Get Ready for Ghosts Along the Coast of Santa Barbara

Six ghosts, lurking throughout the scenic oak groves and sweeping city views of Godric Grove, will be telling their stories to the public in Elings Park’s first annual Ghosts Along the Coast event, taking place the evenings of October 13, 14, and 16.

Director of Elings Park and creator of the event Dean Noble hopes to provide the public with some “good spine-tingling ghost stories” throughout the fall season, and he says they’re perfect for ages 9 and up.

Inspired by ghost walk events in other communities every fall, Ghosts Along the Coast will be a first for Santa Barbara. It is a 90-minute tour through Godric Grove, where six restless spirits — based on or inspired by real characters from Santa Barbara history — come to life to speak about their unfinished business in the human realm.

The ghosts, all unusual characters and played by local actors, are a Prohibition-era bootlegger, a Japanese picture-bride from the 1920s, an enigmatic lighthouse keeper, a hobo from the Great Depression, an assassinated news editor, and a survivor of the historic Winfield Scott shipwreck.

Not only does the event aim to provide eerie enjoyment for a diverse audience, but it also aims to tie the rich history of Santa Barbara to the present day.

Despite the diverse group of inspired ghosts to be found along the walk, Noble notes that they are “just scratching the surface of history,” making the possibilities for Ghosts Along the Coast events in the upcoming years very exciting.

Tickets for Ghosts Along the Coast must be purchased in advance at coastghosts.brownpapertickets.com. 

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