Claudette M.
Yelp
Link to full review: https://bit.ly/3LpCqdn
This tour was the best I've ever been on...and I've booked a lot of them. Sorry NOLA, none of your tours, wonderful as they've been, top the lovely and mysterious Angelique.
The communication was top notch. I received a very detailed text and message in the Get Your Guide app telling me where to meet the guide and giving details about the length of the tour. They sent the messages the day before and on the day, so no chance to forget your booking. The booking in the app is always great. Easy and you can delay payment until close to the date if you wish.
I took this tour on my birthday and was quite excited about it. The night didn't disappoint. This was June 2024, and it was HOT in Louisville. The temps were in the 90s and the heat like a wall. Our guide, Angelique, came dressed in costume with a beautiful long skirt and scarf over her hair. It was kind of a gypsy/pirate princess vibe. And she was the most lovely person. Sweet, patient, always answering any question. Her knowledge of the tour and the sites we visited was INCREDIBLE. We all commented to each other how astounding it was that she knew so much about each house, Louisville in general and the history...paranormal or not. It was so hot outside and we walked about 1.5 miles. We were all sweating and had to keep mopping our faces, but Angelique never missed a beat. We told her we couldn't believe she did the tour like the temps were comfortable. When we stopped at the park at a drink stand, I got her a ginger ale hoping it would help cool her down. I was dying (typical Canadian lol) and couldn't believe she never sat on things as we did and was able to talk and tell us stories like it wasn't 93 F at 8PM.
My favourite spots on the tour were the First Church of Scientists and house painted pink for women's suffrage, a house that they probably based the first American Horror Story season on and the Conrad-Caldwell House, and the wonderful and very detailed stories she told about them. There were many others. We passed so many beautiful houses, and I snapped a ton of pictures. I also LOVED the witches tree stop and story that related to NOLA. There was a lovely lady on the tour who told me about azaleas and how to plant them after we passed some at a house. Everyone on this vacation (barring the car rental guy) was so friendly and I had awesome experiences meeting everyone I did in Louisville.
The night was even more magical as we passed through the park, I think it was Central Park, and the fireflies came out. We could hear actors putting on plays as a free Shakespeare in the Park festival was going on. There was a cute stand there to buy drinks ( I guess Louisville has an open container policy like New Orleans?) with bathrooms. The tour started at 7:30 and was supposed to go 90 minutes, but Angelique kept telling us history and stories until almost 10PM. She even sang a different version of Happy Birthday to me...I won't go into detail and ruin the story. The stories were interesting, some sad and Angelique knew how to tell a great joke. She even gave us cards that referenced an author and some of his books we learned about so we could pick them up.
I finished the tour by going back to the Church to try to snap a picture of the sad ghost we had heard about at the beginning of the tour, and Angelique pointed it out to me. No ghost picture, but when I got back to my car, there was this gorgeous light that changed colour. My birthday couldn't have ending up any more perfect.
If you find yourself in Louisville, KY, you MUST take this tour, and hope you end up with Angelique for a guide. And it benefits the Filson Historical Society, who keeps all this history safe. At one point, all these houses were slated to be torn down and they were saved, thank god! Old Louisville truly has a magical feel to it that is beyond special and should never be replaced. Thank you, Angelique! Louisville is definitely on my list for future visits so I can learn even more.