Spooky Woodland Cemetery Lantern Tour Revisit

Almost 10 years after my first History, Mystery, Murder and Mayhem lantern tour, I returned to Woodland Cemetery with some friends to take the tour for a second time. It was just as much spooky fun as I remember! I paid attention to what people were discussing around me and here are my notes and observations from this time around.

The History

I forgot that they do a great job of pointing out some notable Dayton historical figures throughout the walk, even when they don’t really have anything particularly murder-y or mayhem-y going on. We learned about the Wright family, Paul Laurence Dunbar, James M. Cox, the Mead family, and more.

The Murder & Mayhem

Just like last time, many of the stories are a wonderful reminder of how few choices women really had back in the day. I was pleasantly surprised we talked about so many more men this time, though! Not that I want anyone to be murdered, of course. It just felt more balanced this time.

The Walk

The walk itself is up and down a few hills, which is why they mention it’s a rigorous walk on the website. During the walk there are plenty of times to rest while the person leading the tour talks about one of the deceased.

The Lanterns

We all had lanterns this time! When I went 10 years ago, they were bigger and only a few people got to hold them. These are much smaller and more manageable but definitely still very useful.

The Experience

I think there should be more evening walks in Dayton, honestly. It was neat to get to walk around Woodland Cemetery at a time of evening when it’s typically closed and enjoy the beautiful evening air while learning about some interesting dead people for a few hours. I’m already looking forward to going again 10 years from now.

If this sounds like something you’d enjoy trying next year, make sure to book your tour early because they sell out. My friends and I booked in – no joke – early August and there were already some tours sold out. It’s worth the extra bit of planning!