If you’ve been following my journey celebrating all things North Carolina, you already know I’ve got a weakness for ghost stories. I can’t even pinpoint when it started—I blame it on my roots. Southern Gothic is in our blood around here, and the Old North State does it better than just about anyone.
So when US Ghost Adventures asked me to partner with them for their new Rust, Rebels, and Ruins Ghost Tour in Raleigh, you know I wasn’t about to say no.
A few weeks later, I loaded Belle into the car and headed for the state capital. I’ll be honest—I get a little twitchy in big cities. But the whole drive, I kept telling myself: ghosts are always worth it.
We rolled into downtown Raleigh, found parking right by the Capitol Building—our meeting point—and even squeezed in dinner before the tour kicked off at 6 p.m. Folks on X sent me no shortage of food suggestions, but we finally settled on The Raleigh Times. Good call.
The Raleigh Times is housed in a century-old building that once printed the newspaper of the same name—a little slice of history with excellent food to match. I can’t recommend the shrimp and grits enough.
After dinner, Belle and I went on a last-minute hunt for bottled water (turns out July heat in Raleigh isn’t messing around). Thankfully, my friend Amanda came to the rescue, dashing across downtown just in time for the first ghostly tale. Amanda, you’re officially our hero!
The tour itself? Absolutely unforgettable. I don’t spend much time in Raleigh, so walking its streets with a guide was a whole new experience. Standing in front of the Capitol Building, the Heck-Andrews House, and the Executive Mansion while hearing stories of governors, peg-legged Confederate veterans, and a delightfully eccentric old maid made the city’s history feel alive—and more than a little haunted.
It struck me how much of Raleigh still carries that Southern Gothic spirit. The grand old homes, the whispered legends, the lingering traces of tobacco wealth—they all felt like reminders that this city hasn’t completely lost touch with its roots.
Every corner had a story, and every shadow felt like it might be watching. By the time the tour wrapped up, I was reminded of something I’ve always believed: the past never really stays buried… especially not in North Carolina.
