Lesley Ann Hyde is a successful local insurance agent. She also has a passion for history. It’s that passion that led her to a unique side business: Southern Ghost Girls Tours and Paranormal Investigations.
“In 2018 I decided I wanted to do something as a side gig that would bring me closer to people and do something fun while also giving back to the community. All my life I’ve had a passion for history and historic preservation. I’ve traveled extensively throughout the United States and around the world, and everywhere I went there was always a fun historical tour, haunted history tour or ghost walk,” Hyde shared. “I’ve always loved doing these types of tours in other cities so I thought to myself, ‘Why not bring this back to Alabama?’ There was nothing in Alabama like this and I said to myself, ‘I’m going to incorporate this into a business where people can go on tours, have fun learning about history and help raise money for historic preservation.’ Most of the tour companies that existed in surrounding states didn’t give back to the community for historic preservation or charitable causes, and this was something I wanted to do.”
Southern Ghost Girls Tours and Paranormal Investigations investigates homes, historical landmarks, museums and other places in the southern United States.
Tours with the Southern Ghost Girls aren’t spooky; they’re intriguing! Especially for those looking for a different type of experience.
“We conduct all kinds of fun, family friendly events. We specialize in historic tours of different cities, haunted history tours, ghost walks, ghost hunts and interactive murder mystery dinner events,” explained Hyde. “We do these types of tours for the public and we also offer private parties and events. The goal of our public tours is to raise money and give back. My tour company does tours in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia. We love doing private events to make your occasion special and memorable. We do parties for corporate events, businesses, clubs, birthday parties, bachelorette parties and all types of celebrations. We cater the events to what is important to you and what you would like to get out of the event for your special occasion.”
Historic venues have a special place in Hyde’s heart.
“All the public events, such as the murder mystery, dinner events and the ghost hunts and haunted history tours, have the same goal, and that is raising money for historic preservation at historic venues. I’ve found that historic venues are always the last to receive funds. When we do an event at these public venues, we always give them a portion of the proceeds to help with renovations, preservation and sustainability. We have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for historic venues and historical societies. All of the historic venues that we have given back to appreciate our help so very much. There were several places that during Covid were barely hanging on and were in jeopardy of being closed down. My company helped them stay afloat and not shut down. It’s important for our future generations to continue to be able to enjoy and learn about the history of these places, so I was very proud of my company being able to help many venues.”
What should someone expect on a Southern Ghost Girls tour, murder mystery or ghost hunt, etc.?
“A fun, interactive event!” exclaimed Hyde. “You’ll actually be learning history while having a great time! You’ll be immersed in the action. All our events are family friendly, and we have a lot of moms and daughters and friends who come out together to our events. They can always expect a safe environment; if they’ve not ever done anything like this, they can trust we will help them feel comfortable. Everyone always goes away saying they had one of the best nights of their lives. It’s such a fun thing to do! It is our goal to transport the customer back in time to another era and to immerse them into that historic moment. We dress in clothing authentic to the time period and era in which the events are set.”
She continued, “It’s so important to preserve these historic places and venues so that our future generations will know about them. All of the venues are appreciative of what we give back to them. Knowing that we can help is wonderful and exciting. We have new places calling us all the time asking us if we will host an event. We appreciate how well received we have been and have had a great time helping others. I’m happy to say that we have 30,000 fans and followers on social media and we’re known throughout the United States and have even gotten a call from a production company in London.”
Visit www.southernghostgirls.com for more information, tickets to an event or to contact Hyde to schedule a private event.