HALL COUNTY, Ga. — If you want perhaps the spookiest experience on offer this Halloween season, a charter company is taking people on "ghost hunts" around Lake Lanier.
The lake is somewhat infamous by this point for its "haunted" or "cursed" reputation, built in part on frequent news stories of mishaps or tragedies to boaters and swimmers.
(In many instances, there are genuine safety issues that explain the frequency of accidents.)
Running through Oct. 30, the Lanier Boat Charter company is partnering with paranormal investigator Bart Glabman's Bi City Paranormal Research team to offer three-hour cruises exploring the history and eerie atmosphere of the lake.
The cruises will take place aboard the charter company's 40-person party boat, "The Song of the Chattahoochee," and offer "historical gems, legends and ghost stories provided by the captain" as well as "insight into paranormal investigations" with a Bi City paranormal researcher.
The tour also promises to "set the record straight on underwater towns, graveyards and conspiracies."
“You can’t escape it. Any Google, YouTube or Google Map search of ‘Lake Lanier’ produces hundreds of results that pertain to hauntings and or misguided opinions that the lake is going to ‘get you,'" Lanier Boat Charter's owner, Tom Stepnowski, said.
"We will beach on land that 70 years ago was someone’s property or final resting place, and now is an island with some level of frequent ‘incidents,'" he added. "(Guests) will be plunged into darkness to ensure nothing electrical interferes with the investigation you take part in to help you decide for yourself if there are any energies left behind, making Lanier the 'Most Haunted Lake in the United States.'"
A Lanier Boat Charter release describes Glabman as a researcher who has "been experiencing the supernatural for over 35 years and has been a practicing paranormal investigator for more than 25 years."
The tours run next week for $70 per person with departures at 6:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday and two cruises Friday-Sunday, one at 4 p.m. and the at her at 7 p.m.
You must be at least 14 years old to go on the tour. There will be complimentary coffee, soft drinks and apple cider available, and guests can pack their own food and drinks in a small cooler as well.
The charter company says masks are recommended, but not required.
VIP Tours, offering an additional hour with the paranormal investigator, are also available at times outside the normal hours.