Coming Soon: Dark Water Tours to guide guests through Ocean Springs history with ghost stories

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - A new attraction is coming to the City of Ocean Springs, highlighting its rich history along with spooky encounters.

Dark Water Tours is owned by a husband and wife duo hoping to discover stories hidden in the shadows.

Dark Water Tours’ mission for tourists and those who live on the Coast is to teach the living about the dead.

The idea for a 90-minute ghost and history walking tour came when owners Jeremy and April Matthews found themselves wanting to learn about the history of the cities they visit.

“Anytime we travel, the first thing we look for is do they have a historical or ghost walking tour in the city that we’re visiting,” April Matthews said. “If they do, we’re in. So, we thought, let’s bring that type of experience where we live. Let’s do it right here in Ocean Springs.”

Tour guests visit eight different stops on the tour. Jeremy and April did all the research for the stops.

While that took time to gather, April says there are haunting stories just waiting to be unveiled on the Coast.

“We wouldn’t have those folklore stories if it wasn’t for the history. To be honest with you, the Gulf, the Coast is jampacked with all kinds of stories,” April Matthews said.

As for the ghost stories, residents near the Steamboat House on State Street told the Matthews they’ve seen ghostly figures on the roof, mostly before storms.

The Eglin family home, now known as the Villa Maria Retirement Apartments, burned down in the early 1900s. The Matthews say residents frequently report the smell of smoke to the Ocean Springs Fire Department.

While many of the stories are folklore, the Matthews’ goal is to discover truth and teach the history of the Coast, no matter how spooky.

They’re not stopping with Ocean Springs. The Matthews have plans to eventually expand coast-wide to tell all the eerie, unexplainable stories.

“We’ve got the casinos, we’ve got the beaches,” April Matthews said. “Why not have the walking tours?”

Keep an eye on Dark Water Tours’ website here for when they’re opening their tours to the public.

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