It’s believed that Halloween stems from a variety of European cultures — a mix of Christian and Pagan traditions, where the spirits of the dead roam the earth. While modern Halloween celebrations may include more candy than they once did, it's still a time when many choose to reconnect with the spiritual world.
And if you're looking to connect with ghosts in Milwaukee, the person to talk to is Anna Lardinois. She's the author of Milwaukee Ghosts and Legends and the owner of Gothic Milwaukee, which operates historical ghost tours through downtown Milwaukee.
She wrote about some of her favorite haunts in this month's Milwaukee Magazine. And while Lardinois isn't sure that Halloween brings spirits back to earth, she thinks the holiday is a good time for ghost hunting.
"I don’t really know that spirits are on the same calendar that we are, so I think it's a good time for us because we're hunkering down and we have, you know, all of those cultural things that are happening that make us feel spooky," says Lardinois.
