With the dead out numbering the living by 4-1, Key West is one of the most haunted spots in America. And no one knows more about the island’s “Dead Zone” than David Sloan. And with good reason: He (literally) wrote the book(s) on it.
Renowned Ghost Hunter, author and the originator of Haunted Tours in the Florida Keys, Sloan is also the go-to
guy anytime a TV crew rolls into town with a “ghost” project. “Who haunts the bell tower at St. Paul’s Church? Which famous building was built on top of a burial ground? Why do the children’s spirits refuse to leave the old theater?”
“Sloan’s Key West Ghost Hunt” is a fascinating way to find all these answers plus a whole lot more. His interactive, up-close and personal walking tour covers approximately seven haunted blocks with about ten stops around historic Old Town. No one can “guarantee” a ghost sighting but Sloan’s huntactively engages the spirits and participants report hauntingsalmost every night.
In fact, some of the ghosts can get pretty touchy — playing with hair or poking legs. Draining of electronics is also common, and some spirits have briefly taken over cell phones to show photos or speak through Siri. And while no one has ever been seriously injured by a ghost on the tour, Sloan and his crew often ward off any bad juju with a chicken claw strung from their necks. They also arm themselves with EM Pumps and trigger devices customized to draw out spirits at each location.
And get this: everyone on the tour gets outfitted with state-of-the-art“ghost hunting” equipment including easy-to-use EMF Detectors, IR Laser Temperature Guns and Spirit Dowsing so that you, too,
can reach out to the “other-side.”
Don’t freak out if you feel cold chills, smell a strong perfume wafting in the air, capture photos of strange objects or see shadowy figures passing by. Just think of it as haunted history with a taste of voodoo.
Sloan’s bone-chilling “Ghost Hunt” 90 minute stroll departs each evening at 9:15pm from First Flight Island Restaurant, 301 Whitehead St. in Key West. For reservations call 305-3951435 or go to HauntedKeyWest.com. BTW: Be sure to bring your camera!
