There is something about October that peeks our interest in paranormal activities. From storytelling to investigating, these day trips and special events encourage you to explore the other side of Rochester.
1. Paranormal Activities at Rolling Hills Asylum
Ongoing Events, located 1-hour southwest of Rochester, south of Batavia
RHA has been featured on Ghost Hunters and several other prominent investigation television series. There is a year-long events calendar on their website that includes guided and self-guided walking tours, public, private and group ghost hunts, themed dinners, and special events.
2. Landmark Society Ghost Walk
Tours start at the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word at the corner of East Avenue and Goodman Street every fifteen minutes between 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM on Friday, October 25 and Saturday, October 26, 2019. The tour lasts about one hour.
The Halloween-season walking tour featuring actors portraying about macabre events, personalities, and places in Rochester’s history returns for its 26th year.
3. The Fox Sisters, Wayne County, and the Birth of Spiritualism
Make a pilgrimage to Hydesville and visit the birthplace of The Fox Sisters. It was in the Fox Family Cottage where Kate & Maggie Fox first made contact with the spirit of Charles B. Rosna on March 31, 1848.
Their story has been widely attributed as the beginning of the Spiritualism movement, and Lily Dale, the World’s Largest Center for the Science, Philosophy and Religion of Spiritualism. Lily Dale was incorporated in 1879. The Fox cottage had been moved to Lily Dale in 1915 piece by piece, but burned down in 1955.
Learn more from smithsonian.com and Crooked Lake Review
4. Rochester Candlelight Ghost Walks
Multiple Dates, Times & Locations in October, downtown Rochester and suburbs
Guided walk themes include Dinner & Ghost Stories at The Union Tavern, Ghosts of Mt. Hope Avenue, Jack the Ripper, Spirits of Sea Breeze, the Lady in White, Phantoms of Fairport, Haunts of Henrietta, and a Haunted Pub Crawl (where you can visit with spirits and drink them, too!)
5. Cobblestone Museum Ghost Walk
Saturday, October 19, 2019, located 45 minutes west of Rochester in Albion.
Come and experience a glimpse of one day in Orleans County history—October 19, 1862. Our gentle spirits will enlighten you about the Civil War and its local effects as you travel throughout the museum campus in 90 minute guided walking tours.
6. The White Lady’s Castle
Driving on Lake Shore Blvd. you’ll find a little parking lot across from Lake Ontario, between Log Cabin Rd. and Zoo Rd. Park and look up the hill to this view of the White Lady’s Castle.
Well, not really a castle—is was actually a dining hall for beach-goers, torn down in the 1930’s. Atlas Obscura does a wonderful job of telling the story of the White Lady, her daughter, her vengeance, and her two white ghost dogs.
So take a walk and see if you can find any of the rumored apparitions of the White Lady searching for her daughter. Rumor also has it that this story was the inspiration behind the 1988 movie, The Lady in White. And don’t forget the White Lady tree!
Scenic train rides, leaf-peeping, fall bird migrations and ghost walks happen only in autumn in Rochester–take advantage of them while you can!
Fall Foliage: 6 Breathtaking Views Near Rochester
These destinations offer colorful fall foliage and varied landscapes so you can appreciate them each in their own unique way.
Pumpkins: 14 Places to Pick Your Own
It’s so much more than simply buying pumpkins. It’s about family time on the farm, with wagon rides, hot cider & donuts, corn maizes, and games.
It may seem odd to think of a cemetery as a family-friendly destination, but Mount Hope Cemetery is as much park-like as it nearby neighbor Highland Park.
ROC the Riverway Weekend: October 4-6, 2019
Rochester’s ROC the Riverway Weekend is held every October. It is a celebration of life along the river, with City-sponsored activities, tours, and events.
What are your favorite paranormal activities?
Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Your insight and experience is invaluable!