According to Paranormal Investigator, Gabe Matthews, “the only thing separating a skeptic from a believer is evidence.”
Gabe Matthews has been preoccupied with the paranormal for as long as he can remember. Originally from the Ohio/Pennsylvania area, he moved to Greenville in 2005. He quickly assembled a team of people to form Truth Searchers: Paranormal Investigators. This same ghoul-loving group guides Greenville Ghost Tours through the streets of downtown sharing stories from beyond the grave.
Recently, we had the opportunity to check out the tour for ourselves!
My Review:
The tour begins at the Rose Crystal Tower behind Mellow Mushroom and Eggs Up Grill. You’re asked to get there fifteen minutes beforehand. I’m glad I did because we started right on time. Greenville Ghost Tours is, by far, the most interactive tour I’ve taken. Gabe is very theatrical and does a good job setting the stage for the experience. The first thing we did was spray sage into the air and around our bodies to get rid of any bad vibes we might be carrying around. Gabe demonstrated various paranormal paraphernalia. I was one of the lucky ones who got to carry around an EMF – electro-magnetic field meter. Aka-ghost-detector thingie. Honestly, this was my favorite part. I felt like a Ghostbuster! “Spirits can communicate using these devices because ghosts are energy,” says Matthews.
The EMF starts on green and moves to yellow, orange, and red depending on the level of afterlife activity in the area. Mine was green most of the time, but I thought it would be fun to list the spots around town that measured the highest level of energy:
- Huguenot Mill & Loft 101 West Broad Street
- Poinsett’s Spring South Main Street in front of the Nose Dive
- Coffee Underground 1 E. Coffee Street
- Hyatt Regency 220 N. Main Street
- Ogletree Deakins 300 N. Main Street
- Springwood Cemetery 410 N. Main Street
These six spots, along with the open air venue along the river beside the amphitheater, registered off the charts. My device fluctuated between orange/red the whole time. I was a little surprised that the Westin Poinsett and the old Army Navy Store location didn’t top the list. I have a theory as to why Ogletree Deakins could be haunted but we’ll save that story for another time.
The tour lasts approximately two hours. Wear your tennis shoes! We walked, we did not stroll. You will have opportunities along the way to sit down, and we took one bathroom break. Personally, I would not hesitate to bring elementary-age kids, but every child is different. It’s not “scary,” but the subjects of death, dying, and murder obviously come up.
I loved, loved, loved entering the graveyard after dark. The stories are captivating, but using the tools and actually attempting to interact with spirits made the tour for me. (I’m sure you’d like to know if we heard from anyone – you’ll have to take the tour and and find out!)
Gabe and his team have done their research. Tours run year round. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, Greenville Ghost Tours is entertaining and inexpensive.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? If so, the team wants to hear from you. Click here to share your experience. Also, subscribe to their YouTube channel to follow Truth Searchers’ many adventures!