From the castle to the waverly hills, 5 must-see places to visit in Louisville
It’s October, which means it’s the perfect time to do something visual, like visiting any of the 11 attractions encountered on tours around the area.
But what about visiting others – directly Neighborhoods around Louisville? Call us in the Courier’s extensive archives and five legends about places Louisville can visit this Hilloween – whenever you want to scare.
Happy Halloween!
315 W. Broadway, KentuckyPrepperform.org
The Brown Theatre, which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2025, has a long history as a Playhouse, a movie theater and a community center for the arts. The Grand Dame of the Louisville Arts Community Spouses 1,443 Enthusiasts and those who work there, it’s home to star-crossed lovers who are now listed on the Register of Historic Places.
According to the history of the black theater written by Clyde Luther, “the actor and the theater worker were born in the war. But the theater worker could not marry.
Luther continues, saying “The lovers appeared at night in the theater. She wore a flowing white dress on the stage, wearing her tails. She wore their wedding dress.”
Macauley’s Theatre, located on Muhammad Ali Blvd (then Walnut Street) closed in 1925, and its equipment was moved to the new Brown Theater on West Broadway.
More: To celebrate 100 years, take a look back at the legacy of Louisville’s Combutha Theatre
Late at night, the StageHands reported on the steps directly above them when no one else was supposed to be in the building. There are also reports of a stand near the theater loading door at night.
“I didn’t see the ghosts myself,” said Richards, the theater manager. “But we had a father and son who cleaned the theater at night. One time, when the son looked up, he looked at the white man in the theater pit and he didn’t come back.”
625 S. Fourth st.; louisvillepalace.com
The stage at the Louisville Palace Theater on the fourth floor in Downtown Louisville, KY. A music venue that opened in 1928. December jacket. 9, 2019
The Louisville castle first opened in 1928, and throughout its 100-year history, it has attracted several spirits.
The most prominent is believed to be the Ghost of Fred Frisch, who was a great theater engineer. Frisch suffered a heart attack and died in the basement on Oct. 27, 1965. Several workers reported seeing an appliation of an elderly man with large burns and black glass. The description matches the portrait of Frisch that Frisch’s grandson was given by the theater family, which now hangs in the dining room below.
The staff at the palace think more of a guardian angel than a ghost. He often appears or makes himself known when the building, or someone, in it is in trouble. A few years ago, the general manager of the Palace, Johnny Downs, was closing the theater, and all the lights in the theater went out. That doesn’t make sense because most of those lights were on different bases. Therefore, the heads down looked back to check the electricity, and he saw that the pipe was leaking. As soon as he got down the pipe, the stop lights flashed on their own. If that water ran all night, it would fill the back part of the theater.
More: Laughing Children, Arrangements and Floating Orbs: These ghosts haunt the Louisville castle
The palace also has a lingering spirit, which means that the ghost appears to make the same movements many times. Several employees saw this “grey lady,” dressed in a 1940’s high-waisted dress, holding a show and with her hair in a bun. He was seen walking up the stairs near the king’s door or coming loathsomely into the theater itself. It usually takes about five steps and then disappears.
There is a third spirit shown near the staircase that leads to what used to be the lady’s residence. Men used to smoke there, and now, all these years later this air brings the smell of a smoking cigar.
Those are the most visible ghosts, but there is more supernatural activity in the palace. Women who work in the production area have reported hearing someone whip their ponytails, only to find that no one is there. The staff also reported the child’s mysterious hearing – such as laughter, and the doors had two clues as to what those children might be. In the late 1800s, a tornado hit this part of town, and wiped out what used to be a hospital and the original St. Joseph’s Home. There is also a part of the theater next to the large basement that was once part of a music store, and that business offered music lessons to children.
500 S. Fourth st.; seelbachhilton.com
Patrick Rhode is a security guard with the Leelbach Hotel. He has experience of secret operations within the famous hotel and calls himself a ‘ghost streamer.’ He says that he has a union job in the Rathskeller area, which is under the hotel. Oct. 2, 2022
The Selbach Hotel in downtown Louisville was founded by Bavarian Immigrants and Otto Seelebach and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In its years in the city, there have been many guests reporting strange noises and activity during their stay, including a “lady in blue” who drags down the floor. She was there to fulfill her husband at the hotel, but she was killed in an accident and is said to have thrown herself down the stairs.
There are also reports of televisions waking up at high volume early in the morning and the sound of feet running on wooden floors.
“This building is very troubled,” night watch rustler Patrick Rhode predicted to the Courier magazine. “Between al capone and the gangsters (living here), World War I and II and the great depression and the building years, there’s a lot of different things that happened here.”
The Beelbach Hotel in Louisville has an active presence there, according to security guard Patrick Rhode and guests who have stayed there and seen things. Oct. 2, 2022
More: ‘He was very frustrated.’ More than 1 Ghost walks the halls of this Douisville Hotel
Selebach’s Ghost Lore is well documented, and US News & World Report featured the hotel in a story titled “America’s 27 Most Haunted Hotels.” People often visit the selbach directly to experience its supernatural power. Mediums, ghost hunters, and witches all visit and ask Rhodes to take them on a late night Ghost Tour.
“I have heard doctors, lawyers, construction people, everyone in all places that are designed to open and close,” remedies before began ” “Perhaps a blue streak of light crossed the room. I have thousands and I’m still adding to the stories.”
2035 S. Third st.; thwebe.org
The last place in the basement of the Art Museum is reported to have union activities, according to the staff who work there.
The Art Museum has tons of art, many of which are tied to dark chapters in American history, such as the American genocide and the civil war, that many believe can be linked to ghosts.
“Ghosts and spirits, obviously, are attached to things,” Steven Bowling, the Museum’s chief executive, previously told the Courier magazine. “So, I think that’s why, a lot of times, people think museums are overwhelming. They have these ancient things.”
Apart from some spooky things, the Museum itself also has a resident muscle.
More: Strange steps, unexplained events and rogue lifts: do ghosts affect speed?
According to the myth, the female spirit inherits the streets of the hall and the foundation of the building. While there is no evidence that glimpses of characters in the shadows or security cameras belong to the founder of the museum, hattie bishop high speed, some employees wonder if he still wanders the halls of 80 dead.
In a twist, whenever the elevator opens unceremoniously on a random floor, it just freaks out and tells Hattie to “come in.”
4400 ending drive; TheRealwaverHills.com
The Waverly Hills Sanatorium opened in 1910 as a two-story hospital to accommodate Louisville’s patients during an outbreak of tuberculosis. The tuberculosis hospital was closed in 1961 and reopened in 1962 as a medical, geriatric facility. Woodhaven had many complaints about patient neglect and was closed by the government in 1982.
After the closure, the pain hills gained a reputation for frustration. Volunteers working on the restoration of the building have reported hearing ghostly sounds and doors slamming, seeing doors opening and being knocked by invisible hands, according to
“When you move to Waverly Hills, you become a permanent resident,” says the Waverly Hills Historical Society on its website.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium by air. Dec. 9, 1938
More: Did my house suffer? A paranormal investigator offers advice on living with ghosts
Waverly Hills attracts visitors from all over the country for its guided paramoni tours. It also allows groups of independent personalities to conduct investigations of the institution, many of whom say they have experienced unparalleled work and difficulty during their visits. Waverly Hills was also featured on the ABC/FOX Scrivery Channel’s “World’s Scariest,” vh1‘S “Honorable Celebrity,” Syfy’s “Hunters,” and Hulu’s “The Living Dead.”
The characteristics of the clerk by clerk Gege had an impact on this report. Reach lifestyle and entertainment reporter Reach Courier-Journal Reporter Maggie Menderski at mmendski@courier-journor.com.
This article originally appeared in the Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Palace, Waverly Hills, Brom Hotel among City’s most haunted sites
