal denier!
Believers or skeptics will have an absolutely amazing time Interactive Ghost Hunting through Charleston.
About Us
Mike & Sara began RV camping in 2020 and instantly loved the lifestyle. We found the thrill of exploring new places, breaking our vacation routine, and crossing off all those “one-day” trips was a blast! At Our Campfire Unplugged, we enjoy sharing our experiences to help fellow travelers live their best lives.
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