The only thing we had actually planned to do while we were in Jefferson, was the historic Walking Ghost Tour. It started at 8:00 and begins right in front of our hotel. After we woke up from our nap, we were hungry and had about an hour before we needed to buy our tickets for the tour.  After asking around, we decided on Lamanche’s, an Italian restaurant that is located inside the Jefferson Hotel.

Donny ordered the sausage and peppers with pasta. He said it was just okay, a little bland. The side salad he got with it was really good though. The Italian house dressing is the bomb! I ordered the Italian nachos. I LOVE nachos! The base of these were wonton wrappers. They were loaded with chicken, cheese white sauce, olives and tomatoes. I’m sure there was more ingredients that I’m leaving out, but they were GOOD! The wait staff were so friendly and the prices were fair.

Y’all, I had to share these with Donny because that was A LOT of food.

That was the side salad. The server even brought us extra house Italian dressing to dip our bread in. I have decided that calories don’t count when you’re on vacation, even a mini one. Donny gave us more ambiance by plugging in the lights behind him.

One thing to remember if you visit Jefferson, don’t be in a hurry. The pace is slow here. Every place we have eaten has taken a while. Enjoy the experience. Talk to the people around you. You might even make new friends.

The Jefferson Hotel. The restaurant is on the bottom left. The guests staying here have a great little balcony to hang out on. It’s also, supposedly, one of the most haunted places in Texas. A jilted bride hung herself from the bed post and is said to haunt the hotel. The bed is actually still there. There are also reports from guests of ghost children.

It was finally time for the tour. Jodi Breckenridge gives the tour. It’s close to 2 hours long and the tickets are $15.00 online or $16.00 if you buy them directly from Jodi. I highly recommend this tour. Jodi is a true historian of Jefferson. Yes, it’s cool to hear all of the ghost stories, but the history that you learn about is almost better. The places you visit on the tour varies, depending on the availability of the of the residences that let you go inside. One that is normally on the tour had a private party going on. Yes, you will walk a lot. Yes, it’s dark and spooky, but it’s a heck of a lot of fun.

When we started there was lightening and the sky was unusually dark. We were trying to hurry because if it rains too hard, the tour will be cancelled.

Here are some of the pics from our tour. I didn’t see any ghosts, but that’s okay with me.

Learning about the Sterne fountain. There were probably about 15 of us on the tour.

The guy in the white shirt is Brent. He was slightly drunk and SO funny. The guy to his right is my friend Sherri’s son, Karl. Sherri is in the red shirt. If the tour hadn’t had been as awesome as it was, it would still have been fun just hanging out with them.

We got to go into the Old Mill Antique Store. Very spooky. Very dark. There is one ghost that people see consistently here. Jodi showed us pictures, taken on many different tours of the ghost. It’s the same face in every picture. I love how she tells the stories as we are walking through. Adds that perfect touch of scary.

Because it was SO dark, I didn’t get many pictures in here. We were all using our cellphone flashlights to try not to knock items over.

 

By the time we got to McGarity’s restaurant it was pouring rain. Candace and her husband own the restaurant and they live upstairs. She graciously let us tour her home. These are the stairs you climb to enter her home. A bit eerie wouldn’t  you say?

Brent photobombing my picture. Her home was beautiful. They have a female ghost that likes to open windows and doors and move things around. I took a lot more pictures, but for some reason they are not on my camera. This was my favorite stop, so I was really bummed because her home was gorgeous!!!

This is Jodi, our tour guide. There is so much I didn’t write about. I was limited in the pictures I was able to take due to the rain. We got to go into the General Store and hear the history and ghost stories. We learned about the different murders that have taken place over the years. We learned about the history of Jefferson. If you are interested about hearing some of the stories, please google Jefferson, TX. It’s really worth the read. Diamond Bessie, William Perry and Jay Gould are a just a few google ideas.

The next morning was check out day. My friend Sherri and her son Karl were staying at the Excelsior Hotel in the Jay Gould room. This is the hotel’s most famous room. Steven Spielberg stayed there before he was famous. He and his crew were scouting sites for Sugarland Express. He got in late, threw his suitcase on the rocker in the room and it flew back at him. If that didn’t freak him out, he was woken up by a little boy at the side of his bed asking if he was ready for breakfast. He woke his crew up and they were out of there.

https://bumpinthenightblog.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/where-steven-spielberg-fears-to-tread/  Here is an article about it and another incident that happened in that room.

The second oldest hotel in Texas, built in 1858. In case you were wondering, the Menger, in San Antonio is the oldest.

The infamous rocker in the Jay Gould room.

Sherri and me. I love that I got to meet a friend, that I met in a facebook group, that just happened to be here the same time we were. What an awesome room also!

Excelsior House courtyard from the second floor balcony. They had breakfast there that morning.

The dining area

The parlor

The entrance where the registration desk is.

 

There are interesting things all around the town

Daytime view of Thomas Jefferson Park.

It was finally time to check out. Denise, one of the managers, let me in to see the apartment that was too haunted for Eric, the owner, to live in. I want to bring the kids back and stay in it.

The living/dining room. The door on the right leads out the the balcony.

The fully equipped kitchen. The fridge doors would open and the microwave would start by itself. The amazon echo also flew off the table in the living room, hitting the fridge. The door is open and you can see down the second floor hallway.

The bedroom. The bathroom is connected, I just didn’t get a picture of it. This suite is available for less than $200/night. What a deal!

This was the room next door to us. Denise was straightening it up and I asked it I could see it. It’s slightly bigger than ours and has a mini kitchen. Remember, if you want to see something just ask. The worst they can say is no. I wouldn’t have seen the apartment if I hadn’t asked to see it.

Our room. It was small, but perfect. After googling all the rooms at the different hotels we chose the Kahn because it was recently renovated (2 years ago) and although the building is from the 1800’s, the rooms were brand new.

One last picture of our hotel as we are getting ready to head out of downtown. When you first get to Jefferson, it feels as though you are being enveloped in a magical, historical, spooky bubble. A step back in time where things were more simple and slower paced. I’m so glad that we chose to come here. I can’t imagine a more perfect weekend getaway.

I hope that if you are reading this, you too want to experience Jefferson. It truly is a magical place.

One more stop before we actually head home…….

Stacy