McRaven Tour Home — Attraction in Vicksburg

I am a Mississippi native. My family is from Vicksburg. Since a young age, I have been intrigued by McRaven. It began with Walt Grayson's video Mississippi Ghost Stories..a VHS tape that I cannot find anywhere. I had been coming to this house for years. Doing tours every summer I visited my grandmother in VIcksburg. One day, I found the house to be closed. I was heart broken. I admit. I would hop the small fence and walk the ground...stand on the porch. I can feel the history. Almost as if I had been there for years. It finally reopened last year. I was able to make a trip down to Vicksburg to see my grandmother. My wife, daughter and I went to McRaven to take a tour. Our infant son staying home with my grandmother. The tour was all familiar. Though I had not been inside for 9 years, I knew it all to well. Our tour guide was wonderful, and we were the only people there. Many times I felt legitimately scared. Looking at pictures on the wall, seeing historical artifacts, I was not experiencing the childhood wonder I had previously felt as a boy. I could feel the men and women who has passed through this land. I have never seen a ghost here. But when our tour guide brought us into the dining room, she showed us a set of silverware that had belonged to Mary Elizabeth Howard. THen she showed us a spoon that she said had just recenlty showed up one day. The font on this spoon matched the ones on Mary Howards spoons. I could not figure out what it said. I asked the tour guide if she could. The engraving on the spoon...J. Bowman....We had recetly born a son, John Bowman. I have been enchanted by this house for YEARS. When it finally reopened, and I finally am able to return, there just happend to be a recently discovered spoon, that just happened to have my sons name on it. No one can understand the deep impact this had on me. It made me realize...ghosts? Ghost hunters coming to this house? Nonsense. People need to know. The house is a serious spirtual realm. It is a portal to other worlds. I do not know if ghosts exist. I just know what I experienced that day could be brushed off as mere coincidence. But I believe it is something of the true unexplained. A true "X-File" so-to-speak. This house is a magnet and a portal to other worlds. The house knows certain people. I have toured the multiple "haunted" houses in Vicksburg which afre beautiful, but the word "haunted" is a mere selling point. If anyone reads this...know that what I expereinced in the house that day was something of another dimension. The house should not be treated lightly. Respect this house. Something beyond our comprehension has surrounded this house. It is a portal, a spiritual magnet. People need to know...the house is a portal to another world. I cannot explain the shock I experienced that day. It was too perfect to be brush off as mere coincidence. There are other worlds than these. Beware to all who choose to meddle with the...

First of all I want to say that the haunted ghost tour guide was very good at his job! He walked us through the history before the investigation begins. Once again, great job! Now, once we got to the investigation, it was absolutely horrible! I’ve been on several paranormal investigations which involved tour guides, but this was heart breaking. To start it off, we had to sit in the floor! COVID-19 is alive and well! And yes, it can be contracted by the bottom of someone shoe. Facts! This was nasty and the most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever experienced. I’m not trying to knock what they’re doing, but I’m hoping to shed light on the things they shouldn’t do. Sitting in the floor is not safe! Secondly, I noticed that the tour guide was trying to make ppl participate in speaking out loud in trying to communicate with the spirits. I understand the techniques, but not everyone feels comfortable speaking in a room full of ppl. This causes discomfort and uneasiness. Now let me go back to the COVID-19 risk again. They were providing snacks and beverages for everyone, but they just left the food out to be exposed to germs and bacteria. One man was coughing over the table, no face mask. Ppl were touching the exposed food, no gloves. Ppl were digging in the cooler, no gloves. This all may sound like I’m just trying to bash the staff at the Mcraven house, but I’m not. I’m in hopes things will change for the best. Have the staff pass out food and beverages with gloves and face mask on. Let investigators free roam. Split them up of course, but let them investigate half their time on the lower level and then swap the groups up halfway in between. I do believe there are spirits roaming, but I couldn’t stay to get evidence of it. I left in the middle of the “investigation”. I have been everywhere from Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum to Waverly Hills Sanatorium. No, I wasn’t expecting it to be as gut wrenching as these types of places, but I was expecting it to be more protective of ppls health and let investigators...

One Star.

I was looking forward to visiting The McRaven Home during my trip to Mississippi, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a disappointing experience. The acting during the tour was extremely poor, to the point that we decided to leave before the tour was even finished.

We had purchased tickets for the 7 PM haunted tour on a Saturday night (as stated available on the website), but upon arrival, we were informed that no haunted tours were offered that evening—only a candlelight tour. This was not clearly stated on the website, which felt misleading. Additionally, we did not gain entry into the home until after 8 PM, as they only allowed small groups of around 10 people in at a time. This delay disrupted our evening, and it would have been helpful to know in advance about the scheduling and group limitations.

The modern Halloween decorations also took away from the historic atmosphere of the home. It made the historical home that people come from all over to see pack authenticity.

I also found it ridiculous and rude that one of the employees made a point of stressing that they accept tips, which felt unnecessary given the overall quality of the tour. How the girl said it was so out of hand, it was like she was guilting the group into tipping.

For $25, the experience fell far short of expectations, and I would not recommend McRaven Home based on my visit. It was not worth the time or cost, especially considering the lack of clarity on the tour offerings and the overall disappointing presentation.

I also want to mention that if you are unsteady on your feet, this may not be the place for You. The walkway is uneven and broken, which could easily cause a fall for someone if they weren’t watching. It is also pitch black alone the walkway (everyone was using their phone flashlights to see). Just something to keep in mind if you...