If you’re looking for a frightfully fun fall activity in Eastern North Carolina, the Goldsboro ghost tour is unforgettable! It’s the best ghost tour I’ve ever been on and one of my favorite things to do in Goldsboro.
Tours are led by ghost hunter Thomas Bailey who’s been guiding ghost tours in Goldsboro for over 20 years. His longtime interest in paranormal investigations led him to uncover and research Goldsboro’s haunted tales, and now he shares those stories on two individually themed ghost walks.
To bring history to life, he dresses as a Union soldier; I love when ghost tour guides dress up!
Downtown Goldsboro Ghost Tour
There’s more than meets the eye in historic downtown Goldsboro. The secrets of some seemingly ordinary buildings made me shiver, gasp (and laugh) with eerie delight.
One of my favorite stories was about this yellow Victorian home listed on the National Register of Historic Places—the 1875 Solomon Weil house. Fun fact: it was the twin residence to his brother Henry’s house.
More recently, a family moved in and wanted to make a nursery for their upcoming baby. When construction began, they started hearing tapping on the front door every night at 3 am, but nobody was there. As the work continued, the tapping sound moved inside the house and up the steps. Each night it moved further up the stairs, eventually reaching the nursery’s walls.
The owners fled in terror but decided to research the house’s history. It turns out that a construction worker building the original home fell to his death while on the second story. So, perhaps he was trying to help finish building the nursery?
And that’s just one story about the Weil house…
More haunting stories surround the Waynesborough House (formerly the Hotel Goldsboro. It has a lot of unexplained activity from its former hotel days. Empty elevators with voices inside mysteriously open and close their doors, and ghosts run through the hallways and disappear into the walls.
At the Dortch Bizzell House, there have been unexplained noises of knocking, dishes crashing, and a baby crying. People have also seen a lady and a young boy looking out the window. Senator Dortch was a tyrant to his family so the turmoil is said to come from that bad energy.
We also visited the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce building that sits next to an empty lot. On that vacant lot was a women’s school that once served as a Civil War hospital where many amputations took place. Guess where those body parts are buried?
Grisly fact: The fastest amputation on record took 2 1/2 minutes, but the mortality rate for amputation surgeries was 300%. That’s a lot of ghost potential!
When the building was torn down in the ’20s, the ghostly activity moved to the Chamber building. The floors are carpeted now, but the sound of a hospital bed rolling on a wooden floor can still be heard. Ghosts have also been spotted: a lady dressed in a ball gown and a boy dressed in old-fashioned knickers. And that’s not all…
Goldsborough Bridge Battlefield Ghost Tour
I’m not gonna lie. The battlefield tour was scary! We walked the perimeter of the battlefield to a trail leading to the Goldsborough Bridge, and we did it all in complete darkness. It was terrifying! I recommend you go with a group of friends or your family—strength (and courage) in numbers, right?
Our guide told us the battlefield is filled with residual activity, and he doesn’t joke around anymore since he had his own alarming experience (which I’m sure he’ll tell you about).
When we reached the bridge, he told us where to look to see “shadow people.” There were flashes of shadowed movement flitting back and forth, and as skeptical as I was, I did see them. Many people also experience a temperature drop out there, but I didn’t get that.
Did I actually see anything, or was it my imagination? I have no idea, but it felt real and made the tour more fun.
Goldsboro Ghost Tour Info
To book a Goldsboro Ghost Tour, connect with Totally Fly Tours . Don’t tell him, but he should charge more. The tours are phenomenal.
- Kids are welcome, so bring the whole family.
- Pets are welcome too!
- Wear comfortable shoes. There’s a lot of walking.
- Consider bringing along a water bottle.
- Dress warmly; once the sun sets, it’s chilly!
Comments & Reviews
Gayle M Behnke says
Are they still running the Ghosts of Goldsboro Tour?
Liz says
Yes, they are!
John says
How can we experience the tour??
Liz says
The pre-set tour dates I know of have passed but I’d suggest calling or texting for reservations and to check on additional dates! Good luck! Here’s the number: 919-738-8946