New ‘Kentucky After Dark’ campaign taps into “dark tourism”to promote some of the state's eeriest locations
The ghost of Civil War soldier Henry Wooldridge is said to roam the Maplewood Cemetery in Mayfield, Ky. — one of the locations featured on the Kentucky After Dark tour. Artist rendering furnished by Team Kentucky
A new tourism project in Kentucky aims to highlight some of the state’s spookier, more spirited aspects.
While you won’t see any bourbon, horses or barbecue on this tourism trail, you may encounter a few ghosts, Bigfoot and a little green man or two.
Kentucky After Dark, a new tourism campaign funded through the Kentucky Tourism, Arts and Heritage Cabinet, features 12 locations promoting some of the state’s paranormal tales, from the Dogman of Kentucky Lake to the Battletown Witch Festival in Brandenburg. Visitors can grab a “passport” from the tourism office of any participating destination and take a self-guided tour of some of the most storied creepy crawlies in the commonwealth.
Organizers said the campaign is thought to be the first state-sponsored program focusing on “dark tourism,” i.e., encouraging tourists to visit places that focus on the supernatural and spooky tales of old.
“Kentucky has so much of a rich history, some of which you won’t find on a monument or printed on a plaque,” said Robbie Morgan, director of the Lawrenceburg/Anderson County Tourism Commission. “There are also travelers eager to get out and explore places they haven’t been before, and a strong interest in thrill-seeking adventures.”
Lawrenceburg and Anderson County are home to the haunted Anderson Hotel and the Wildman Festival, which takes place in late May/early June and celebrates the many purported sightings of Bigfoot in the area. Morgan said that while the haunted house and festival have long attracted visitors to Anderson County, this is the first time state tourism dollars will promote the otherworldly attractions.
But, during September and October, it makes sense. According to the National Retail Association, Americans spend an estimated $10 billion annually on Halloween. From the rise of paranormal shows on channels like the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel to horror movies reeling in big box office grosses, American’s taste for all things creepy is growing.
“To capture some of this audience for Kentucky, we decided to combine all those insights into a campaign that showcases a different side of Kentucky,” Morgan said.
The $220,000 campaign will use passports to draw visitors not only to Lawrenceburg, but to other Central Kentucky paranormal hot spots like Georgetown, where they can take a creepy drive along the purportedly haunted Dead Man’s Hollow area, and to Hopkinsville, where a family’s reported 1955 sighting of “little green men” went on to inspire popular culture from the Pokémon Sableye character to Steven Spielberg’s 1982 film “E.T.” Another nine stops along the trail will focus on small and large locations, like the Trigg Terror Haunted Seed Mill in Cadiz and the Waverly Hills Sanitorium in Louisville.
Morgan said the initial response to the campaign has been well-received. She said people from all over the country have called to get passports.
“I expected the campaign to gain some traction,” she said. “I didn’t expect it to gain traction seven hours after we launched it.”
The campaign plans to run 15-second clips on Hulu and YouTube and preview-style shorts before horror and suspense films screened in movie theaters in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. The campaign will run through November 30, with plans to pick up again during the same time next year.
Some of the passport stops lead visitors to specific tours or events, such as Brandenburg’s Battletown Witch Festival or Oldham County’s Spirits of La Grange Ghost Tour; other stops encourage participants to take a more “choose your own adventure” approach, such as exploring the site of “Dogman” sightings around Land Between the Lakes or the purportedly haunted area of Dead Man’s Hollow in Georgetown. Even though some of the attractions are date-specific, the passports and trail info will be available throughout the year –– and if they introduce people to other things in these new cities around the state, that’s a good thing, Morgan said.
“I’m super excited about people being interested in this area, whatever their touch point is,” she said. “If [Kentucky After Dark] is the access point that people have to come to Lawrenceburg … and they go find another 10 things to do there, that’s awesome.”
Featured stops on the Kentucky After Dark passport
Battletown Witch Festival (Brandenburg / Meade County, Kentucky). This festival celebrating the area’s most famous purported witch takes place Oct. 27-28.
Trigg Terror Haunted Seed Mill (Cadiz / Trigg County Kentucky). Seasonal tours of the haunted seed mill take place Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 28.
Octagon Hall (Franklin / Simpson County, Kentucky). This historic building, widely considered to be haunted, offers novice ghost hunts and professional paranormal team hunts.
The Ghosts and Goblins of Dead Man’s Hollow (Georgetown / Scott County, Kentucky). Described as an “all but abandoned stretch of claustrophobic and winding highway,” the area surrounding Fisher’s Travel Camp off U.S. 25 has a long history of murders, violence and crime.
Dogman in the Land Between the Lakes Area (Kentucky Lake / Marshall County, Kentucky). The Kentucky Lake area has been veiled in “dogman” lore for decades, and the area’s tourism team will be highlighting the region’s spookier side during the campaign.
Hauntings at The Elm (Henderson / Henderson County, Kentucky). This historic building, at one time an extension of the George Delker carriage factory, is now home to a host of resident ghosts.
Kelly Green Men Alien Encounter (Hopkinsville / Christian County, Kentucky). The Kelly family’s 1955 sighting of “little green men” has provided inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s “E.T.”, a Pokémon character and more.
Spirits of La Grange Ghost Tour (La Grange / Oldham County, Kentucky). A two-hour candlelit walking tour combining historic info with paranormal folklore.
The Anderson Hotel (Lawrenceburg / Anderson County, Kentucky). The Kentucky county with the most Bigfoot reported sightings, Anderson County features multiple events centering on “Wildman” lore, and is also home to the haunted Anderson Hotel.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium (Louisville / Jefferson County, Kentucky). This former tuberculosis sanatorium regularly hosts historic and paranormal tours.
Wooldridge Monuments in the Maplewood Cemetery (Mayfield / Graves County, Kentucky). Eccentric Civil War solider Henry Wooldridge is said to haunt the cemetery that features a number of unusual stone figures paying homage to his favorite family members and animals, and Wooldrige.
White Hall Hauntings (Richmond / Madison County, Kentucky). White Hall, the historic former home of Cassius M. Clay, is said to be haunted.