Albertville Museum kicks off their 7th annual Spirit Tours beginning Oct. 7 and Oct. 21 at 6 p.m. Tours will take guests through historic downtown Albertville, and, potentially, even the Pre-Civil War Cemetery. Families and all ages are welcome. Spirit Tours content consists of 5% spirit and 95% history. All ages are absolutely welcome, but parents are encouraged to use their own discretion in relation to young children.
Although the museum will be going over what might be spooky stories, they want to stress that this is not a scary tour.
“We’re not going to have anyone out here hiding behind a bush to jump out and scare you, or anything like that. This is not a haunted house. We’re doing 5% spirit and 95% history. It might prevent some people from coming, but we do want to keep it for everyone who wants to bring their kids and all. We’re not trying to scare anybody, we’d call it a ghost tour if we were,” explains Danny Maltbie, museum chairman and Spirit Tour guide.
Although the Spirit Tour can be for the whole family, parents are reminded to use their discretion for younger children.
The 2023 Spirit Tour is going to be full of new stories, never told before. Some of the old tales will be incorporated as well as they cover most of downtown Albertville. The Albertville Courthouse and along with four or five other buildings will be included.
The tour starts at the museum and goes all the way down to the Albertville Depot.
The museum will open at 5:30 p.m., allowing for people to gather before the tour at 6 p.m.
There is no sign-up, you and your family can just show up before 6 p.m. to join in. Tours will be led by the museum staff and will be at no charge to the public.
“Everything we do or try to do at this museum is free. We’re not here to make money, we’re here to provide a service to the city,” Maltbie said.
“We will accommodate anyone who has mobility issues. It’ll be tailored for anybody,” says Maltbie.
If anyone can’t get around to the cemetery, they are more than welcome to drive over and meet the rest of the group there. Maltbie reminds everyone that it can be dangerous to cross the road to the cemetery.
By MORGAN ROE The Reporter Sept. 30, 2023