Ghost tours of Bradenton Beach begin Friday evening

Ghosts, apparently, don’t hang out exclusively in creaky old houses and old hotels with dark histories. Turns out they enjoy the beach as much as the rest of us do.

So starting this weekend, the Paranormal Society of Bradenton will start offering ghost tours of Bradenton Beach.

The first tour is on Friday, and thereafter tour guides from the Paranormal Society will conduct the tours five nights a week, Tuesday through Saturday, at 8 p.m. Tickets are limited so if you want to go on specific night you should make plans as early as you can.

The tours start at the Island Time Inn (across for the Island Time Bar & Grill) and they last about 90 minutes. According to the Paranormal Society, people who take the tour will “hear chilling ghosts stories and the area’s strange but rich history” and will be treated to ghostly tales from the early days of Bradenton up to the present. There are legends about haunted buildings and structures, ship wrecks and a mysterious woman who has been seen on the beach.

It is, according to the society, “all based on fact,” and the information comes from “research, eyewitness accounts, and paranormal books connected to factual and historical events.” So it’s not a theatrical event; it’s meant to be chilling but educational. (It’s not too chilling, though. The tours are designed to be family-friendly.)

The paranormal society also conducts ghost tours of downtown Bradenton, for people who prefer more urban spirits.

Details: 8 p.m. Sept. 30, and every Tuesday-Saturday from then on. Island Time Inn, 105 Bridge St., Bradenton Beach. $25 adults, $15 children 5-12, free for children under age 5. 941-704-0621, paranormalsocietyofbradenton.wordpress.com.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Ghost tours of Bradenton Beach begin Friday evening."