Each year around October, Scott Colburn and his daughter Melissa Colburn provide bus tours through Lincoln, Nebraska, showcasing the various haunted locations throughout the city. As the bus weaves through town, Scott stands up at the front of the bus and tells stories about apparitions, disembodied voices, personal experiences, stories told to him about ghostly encounters, and folklore. Scott has been involved with the Ghost of Lincoln Bus Tours for 20 years and has been involved in the paranormal since 1974.
The tour is meant to flow continuously, keeping everyone on the bus during the nearly 3-hour duration. The length of the tour allowed for numerous stops that went along with the chilling tales associated with them. We made brief stops at various locations including 20th and Washington, State Capitol Building, Ferguson House, Nebraska State Penitentiary, Tabitha, Hollywood Bowl, Wesleyan University, various private residences, and much more.
As we rode along, Scott recounted the various stories associated with each location. Scott also made sure to answer questions as they were asked by people on the bus and encouraged people to share their stories with him once the tour was over.
Although we only exited the bus to stop halfway for a bite to eat, the stories, along with the continuous movement throughout the city allowed for an abundance of interesting haunted locations.
For all of you Bigfoot and extraterrestrial enthusiasts, Scott also shared quite a few of his own stories, experiences, and research related to these topics as well.
The main issue I had in regard to the tour was the visibility through the bus windows. I vouched to pay the extra money and get the deluxe bus because I liked the idea of comfier seats on such a long ride. Although I am a Husker fan for life, I wish the Blackshirts decal on the window wouldn’t have obscured our view so much. The darkness, along with the large printed image, made seeing much of anything rather difficult. I also wish we could have stopped at least once to venture into one of the locations to look around or that the tour was split into two different types of tours, which would provide longer times at each stop to get a more detailed ghost story. At times the tour seemed rushed, jumping from one topic to the next because time was running out, which is difficult to believe with the length of the tour in general. All in all, however, I found the tour to be incredibly enjoyable. I was able to learn about new places and even heard new versions of old ghost stories I had never heard before. The night tours, although difficult to see at times, provided an ambiance worth experiencing. During the tour, Scott announced that if enough people wanted to purchase tickets for day tours they would consider them in the future. Honestly, if they provide them, I will be among the people who will in line for that particular tour, but I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have already experienced the nightly tours.
Two different types of buses are offered, a standard bus and a deluxe motor coach, the latter providing a more comfortable riding experience for a higher ticket price. The deluxe motor coach tickets cost $23 per seat plus tax and the standard passenger bus tickets cost $16 per seat plus tax. Keep in mind that the deluxe bus is wheelchair accessible, while the standard bus is not.
In the past, tickets were sold at A Novel Idea bookstore, but this year they will be sold at omt! Divine Women's Resale located at 1725 Van Dorn, Lincoln, NE, 68502 starting on August 27, 2018 at 10 am. Tours have sold out in the past and generally do by the end of the tour season.
Ghosts of Lincoln Bus Tours website: http://ghostsoflincoln.com/
omt! Divine Women’s Resale website: http://www.omtdivineresale.com/
Ghosts of Lincoln Bus Tours on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ghostsoflincoln/