Who is buried in the walls of the Capitol building? What is the ghostly secret of St. Mary's Cathedral?

Find out the answers to these and other questions as you follow your lantern-bearing guide on a 90-minute, 1/2 mi easy trek around downtown Nashville.

Our tour was the first one of the season. About eight of us met our friendly, informative guide in front of the Hermitage Hotel, home of the famous "white lady." We were told that there have been many sightings of the lady on the tour, but we did not encounter her personally, nor, indeed any other of the ghostly apparitions we learned of. Nevertheless, the tour was a great way to see some of Nashville at night and get a taste of history. From Rachel Jackson and a couple of other famous ghosts at the Capitol to Chet Atkins at the Ryman, we covered them all. My favorite was the mysterious and odd story of St. Mary's.

Personally, I would not bring small children on this tour, as it does cover a very adult section of town, Printer's Alley. (I was fascinated to learn here that when you see a building with a balcony in downtown Nashville, it probably used to be a brothel.) The walk is very easy and there are a lot of stops. Wear comfortable shoes, and bring a camera. We haven't looked at all our pictures yet. I hear that often things show up that weren't visible to the eye.

The Nashville Ghost tour begins in front of The Hermitage Hotel in downtown Nashville, Wednesdays-Mondays at 8 p.m.

Rhetta Akamatsu is a wedding planner, paralegal, and freelance travel writer. She owns several websites, including some new pages which presently focus exclusively on Ghost Tours. You can visit it at http://www.maxandstar.info/ghosttravel.htm.