As a travel writer and longtime travel enthusiast, I’ve been all over and heard a lot of very interesting stories about hauntings, ghostly sightings, and alleged paranormal activity. I certainly find all of this very compelling, as I have been a lover of all things spooky since childhood. Heck, I’ve even had some very inexplicable firsthand experiences. But even with all of that, I’m still incredibly skeptical and logical when it comes to most things, and that includes the paranormal.
Are there things we can’t readily explain? Absolutely. But I’m not invested in jumping to conclusions. I would much rather explore all possible explanations before deciding that something paranormal is happening, which is why I am so excited about joining the team at Class-A. I’m certain that while we are on investigations we’ll come across things that are difficult to explain, but I’m also confident that the team our fantastic leader has assembled will explore all options to reach the truth.
Being an avid traveller and lover of ghost stories from all over, I happen to have a list of the top spooky places I would love to investigate, each with their own special reasons. Read on for the Adventure Seeker Sarah Top 3 Paranormal Investigation wishlist.
Boscowen Inn
Earlier this year, while visiting Nova Scotia for some travel writing work, I visited Boscowen with my partner and two of our children for a ghost tour with Lunenburg Walking Tours. Immediately upon booking, I was very excited about this excursion and all of the awesome stories of the town it was sure to reveal. Even starting out, there was already an air of spookiness as the town, normally bustling with tourists, seemed virtually deserted.
As we walked along, I seemed to sense each place we were about to stop at, pointing it out just before the guide told us it was our next stop (and thoroughly creeping out my kids). Although the tour was fantastic and filled with many stories and firsthand accounts, I was incredibly drawn to one place in particular: The Boscowen Inn. Our fantastic guide, Liz, delighted us with stories of the property’s past and tales told by patrons of the inn over the years. Although there are plenty of places to investigate in Lunenburg - and I would certainly love to visit them all - if I could pick only one, this would be the winner!
Drummond Hill Cemetery
In summer of 2021, while travelling and writing in Niagara Falls, we took a wrong turn and drove past the entrance to Drummond Hill Cemetery. Now, I have been in Niagara Falls countless times and somehow this historic cemetery slipped my notice every time. It’s not a hidden location by any stretch of the imagination, with interpretive panels and monuments galore throughout, but still, somehow I had no idea it existed. However, when we first drove by, something drew me to it.
I started to read up on the location and knew I had to see it, so off I went for a solo cemetery adventure while my partner stayed in the van with a sleeping baby. The more I read, the more compelled I was. My research told me that this was a hotbed of ghost sightings and alleged paranormal activity and I told myself that some day I was going to spend time there at night and see for myself!
Gallipeau Centre
The Gallipeau Centre is a sprawling complex in Smiths Falls that is used for everything from the town’s theatre to housing a Junior Hockey team. Its hidden gem, however, is the abandoned Rideau Regional Centre (formerly the Ottawa Hospital School, which once housed individuals deemed to have cognitive or physical disabilities). At one point in the mid 1900’s, the centre housed over 2600 people, despite it being built to accommodate only 1500. After its closure, and the closure of similar facilities in the provinces, class action lawsuits were settled, pointing at the abuses that had occurred within.
My first time hearing about the Rideau Regional Centre was when three of my children were filming a movie called Unholy Night, which took place largely in a hospital setting. The production team rented out the Gallipeau Centre building for filming and had some chilling tales of things they saw and heard during production. I had largely forgotten about the space until I went to the Gallipeau Centre in late 2021 to work on a film and the stories began to fly again. This eerie location with a compelling backstory is high up on my personal investigation wish list.
While there are countless sites that appeal to me and certainly every space has something unique to explore, these three are definitely the cream of the crop for their own special reasons. Let's see if I can get out there with Class-A and check them all off of the list!
Happy Haunting!
-Adventure Seeker Sarah
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