The historic Haunted Walk of Ottawa is gearing up for Halloween season with two new ghostly experiences.
One of the new walks was inspired by the hit Netflix series Stranger Things. The tour, called “Stranger Tales: A Haunted Walk City Adventure,” is a self-guided, interactive activity that allows participants to explore Ottawa’s downtown while unravelling a mystery.
According to Jim Dean, creative director at Haunted Walks, the new Stranger Tales offering is something that’s never been done before.
“I’m not sure there’s anything like this in the country . . . this type of immersive Halloween experience that will take people on their own throughout downtown,” said Dean.
Glen Shackleton, CEO and founder of Haunted Walks, said its customers keep the company honest. Many patrons have completed all of the available tours, and keep coming back for more.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re always bringing out something cool and new so that people will always have something new to experience,” he said.
Dean said the tours can be chilling educational adventures that teach the participants about Ottawa’s rich history.
“There are so many people in town that have never seen so many of the spaces that we walk to,” he noted. “They have no idea that certain buildings have such unique and fascinating histories, even above the ghost stories that might be attached.”
The company’s tour guides said that they see the new walks as terrifying teaching tools.
“If I can have people come away from the tour feeling like they’ve learned something as well as being a little bit creeped out, that’s the most rewarding part for me,” said Mark Poirier, who helped workshop new ideas into completed tours.
The second new attraction is aimed at a younger demographic, and takes place during the day. It’s called “We Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts: A Haunted Walk Kid’s Adventure.” Dean said he felt that the company needed to offer a way for kids to interact with the paranormal in a non-threatening way.
“A lot of kids are very interested in ghost stories,” he said. “In fact, a lot of kids are even braver than their parents.”
With Halloween creeping up, the team at Haunted Walks has started to prepare for its annual spike in bookings. Dean compares October to Christmas season for many other businesses. He says that people are in the mood for ghost stories and creepy experiences.
“It’s our busiest time of year for sure,” said Dean.
Haunted Walks had its own scare last September, leading into Halloween season.
Their historic partnership with Ottawa’s Jail Hostel on Nicholas Street was briefly put in jeopardy when the hostel announced it would not be renewing its contract with Haunted Walks.
This would have put an end to one of the Haunted Walks’ main attractions, a tour of the former jail that highlights the hostel’s haunted reputation.
But the agreement between the two companies was renewed after public outcry has been extended until next June. Shackleton said he believes that the contract will extend further than that.
“The public and the city showing support and wanting this to continue helped everybody realize how important it was,” said Shackleton.
Haunted Walks will continue to run the rest of its award-winning programming throughout the season as well. These include a claustrophobic zombie adventure at the Diefenbunker Cold War museum in Carp, as well as tours in Kingston and Toronto that detail each respective city’s haunted history.