We're Not Afraid of No Ghosts: The Irregulars Go on Greenville's Haunted Pub Crawl

It's a bird; it's a plane; nope, it's just another former Greenville brothel.

What do a bunch of drinking buddies resort to when bored? If you are the Peddler Wednesday-Night Irregulars, you snatch up a half-price coupon off LivingSocial for the Greenville Haunted Pub Crawl and book a Wednesday night tour.

I must admit, I'm ambivalent on the topic of ghosts. I like the idea of ghosts, but don't hold an opinion on their existence one way or the other. I've never had an encounter, but do know a couple of people – who are not crackpots, incidentally – who claim to have brushed shoulders with the spirit world.

Like the other six Irregulars who turned out for this thing, I was really along for the alcohol anyway. I held no expectation that we would encounter an other-worldly being. To the Haunted Pub Crawl Web site's credit, it made no such promise. Nope, we were just out for a few laughs and a toddy or two. 

Profit doing his thing.

First, some background: the Haunted Pub Crawl is the brainchild of Jason Profit. Profit is a self-described paranormal investigator and psychic reader. He is also the guide for not only the Haunted Pub Crawl, but for Greenville Ghost Tours (http://greenvilleghost.com/tours/haunted-pub-crawl/). He also authored the book, Haunted Greenville, South Carolina.

This thing could also be called, “The Dueling Pizza Joint Pub Crawl” because it began at Bellacino's Pizza and wound up at Bertolo's Pizza on opposite ends of downtown Main Street. 

Yep, it's me hamming it up with Jason.

Profit has a pretty good grasp on Greenville history. Whether you have any interest in the paranormal or not, the 90-or-so-minute running lecture was chocked full of historic tidbits. The takeaway was that Greenville has a sordid history of brothels – the 13-room cathouse over Connolly’s is currently unused, but still there – lynchings, murders and other assorted unsavory acts. If ghosts do in fact exist, Greenville is ripe for the haunting.

According to Profit, witnesses have observed spirits in Bellacino's, Bertolo's, Connolly’s and other locations we visited. That seems only fitting since we consumed some spirts at those same locations. 

LT and Georgia joined our merry band of ghost hunters.

 Although there were another half dozen pseudo-ghost hunters booked on our tour, it was a rainy evening and the Irregulars were about the only ones who showed up. However, a young couple also joined us. I'm sure by the end of the evening, they wished they had chosen another night, but LT and Georgia were troupers and actually, at least pretended to enjoy our company and have fun.

We're not afraid of no ghosts!

Ninety minutes is really cramming a lot – information and drink – into a very short time span. I'd like to see the tour start earlier and last a little longer. Otherwise, It was well worth the $18 price. My advice, though, is to join LivingSocial and keep your eyes peeled for the half-price tour deals. It's a real bargain for nine bucks.

Would I do it again? Without question.