Downtown Wausau is home to plenty of restaurants, shops, and nightlife, but you might not know that the area is also home to plenty of paranormal activity.
That’s according to the Wausau Paranormal Research Society, which will present their 15th annual historic downtown Wausau haunted walking tours for three consecutive Saturdays beginning Oct. 14.
The popular tours, part history and part mystery, last about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, winding through parts of downtown and into the historic Andrew Warren District.
During the tour, guides tell the stories about the earthly and not-so-earthly residents of Wausau landmarks such as the Grand Theater, where the ghost of a former stage manager is said to appear from time to time. At the former Wausau Club, now the site of the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art, a woman named Martha is said to inhabit the building, decades after her death, while at the Marathon County Historical Museum, the smell of cigar smoke wafting through the air is a sign that old Mr. Yawkey is at it again (even though he’s been dead for nearly 75 years.)
If you go:
What: 15th Annual Historic Downtown Wausau Haunted Walking Tours
When: Tours are conducted on Saturday, Oct., 14. Sat., Oct. 21. and Sat. Oct. 28 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tours leave every 15 minutes starting at 6 p.m.
Where: Tours begin at the Wausau Elks Lodge, 414 Scott St., Wausau. There, you can go inside the Wisconsin Paranormal Research Society trailer, see the equipment and view paranormal photos, and listen to ghostly audio recordings while you wait for your tour to leave.
Cost: $5 per person, free for children age 7 and younger.
What you should know: Tours will be held regardless of the weather conditions, so be sure to dress appropriately and wear comfortable shoes. No refunds. Tickets available only at the time of the tours at the Elks Lodge in the downstairs bar. Tour sizes are limited for quality purposes. Coffee, cider and hot chocolate will be available for purchase in the lower bar while supplies last.
