With last week’s WALB report of ghosts in the Bridge House has ghost fans throughout the region clamoring. They’re wondering what else may be haunted after all. The Municipal Auditorium? Theater Albany? Thronateeska? Who all knows what else may have ghosts, they ponder.
Whether you believe in ghosts or not is irrelevant. What is relevant is the large numbers of people who do. For years, there has been an effort to bring people into downtown Albany at night, to help balance the large amount of foot traffic downtown sees from 9-5 on every weekday. Well, the ghost tours people are talking about may just be the ticket.
The closest ghost tour I’ve found so far is Savannah, which means a ghost tour in Albany has little competition from the surrounding area. In addition, a non-profit could be set up to run the ghost tours (if not a for-profit) which would mean that the city wouldn’t have to spend our tax dollars to attract people to downtown.
Now, how will this help downtown?
Simple. After walking throughout the Georgia heat for an hour or so, tourists are likely to be a little hungry, or thirsty at least. Now, you have a reason to have a couple of restaurants. As the market for the tours increases (hopefully), more and more restaurants and bars are now needed. As new, trendy places open up, people will be more likely to travel downtown for dining or entertainment.
Granted, this is all speculation and who knows if it’ll work. But if it’s done right, this may well be the catalyst that the folks downtown have been praying for. Not only will a significant number of people come downtown for ghost tours, but it may well attract tourists as well. Low and behold, there’s already a hotel down there waiting for them. As more come and need lodging, more hotels will be built in downtown. It isn’t the Field of Dreams where “if you build it, he will come.” No, it works the opposite…they have to come first.
Obviously, this ghost hunter group needs more time to document more paranormal activity. Whether or not it’s bunk, again, doesn’t matter. If they can find more such activity, then you’ll find something that Albany can market to attract visitors.
Once they’re here, maybe they’d like to visit the Riverquarium?
I think it would be great! But any real moneymaker ideas — NIGHTLIFE anyone? — will be squashed by the biblethumpers.
Churches may indeed try to stop it, but there is little they can actually do to prevent it. The only laws on the books deal with how many feet away a bar or restaurant with an alcohol license has to be from a church. Otherwise, they can protest, but they’ll just give free publicity to any new establishment.
Remember how much protests actually helped the Stagecoach Cafe when it opened?
I was just a youngun in the Stagecoach days. I remember it well, but I had far more important things to concern myself with back then!
Is there also a law about the proximity of one bar to another?
I honestly don’t remember, but I don’t actually think so. I’ll have to check to be sure though.
Hmm… got any info on the ghosts? That’s the first I’d heard of it.
I think that Downtown development will not survive without some form of a transit system. (Since some of you are talking about “nightlife.”) Until someone with deep pockets has the ability to front a few businesses and a transit system to and from west Albany, it will be difficult to make the entire concept succeed. I would love to see downtown survive/flourish, and have been involved in a few attempts at helping it go; but with many government employees making it difficult (not to mention unattractive) it will continue to deter anyone from even trying.
Josh: Check out WALB’s website. They have the video up there.
John: Honestly, a transit system isn’t as needed as many may think. First, the current transit system isn’t highly utilized as it is, so expanding it in any way (hours only…it already runs from west Albany to downtown) would be a waste of money. People barely use it to get from East Albany or the Southside to the Mall area.
Besides, Albany has never been much of a transit city anyways. Most people either drive or get rides places, so transportation is rarely the reason someone doesn’t go downtown. There are deeper reasons that simple a “can’t get there” in the vast majority of cases. Once people want to go downtown, but can’t, then we can revisit the transit question. But until people want to get down there, it’s a waste of money.
I’ve been on the ghost tours in Savannah. Albany will need more than just the Bridge House. Carriage rides for the tour would be nice too. You know who could start a ghost tour? Andersonville Village! Don’t tell them though. Downtown Albany needs the money.
I agree that we definitely need more than the bridge house. It’s my understanding that the local ghost hunting group will be investigating the old train station (now Thronateeska Heritage Foundation) soon, and hopefully other local places in the downtown area.
I like the idea of carriage rides for the tour, though that may raise the prices of the tour to being more than most would be willing to pay. Still, it might be a nice option for those who want a more private tour and are willing to pay a little bit more
Code Enforcement would probably go ballistic at the thought of horse-drawn carriages downtown.
Yeah, but they’ll get over that soon enough