St. Petersburg Paranormal Guide Hosts Summerween Bus Tours, Monthly Ghost Walk

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Local writer, artist, educator and paranormal investigator is offering St. Petersburg residents and visitors a spooky look at the city this summer.

Brandy Stark is expanding her local ghost tour lineup after hosting a Summerween haunted bus tour Monday, with additional bus tours planned for July 19 and her St. Petersboo Walking Interactive Ghost Tour set for the 13th of every month.

Stark, founder of Spirits of St. Petersburg, told Patch that the Summerween concept, drawn from the TV show “Gravity Falls,” offers a summer spooky season.

The bus format also addresses a practical issue for Florida audiences.

“The nice thing is that number one, it’s an air-conditioned bus. It’s actually kind of cold,” she said.

The tour includes a TV screen on the bus that allows riders to view photos, videos and newspaper clippings as the tour moves between haunted locations.

Focus areas of the tour, which meets at the Art Lofts building at 10 5th Ave. N., include Roser Park, downtown and the Grand Central District.

The route includes presentations on recent investigations at The Chattaway restaurant and the Rocket Fizz shop.

Along the way, the only place that riders get off the bus will be at Greenwood Cemetery, where they’ll visit Beulah Acklin’s mausoleum and Civil War-era gravesites. She’ll also give participants flowers to place on graves.

“And don’t worry; it will still be daylight, so we’re not trespassing,” Stark said.

Those interested can register for the Summerween bus tour online here.

Meanwhile, the monthly walking tour focuses on a more concentrated downtown area, including Mirror Lake, the former Indigo Hotel, the former Pennsylvania Hotel (now Courtyard by Marriott), the recently expanded Cordova Inn and Williams Park.

Attendees will also meet at Art Lofts, which is haunted and they’ll get to explore, Stark said.

Learn more about the walking tours here.

This is hopefully the start of more tour expansions, she added. “I’m hoping to create different tours, as well.”

She’s also busy lining up more paranormal investigations at locations throughout St. Petersburg. These possibly include an overnight stay at Jack Kerouac’s former home and work at the Cordova Inn. Both places have reported paranormal activity, Stark said.

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