Spring Grove Cemetary in Cincinnati
On our recent trip to Cincinnati, we happened by Spring Grove cemetery. We had done a city tour earlier and it was a strong recommendation. We were in awe and could see why it was recommended.
The cemetery spans 700 acres tucked away in the queen city. It also boasts a Level 3 Accredited Arboretum as awarded by the Morton Arboretum Register. Spring Grove is only one of two historic cemeteries to achieve the Level 3 designation for arboretum standards.
The part that really struck us is how amazing some of the architecture was. The gothic feel of the architecture was my favorite part of the trip here. I made this joke several times, but it truly felt like we were in Elden Ring at parts. Between headstones, mausoleums, and the trees, everything was laid out and built up to be a monument to life after death.
We took photos, hopefully, in a way that is respectful of the deceased and their families.
Now we wouldn’t be us if we didn’t talk about the spooky side of things. It should come as no surprise to anyone that there have been numerous reports of haunted happenings here. It is a cemetery after all, right? There are bound to be ghosts aplenty here. The place has been around for over 175 years. Plenty of angry spirits in that amount of time.
There have been stories of ghostly eyes in statues that glow a haunting yellow to a pair of white dogs that terrorized two unfortunate teenagers sneaking into the cemetery after dark. Plenty of stories out there to read and we’re sure there are plenty more to come.
If you ever find yourself in Cincinnati, do yourself a favor and visit Spring Grove. It is definitely and experience unlike any other cemetery we have ever visited. Be sure to be respectful. Maybe the next story will be from you.
Butcher Cabin Bookstore
Butcher Cabin Bookstore is a relatively new store (Just opened in October) in Louisville, KY. It is just down the street from Unorthodox we talked about last travel article, and it was so cute! It was a bookstore that had nothing but horror books. They were sorted into all kinds of different fun categories and was set up like a cozy old living room including an old style thick tv with creepy stuff playing on it setting the tone of the whole room. We picked up cursed objects by JW Ocker and Cryptid Creatures: A field guide by Kelly Milner Halls. They had such a good selection and I know I could have walked out with a lot more books especially since they had so many unique books I hadn’t seen before. They even have some events coming up that I hope I am free to go check out. Check them out in store or they even do online if you’re too far away.
Butcher Cabin Books
990 Barret Avenue
Louisville, Kentucky 40204
Unorthodox
Unorthodox Oddity shop in Louisville, KY is an awesome little hole in the wall shop that has an amazing vibe and even more amazing things to buy. They emphasize the obscure and off the wall things. They always have a great selection of found bones turned into things like earrings. You want a raccoon penis bone? They got you! A great selection of spoopy stickers and pins by lots of different artists. It’s not just bats and ghosts (not that we don’t love that) but I am obsessed with the crab and absinthe stickers I got when I went there last. I am regretting not getting any of the satanic tea though! Next time for sure! Be sure to check them out either in physical store or on their website. Check out our Tiktok to see a video of the inside.
Unorthodox
968 Barret Avenue, Louisville, Kentucky 40204, United States
(502) 520-7031 Locally or (844) 567-3766 Toll-Free
Bobby Mackey’s
In honor of our upcoming trip to Cincinnati, OH we’re going to cover one of the most haunted locations closest to the city, Bobby Mackey’s.
Built in 1850, it is said to be the most haunted nightclub in America. Originally built as a slaughterhouse and meatpacking facility, animals weren’t the only living creatures slaughtered there. Several murders were committed either in or around the club throughout the years.
It is said that the club harbors enough dark energy that the portal to hell is said to swirl somewhere within its basement. There have been reports of strange, suffocating heat, a trashcan flying through the air, and the apparation of a man with a handlebar moustache appearing in a mirror.
One of the more disturbing aspects of this club is that Bobby Mackey, country singer and owner of the club, reportedly wrote the song “Johanna” about the spirit of a woman who purportedly committed suicide in the basement of the club…. the same basement that allegedly contains the portal to hell.
The Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular
This one is obviously very late in the game, but we still wanted to touch on it and bring it to our little Horror Whores. The Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular in Louisville, KY.
“The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular was started in Oxford, Massachusetts in 1988 by a handful of families and their kids as a fundraiser for the public school system. After they grew up, some of those high-schoolers and one of the dads eventually took the show to the Providence Zoo. From those humble beginnings, Passion for Pumpkins, Inc., a multimedia production company was formed. The event came to Louisville in 2013 and is held annually in Iroquois Park with more than 5,000 artistically carved pumpkins illuminated at night as an “organic art show”. “ - From the official website of the Jack O’ Lantern Spectacular http://jackolanternlouisville.com
We went a few years ago, pre-pandemic, off of a random Facebook ad. (We like keeping our algorithms spooky.) We truly didn’t know what to expect. How could they really make that many Jack O’ Lanterns? I’ll tell you the same thing I tell Shawna when she asks why I make so many small Rob jokes. “I don’t know, but it works.”
We were floored. Aside from some of our normal haunts, it is one of our favorite places to visit every autumn. This past year we convinced our friend group to go with us. To say they were also floored is a vast understatement.
At the beginning, you can find vendors selling snacks and drinks, alcoholic and not. The smell of kettle corn was a point of interest for Shawna.
The lines are long, the air chilled. Every bit of that is worth it just for the first time of walking up and seeing the archways leading in, filled with lit up Jack O’ Lanterns. You’re hit with a childlike sense of awe and wonder.
As you walk the trail, you are surrounded on all sides by Jack O’ Lanterns. I do mean all sides. Including above you. That’s not a joke. I swear. Look up and you’ll see tree branches arching over you with them hanging down. Spectacular indeed.
I believe my personal favorite part is the themed areas. You will find movies, comics, art, and literary themes just to name a few. There is something for everyone and then some. At the end of the trail, you’ll also find a booth selling merchandise. I can’t speak to every year, but this year’s design was particularly cute.
As I said above, there is something for everyone here. It’s a fun, family friendly event that benefits local Louisville parks. You are kind of a dick if you don’t go.
Travel Thursdays!
Join us every Thursday as we take you on a journey to spooky places we’ve been to or had fun researching!
Today we’re going to Louisville, Kentucky. Specifically, the Fisherville neighborhood. Quaint, quiet and unassuming. One would never expect it was home to a part goat, part sheep, part man. The Pope Lick Monster, often referred to as the Goat Man, resides beneath a railroad trestle bridge that runs over the Pope Lick Creek. We visited the bridge during our last outing to Louisville. We were planning on just going home but Shawna brought up the idea. “Hey, why don’t we go Cryptid scouting?” (I say scouting now but at the time it was Cryptid hunting. We don’t hurt Cryptids in our house.)
The trestle bridge has become a bit of a hot spot for legend tripping. There have been a number of reported deaths and accidents stemming from the bridge, often attributed to the Goat Man. There is a massive misconception that the bridge the Goat Man lives under is abandoned. It is in actuality still a vital part of Louisville’s infrastructure. Heavy freight trains still use the railway daily. We aren’t here to argue the possibility that anyone was killed by the Pope Lick Monster, but it seems far more likely that a freight train or the attempt to get out of the way of said train is what caused a good number of the fatalities/accidents.
At the time of our visit at the bridge no freight trains came through. It was daytime, so the ambient noise of traffic going by could be heard, otherwise it was relatively quiet. It was a nice day with a bit of an overcast, so no real bright sunlight. We stood under the bridge for a while basking in our first taste of chasing a Cryptid. The feeling of being in a place that could hold clues to the existence of something otherworldly was a rush to be honest. You could see evidence all-around of others that came before us. Fences pulled to the side as a means of entrance, spray paint cans and the graffiti they made, hoodies and jackets left behind and forgotten. It all added to the ambiance. Did these people find him? Did they fall victim to him? Did they make it home to their families and other loved ones? All questions we wish we had answers to.
There are several urban legends that exist about the creature's origins and the methods it uses to claim its victims. I’m only going to list what I believe to be the most plausible. Some hold that the monster is a human-goat hybrid, and that it was a circus performer (I refuse to use the other word.) who vowed revenge after being mistreated. The most believable version of this one states that the monster escaped after a train derailed on the trestle. Another legend commonly told by locals of the area claims that the monster is really the twisted reincarnation of a farmer who sacrificed goats in exchange for Satanic powers.
There are a few different accounts of the way the creature dispatches his victims. In some he uses either hypnosis or voice mimicry to lure trespassers onto the trestle to meet their death before an oncoming train. (While we were under the bridge we did hear music close by. Make of that what you will.) Other versions claim the monster jumps down from the trestle onto the roofs of cars passing beneath it. More depressing legends tell that it attacks its victims with a blood-stained axe and that the very sight of the creature is so unsettling that those who see it while walking across the high trestle are driven to take their own loves by leaping off.
All of these are just stories. I believe that there is something living under that bridge. Do I believe it’s a bloodthirsty monster? The simple answer is no. I believe that there is someone misunderstood. Someone that is the subject of ghost stories that blame him for many deaths and accidents that could be attributed to a lack of common sense. I believe that much like other Crypids and creatures, there are people that hunt them for fun and invade their homes. If someone came into your home uninvited, what would you do? Approach with kindness and curiosity instead of running in and acting foolishly and maybe you might be met in kind. Now, having said all that, I could be wrong. This is all opinion. Maybe there is a monster that just wants to kill? I don’t know. No one knows for sure. These are all legends after all.
Our Thursday updates are going to bring you to places that often have Cryptids and hauntings attached to them. That isn’t us telling you to go and look for these things yourself. Attempt them at your own risk, but only after you understand the risks. Accidents can always happen, as you read above here. Be brave. Be curious. Just don’t be stupid.
(It should go without saying but just in case, do not climb the bridge! Leave sleeping Goat Men lie.)