85 – Ghosts of Moon River Brewing – Savannah, GA

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All settled in the new studio, we’re finally able to get to work. And by ‘work’, I mean eating candy, hitting up the neighboehood taco truck and debating what size coffee pot to buy. And somewhere in there we managed to throw together a fantastic new episode.

Harley and Amy are talking beer, ethereal hookers, a-hole ball stealing kid ghosts and an honest to goodness speakeasy in the beautiful Savannah Georgia. A town even the highly destructive forces of Union General Sherman didn’t have the heart to destroy, Savannah has evolved into a dynamic city abuzz with art, festivals and culture. And yet it’s historic homes and cobblestone streets take you back to the bygone days of the antebellum south.

We visit the Moon River Brewing Company whose spirits dont just come in a bottle. Violence, murder, war, women and booze have a funny way of creating the perfect recipe for a turbulent haunting.

No episode of Travel Oddities would be complete without a great place to eat. We’re a little leary of the peanut butter and jelly wings at the Treylor Park but the Fancy Treylor Park Nachos make this eatery well worth the drive.

Step back in time with a visit to the Mata Hari, one of the last true speak easy’s of it’s kind. Bribe the doorman or hit up Craig’s List for a key to enjoy sultry singers and classic burlesque while sipping on an absinthe cocktail. Give some Travel Oddities love to Kit (the owner) while you’re there.

Brett’s soul stirring groundbreaking research for his Top Five destroys the misconceptions about the classic Georgia Peach myth.

It’s almost time for Cryptid Con! It’s September 9th and 10th in Frankfort, Kentucky. Be sure to check out their website for all the latest updates.

We have first hand accounts of sightings of Pinhead in a Pontiac Fiero in Chickasha Oklahoma and white Sinbad in OKC.

Treylor Park Restaurant/
Savannah info
Visit Savannah
Speakeasy Story

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The Odd Blog – My Spooky Experience At Stanley Hotel’s Room 217 – by Kirin Johnson

My Spooky Experience At Stanley Hotel’s Room 217

When I wrote about my experience at the Stanley Hotel history and ghost tour, I was quite skeptical regarding the existence of actual spirits. While I did feel intense energy in certain parts of the hotel, it wasn’t enough to convince me. However, on Memorial weekend of 2017, I made reservations to stay the night. I chose the most famous room of them all — room 217. This is the room where horror author Stephen King once stayed. His adventure at the Stanley inspired him to write his famous horror novel called The Shining.

Experiences that occurred during my stay has fully convinced me that ghosts are real entities.

Reported Ghost Activity

Over the years, there have been many reports of ghost activity occurring in room 217. Some guests say they leave the room and when they come back, they find their luggage somehow unpacked. There are others who claim to have seen shadows passing through walls. In addition to these claims, there are other bizarre and unexplained experiences reported.

Many believe that the activity comes caused by a woman named Elizabeth Wilson. She was the first maid employee at the Stanley. In the early 1900’s, she was involved in a very serious accident while she was working in room 217. A gas leak lead to an explosion, which caused her to fall through the floor. Fortunately, the mishap had only caused moderate injuries.

Ms. Wilson died in the 1950’s. However, according to reports, she occasionally visits room 217.

Three Paranormal Experiences In Room 217

After my partner and I had arrived at the hotel room, we decided not to unpack any of our luggage. Instead, we left room in hopes that we might come back and find our luggage unpacked. However, when we came back to our room, there was nothing out of place.

What We Thought Was A Cart By Our Door: Occurred Around 8:00 p.m.

After staying in for a while, we decided to head back out and grab a couple of things from the grocery store. Then we came back to the room and chose to stay in for the night. The time was around 8:00 p.m. when out of nowhere was what clearly sounded like a cart right outside of our door. The noise prompted my partner to instantly go and check the peephole to see exactly who or what was out there. What was quite shocking is that there was no one there.

If my partner didn’t immediately look through the peephole, I would have thought that someone must have came to a nearby room and walked in. He could have easily missed seeing them come by. However, this wasn’t the case. Of course, this experience was a rather unusual one. However, it wasn’t something that could easily turn a skeptic into a believer.

Reaching Out To Ms. Wilson

It was about 11:00 p.m. when we thought it would be a good idea to actually reach out to the spirit of Ms. Wilson. Other than the sounds of an invisible cart that was outside of our room, there was nothing that could make me fully convinced that Ms. Wilson, nor any other ghost actually exists. Our luggage was never unpacked, and we didn’t see any shadows passing through the walls. We gave it one last shot before we went to sleep. In an attempt to reach Ms. Wilson, I said to her: “If you are really here with us, prove it.”

A Loud Noise In The Middle Of The Night: Occurred Around 2:30 a.m.

The most profound experience of the night happened at around 2:30 a.m. While we were both asleep, we were woken up by an extraordinary loud noise. If I were to describe the noise, it was almost as if someone had taken an enormous object, and then slammed it to the floor with extreme force. What’s even more odd is that in addition to my partner and I, there were other hotel guests near our room who also woke up from the noise. The reason I am so confident in saying it was the noise that had woken them up is because a couple of moments after my partner and I woke up, we heard people whispering and talking to each other.

An Explanation For The Noise?

The next morning after a long and creepy night, I woke up and noticed that there was my partner’s 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew on the floor. I asked myself: “How could this bottle have fallen to the floor in the middle of the night?” Besides just our shoes and luggage, there was nothing else was on the floor. Of course, the bigger question was how the bottle could have caused such a loud noise capable of waking up several people at the hotel. The only answer I could come up with is that it had to have been a ghost, or perhaps Ms. Wilson herself.

The Guests Who Heard The Loud Noise

As we were getting ready to check out and leave the Stanley, I overheard a conversation between people that were near our room. I was curious to hear what they were actually talking about. What they were discussing was a loud noise that they heard late the previous night. Of course, I didn’t hesitate to quickly come out of the room and find out if the noise that they were talking about was the same noise that was so loud, it woke up me, my partner and others.

Below is information on the three guests who heard the incredibly loud noise in the middle of the night. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to get the chance to actually speak with two of them.

Guest #1

One guest stayed in a room directly above ours. She said she was woken up by a loud noise at around 2:30 a.m., which she reported as the sound of a “large barrel” that had hit something.

Guest #2

Although I did not get the chance to directly speak to guest #2, according to guest #1, she stayed in room 324. I was shocked to hear that she also had heard the loud noise.

Guest #3

While my partner and I were about to leave the hotel, there was a young man who wanted to talk to us about a few things. He first told us he stayed the night with his father in room 326.

Besides mentioning that he took some images of orbs, which he said were actually floating outside of room 217, he had something even more interesting to share with us. He said he woke up some time in the middle of the night from what he described as a “loud boom.”

A Woman Who Giggled At Me: Occurred Around 4:00 a.m.

The time was approximately 4:00 a.m. when I woke up again. However, this time it was very quiet and my partner appeared to be in a deep sleep. It was just a minute or two later when I heard this creepy chuckle that sounded like a woman who was laying right next to me. This was yet another paranormal experience that confirmed my belief that ghosts actually exist.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my paranormal experience that occurred at the Stanley Hotel in room 217. While many might believe that what I experienced that night was nothing but a little trick that my mind was playing on me, the fact is that they were not there. In addition to the sounds of the trolley and the woman’s bizarre giggle, no one can explain the loud noise that caused my partner and I, plus others to wake up in the middle of the night.

If you ever get a chance to visit the Stanley Hotel, at the very least, you will want to check out their fascinating history and ghost tour. If you plan on staying the night, there are several rooms that are known for being haunted. You may want to make your first choice —room 217.

Read the full story on OdditiesBizarre. The names of the guests who heard the noise, as well as a direct comment from one of them can be found in the full story.

60 – Aztalan Mound Park – Jefferson, WI

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Join Brett and Harley as they go on another whirlwind adventure or could it be an actual Vortex created by Brett’s profound knowledge of Native American culture or is it pronounced Indian American stay tuned to find out. The Travel Oddities boys research Aztalan, Wi ; Where the Smithsonian hides all the giant skeletons in the closet.
What are the significance of these mounds and why can’t Harley sound out Az-Tul-an. All of these mysteries and more… Including the truth about Russian’s hacking the election. Plus Brett`really cutsthe cheese on the Wisconsin Top 5.

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Ghostly Wisconsin
Vortex Wisconsin
Aztalan State Park
Jefferson Wiki

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55 – Fouke Monster – Fouke, AR

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Pitch a tent and tip -toe through Boggy Creek with Brett and Harley as they travel to Fauke Arkansas with a Beast of an Oddity and thats just the Monster Mart. On this weeks episode we visit Fauke, Arkansas and investigate the story behind the 1972 cult classic “The Boggy Creek Monster” with the man who literally wrote the book on the ‘The Beast” with “The Beast of Boggy Creek “.Crypto legend, author, producer and musician ; Lyle Blackburn. Gather around the campfire as Lyle takes you on a guided tour of Fauke and tells you what stories inspired him as a child and what stories still give him the chills to this very day. We talk about how a little hole in the wall Oddity shop became a “Monster Quest” of a road trip destination.
So pack up the Henderson’s and strap in for the long haul…. Cause Travel Oddities snagged Lyle Blackburn Ya’ll.

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Our news story this week comes from Futurism Magazine. Can scientists generate power that will last long after the robots have taken over? Are Nuclear Diamonds actually forever? Researchers from some fancy college with two names seem to think so.

What The Actual Fauke!? If you’re planning your next trip on a tankful Lyle puts his “Beastly” reputation on the line with everything from the best burger to best donut in town. Not to mention the Monster of all Marts….Monster Mart.

PUP TENTS BEWARE!!! Plenty of primitive campsites in the Fauke and Boggy Creek areas there aren’t many places for lodging so roughing it is the order of the day. So Heed the Beasts call and beware of Nightfall.

Lest we forget the Arkansas Top 5. More fun facts about Arkansas than Bigfoot can shake a stick at. Brett’s personal favorite’s no less

Brett attempts to channel his inner Matthew Mac….AGAIN…
All this and and a bag of Big foot Scat on this episode of Travel Oddities

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– ITunes
– Google Play
– Fouke Monster Wiki
– Monster Mart
– Lyle Blackburn’s Page
– Bigfoot Defense

49 – Parallel Forest – Lawton, OK

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Back in Oklahoma, so saddle up the horses for this trip with Brett and Harley as they take you to the mountains of Oklahoma! On this week’s episode, we travel to Lawton, OK to check out the Parallel Forest. There are ghosts in these here mountains. If you’ve been to the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma, you’ve encountered picturesque scenery, waterfalls, rugged terrain and diverse wildlife. Outside of the hauntings, you might also run into some Satan worshipers or some random witches….or that is how the story goes. This oddity hidden away in a scenic location is a must.

Our news story is foul and not made for t.v.

If you are planning a trip to Lawton, these are just a few other activities that you might be interested in checking out:

Holy City of the Wichitas
Mount Scott
Quanah Parker Lake
Wichita Mountains Scenic Byway
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Trail System
Charon’s Garden Trail

We found a rustic little restaurant that you can top-off in after you scour the countryside for demons.

All this and more on episode 49 of the Travel Oddities Podcast.

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Swear News
Parallel Forest back story
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Lawton Wiki

46 – Crawfordsville Monster – Crawfordsville, IN

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Jesus, take the w…wifi password? Catch the next Greyhound bus and join Brett and Harley on a trip to find one of the strangest cryptids we have ever covered! On this week’s episode, we travel to Crawfordsville, IN to investigate the mystery of the Crawfordsville Monster. Back in September of 1891, the residents of this award winning community saw something that defied description. Did this town slip into a Lovecraftian horror story? Did they encounter the original Lost smoke monster or maybe an aerial serpent? When the local preacher is one of the eyewitnesses, does that give the story more credibility? This claim was investigated by Charles Fort and it is sometimes referred to as the American Dragon Maybe it was an atmospheric monster or maybe it was a flock of killdeer, but either way it is definitely an oddity of epic proportions.

Our news story comes from Headlines & Global News and involves a new book by an Oscar-winning author about aliens, UFOs and cattle mutilations.

If you are planning a trip to Crawfordsville, there are a few other activities that you might be interested in checking out:

Ropkey Armor Museum – north of Crawfordsville, Indiana, resides one of the finest collections of U.S. Tactical Military Vehicles in the country.

Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County – covers the history, heritage, and culture of Montgomery County.

We also discuss some of the more notable residents of Crawfordsville:
– “Curly Bill” Brocius
– Dick Van Dyke

Brett’s top 5 things you didn’t know about Indiana list.
We have an update on the latest Odd Challenge…you know, space syrup.
Check out the show….we will know if you don’t!

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Crawfordsville Monster
An American Dragon?
Crawfordsville, IN
Crawfordsville, IN Attractions
Ropkey Museum
Carnegie Museum
Barefoot Burgers
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45 – Hell House Altar – Catonsville, MD

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Hop a train and join Brett and Harley on a trip to a creepy woodland destination! On this week’s episode, we travel to Catonsville, MD to investigate the mysteries around the Hell House Alter. There are a lot of creepy urban legends that revolve around this demolished Catholic school. Is this property haunted by ghosts? Did the former residents commune with the devil? Is there a deranged caretaker still patrolling this oddity? We also cover a first hand account of a paranormal event when an amateur photographer traveled to this location. Cold spots, gates to Hell or just plain fun? You decide!

Our news story comes straight out of the headlines in Iceland. Has a fairy curse caused the Icelandic Highway department to dig up a big stone?

If you are planning a trip to Catonsville, there are a few other activities that you might be interested in checking out:
Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum
Lurman Woodland Theatre – an outdoor community amphitheater

We also discuss some of the more notable residents of Catsonsville:
John Wilkes Booth
John Christ
Ric Ocasek
Doug Flutie

Brett’s top 5 things you didn’t know about Maryland list.

We also discuss the best place to get Italian in the area.

Join in on the ODD Challenge for this week! Space Syrup is made out of people?

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Hell House Altar
Iceland News
Space Syrup Recipe
Lurman Ampetheatre
Maryland Facts
Grub
Outro Music
Aquarius Books