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There is a ghost at Kansas City’s Midland Theatre, and his name is Frank.
On Jan. 11, 1932, underneath the nearly full moon of the winter season, Frank was a janitor picking up after a show. He found a package on the balcony, picked it up and brought it down to the trash can. Unfortunately for Frank, that package was dynamite, and it exploded before he could throw it away.
According to the Kansas City Library, the bomb was placed because two unions were going at each other over which one had the right to play films in Kansas City. Three men were convicted of the crime and sentenced to life in prison.
The story goes that you can see Frank near the men’s room on the Loge level of the Midland — if you’re brave enough to go looking, that is.
Frank isn’t the only ghost in town; Kansas City has a rich history of the supernatural here. Adventure through some of our haunted cemeteries, creepy buildings, and other eerie locations to get in the Halloween mood.
But if you want to take things up a notch this holiday season, then maybe it’s time to hunt the ghosts yourself. These Kansas City ghost tours and hunts are the next step in your adventure. Just don’t pick up any dynamite on the way.
Neighborhood ghost hunts and tours
There are plenty of neighborhood haunts to explore this spooky season. Both Lee’s Summit and Westport have ghostly tours and hunts that happen in October, and are worth checking out.
Lee’s Summit brings you on a tour of downtown’s historic buildings, like the Security Bank, which has stood for 150 years. You’ll hear about a tormented doctor, a Civil War butcher, and a phantom train conductor, among others.
In Westport, you’ll start and end at the 1855 Harris-Kearney House. Some have claimed to hear phantom footsteps, smell cigar smoke, and hear disembodied voices in the home. The rest of the Westport tour will take you through the streets as you hear frightening tales from the past.
The 1859 Jail in Independence has partnered with Paranormal Activity Investigators to uncover ghosts in the historic jail. The hunts are held on October 24 and 25. Tickets run about $80 and can be found here.
This is a five-hour hunt, so dress comfortably. If you’re afraid of the dark, perhaps this isn’t the one for you — but once the lights go out, you’ll get to use Ghostbuster-type electronics, such as an EMF detector, which measures changes in the area's electromagnetic field.
In Brookside, Alexander Majors House is hosting paranormal investigations on October 29, 30, and 31. Don’t confuse this with a tour of the home — the architectural details aren’t the point here.
Rather, you’ll be part of the paranormal investigator team for two hours, where ghost hunters use specialized equipment such as infrared cameras and EMF detectors to get proof of a spirit.
Kansas City Wraiths & Whiskey Ghost Tour
Presented by U.S. Ghost Adventures, the Kansas City Wraiths & Whiskey Ghost Tour lets you both see and taste spirits.
This is a one-hour, one-mile walking tour that begins every night at 8 p.m. and meets at the Hilton Savoy Hotel, one of the most haunted sites in the city.
The first ghost may be Betsy Ward, who lived at the hotel in the late 1800s and reportedly died in the bathtub in room 505. Accounts differ whether the cause of death was a suicide or a heart attack, but there are plenty of unexplained phenomena reported.
There are a variety of stops along the route, including one to The Coates Hotel, now an apartment building. It’s the site of the city’s deadliest fire, and some of those spirits have now taken up residence.
From there, you’ll venture to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, which is the afterlife home of a controversial murdered priest. Will you be able to hear or see the eternal penance of the fallen?
Your last stop is the Kansas City Power and Light Building, in the heart of one of the most lively nightlife spots in the city. The building is said to be haunted by Richard Armitage, an attorney who was beaten to death in his 13th-floor office.
On this tour, you’ll have to remember to bring your ID. After all, it’s about wraiths and whiskey, and the P&L is the stop for it. But if you imbibe too much of the secondary spirit, there is no telling what you might see.
Ghost and Gangster Tour with the Barley Bus
Kansas City has a long history with the mob. Debauchery and murder have been their calling card for almost a hundred years, including the Kansas City Massacre in 1933 at Union Station — where, in a daring raid to free Frank Nash, Pretty Boy Floyd’s crew killed four lawmen.
If the phantom specters from the criminal underground still roam the train tracks, the Ghost and Gangster Tour will help you find them. The tours also meet in front of the Hilton Savoy Hotel, and from there, you will head toward Union Station.
Your tour guide will take you through all the gangster lore and, according to them, “bring the city’s shadowy past to life.” You’ll also learn about the underbelly of The Pendergast Machine, the political powerhouse that helped put Harry Truman into power. Other stops could include Union Cemetery, Sauer Castle, and St. Mary’s Church.
Tours occur every Friday and Saturday night, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., and tickets are $60. They also run other holiday tours as the seasons progress, such as their holiday light tours during Christmas.
Haunted Taxi Tours & Fearcation Travel
If you would like something a bit more personal and close up, Haunted Taxi Tours & Fearcation Travel is for you. Get ready to go to Atchison, one of the most haunted places in Kansas. Most may know the town as the birthplace of Amelia Earhart, but it’s also home to the Sallie House.
In the late 1850s, this was the home of Dr. Charles Finney. Some believed that he practiced more than just medicine in the house. One day, a six-year-old girl came in with her mother. Believing the child had appendicitis, Finney decided to perform surgery right there in the home, but the anesthesia hadn’t taken effect, and the girl died in the home.
If you want to do your own paranormal investigation, you can even stay overnight in the home.
Other tour stops by Haunted Taxi include the House of the Dead in Atchison. The home was built on the corner of an old cemetery that was relocated. During the relocation of the graveyard, the body movers couldn’t account for a hundred graves.
If you’re alive enough for it, you can also stay the night in the House of the Dead for $199, meaning you could spend your whole weekend at the Sallie House and the House of the Dead investigating strange noises in the dark — good luck!
The Haunted Taxi starts as any other ride-share service. They’ll pick you up and your group at your address, and off you go. Tours start at $49 per person.
Questo
If late-night isolated locations aren’t your vibe, or if you have children, Questo can still give you the thrill of a ghost hunt without the massive scare.
Available as an app, Questo offers a self-guided tour of select cities, and in Kansas City, it mostly covers the Plaza and Downtown. For a family of four, the cost is around $20, and you can add up to four mobile devices, or you can simply share your phone with your group.
The ghost hunt at the Plaza includes an interactive story, where you can solve a puzzle, answer a riddle, and hunt a fleeing spirit.
It’s a fun way to discover the nuances of an area, and it's age-appropriate for everyone.
Apex Paranormal
Apex Paranormal is the real deal, with the goal of making contact with spirits. They bring all the Ghostbuster equipment, such as infrared cameras, EMF detectors, and spirit balls.
Apex Paranormal is Kansas City-based and operates all year long. This fall, their two big events are at the Kansas State Penitentiary and the Glore Psychiatric Museum, both of which are rich with ghost lore.
The Kansas State Penitentiary in Lansing, Kansas, has performed 15 executions, although none since 1965. Famous residents have included famous gangsters such as “Pretty Boy” Floyd, and “In Cold Blood” killers Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, both hanged at the penitentiary. The part of the prison you can tour is run by the Lansing Historical Society and Museum, and is no longer used. It sits on the outside grounds of the Lansing Correctional Facility, which is still operating.
The Glore Psychiatric Museum in St. Joseph was originally called State Lunatic Asylum #2 and opened in 1874. It has a long history of paranormal investigations, as people have reported disembodied voices, ghostly apparitions, and the feeling of being touched.
Times vary for each ghost hunt, but in general, you can expect to go at night. At the Kansas State Penitentiary ghost hunt, the lights go out, and participants get flashlights while the investigators utilize their expertise to find hauntings. The penitentiary ghost hunt is around $30 for an hour and a half, while Glore could be as high as $150 and lasts five hours.
The next hunt for the penitentiary is on October 24, while the Glore hunt is on October 25. Check their event page to catch the next ones.
