Something Strange in Your Neighborhood?

A lifelong fan of the paranormal, Lorenzen has led walking tours of the spookier aspects of downtown Santa Fe for the past 15 years and provides ghost-lovers with an inside peek at the spooky and eerie events that have occurred in places such as La Posada, La Fonda, The Palace Restaurant and Saloon, the Palace of the Governors, the Oldest House and more.

"It's all based on the supernatural buildings that are reportedly haunted—I know they're haunted," he says. "For example, one night at The Palace a manager and waitress were closing up at three in the morning and they both very clearly saw the shadow of a 6-foot tall cowboy crossing the foyer, or I was told by a security guard at the Palace of the Governors that they saw an empty dress flying down the hallway one night."

Lorenzen says that ghosts can be categorized as either intelligent spirits who can speak with the living, revenants who utilize objects to communicate or poltergeists.

"In German it means 'noisy spirit,' and they don't usually show themselves," he says. "There are also demons, but they're fairly uncommon; I'd say something like 1 percent of spirits are evil or negative."

The walking tour lasts about two hours and comes with a coffee or tea drink included to help fight off the parched feeling that comes along with ghost proximity. Lorenzen stresses that wearing comfortable shoes is a must, and children under 5 might not enjoy the subject matter.

"You'll learn about the history of the city in addition to the ghosts," Lorenzen adds. "I'm basically a reporter and a storyteller rolled up into one."

Santa Fe Hauntings
5:30 pm Saturday, March 7. $10-$20
Liquid Outpost
211 Old Santa Fe Trail,
995-0165

Santa Fe Reporter