"When David Dominé moved to Louisville, Kentucky, for law school in the 1990s, he was captivated by the historic district of Old Louisville, lined with stately Victorian mansions. After he bought a reputedly haunted home in the neighborhood-and had "some strange things happen" there-he began researching the ghost stories told in the area. That led Dominé to write books about the community's legendary hauntings."
"Soon, reader interest convinced him to offer tours, leading to a business he calls Louisville Historic Tours. Dominé's company now has about nine tour guides, mostly people interested in local history. Many live in the neighborhoods where they give tours. "We started off with ghost tours-those seem to be the most popular-but we also do history and architecture tours, [and] we do food tours," he says."
"Across the country, people passionate about history and curious about the supernatural have followed a similar path. In an age of ghost-hunting TV shows, YouTube channels, and podcasts, they combine historic storytelling with spooky local legends-and frequently operate at night after other attractions close down. "They surprised me for being these rich and kind of complicated little storytelling projects, even though they were clearly sensationalist sometimes," says Heidi Aronson Kolk, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis who has written about ghost tours."
"But the game has changed, thanks to the ascendance of multicity ghost tour chains. As with other industries, from ride hailing to news media, the internet has contributed to their rise. These outfits take advantage of economies of scale in centralizing operations like reservations, human resources, and even tour route planning, while leveraging search engine optimization and online advertising expertise to be the first ghost tour option tourists see."
David Dominé moved to Louisville for law school in the 1990s and became captivated by Old Louisville's Victorian mansions. He purchased a reputedly haunted home, experienced strange occurrences, researched local ghost stories, and wrote books about legendary hauntings. Reader interest led him to start Louisville Historic Tours, which employs about nine guides, many living in the neighborhoods they tour. Across the country, history enthusiasts and supernatural-curious people have created similar night tours blending historic storytelling with spooky local legends. Ghost-hunting TV shows, YouTube channels, and podcasts have boosted interest. Multicity chains now centralize reservations, HR, and route planning and use SEO and online advertising, prompting disputes with local operators.
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