Last year, I traveled to Vegas solo to go to Zak Bagan's Haunted Museum for my birthday. I wanted nothing more than to spend my special day in a place I've wanted to go to since it opened.
When I arrived, I was greeted by "Angry Joe " Tasso, which was a real treat. He noticed my Selenite/black Tourmaline necklace and we talked about certain crystals and their ability to enhance your physic energy and to help you get in touch with the spirit world, as well as using them to protect yourself from negative energy and aid to ground you. It was really nice to meet him, and after I signed the waiver I was lead inside.
My tour was only myself and three other people, a younger male and what seemed to be his parents.
The moment I stepped inside I could feel all kinds of energy, dark, light, and the anxiety of the other guests. Mixed with my excitement my heart was racing sitting in the lobby waiting to start the tour.
The building alone felt ominous and the energy seemed to seep through the cracks and surround not only the building but those of us waiting to enter. The 11,000 square foot, 30 room building was constructed in 1938 and originally owned by a banker and businessman Cyril Wengert. Unexplained experiences have been associated with the property for decades. When Zak Bagans interviewed a local woman who recalls breaking into the unoccupied house as a teenager, she found evidence of dark rituals in the basement, most famously a Pentagram which was believed to be the site where the rituals were conducted.
I had so many experiences, almost in every room. If I were to explain them all this would become a mini-book, so here are the ones that most deeply affected me either at the time or I came to find even months afterward.
The Funeral Parlor
This beautifully constructed place of mourning contained two human skeletons from the Oddfellows Asylum still in their original coffins. We were all sat in chairs and told about the history of the secret society of the Oddfellows and how Zak obtained these remains. We were asked who wanted to volunteer to stare into the hollowed eye sockets of one of them to see our true mortality. My hand went up immediately, and no one else volunteered so I got up and walked over to the coffins and was asked which one I thought was "the one" I asked if I could put my hands on the caskets and I could instantly feel a connection to the male, whom apparently was the correct choice.
I remember so much, yet so little of that time. But, it felt like I was frozen in place and lost all sense of time or even where I was. I was however able to feel myself getting cold as an intense cold spot behind me began to make itself known.
After being "awoken" from my waking dream by the tour guide I was then asked to crawl down and enter a small door. Not knowing what to expect, I found myself in a small pitch-black tunnel and then greeted by a friendly staff member among the way. Sorry, Zak, no screams out of me.. I think I just said "hey there! nice to meet you" and followed him through the winding tunnel and ended up back in a different hallway.
The Jack Kevorkian office and Death Van
These rooms were both very intense but in various different ways. In the office surrounded by his research, personal desk, and other artifacts I almost became angry. I felt anger for those who took this path, and even more so for Kevorkian himself.
When I entered the room with the Van, my anger turned to sadness.. complete and utter crippling sadness. Tears began to stream down my cheeks as I looked at the photos of some of his known victims, most famously Janet H. Adkins, Majorie Wantz, and Thomas Youk. Yet, records show he was responsible for up to 110 Assisted Sucicdes, if not more.
Upon entering the room I was overcome by sadness, a deep, great sadness. As I got as close as allowed to be able to inspect the van, the equipment (that was used in these acts) I was overwhelmed with tears and eventually said my peace to them, composed myself as best as possible, and continued on with the rest the tour.
Peggy's Room
This is another room 3 of us 5 did not want to enter. Myself, with a heart condition and her known ability to cause heart attacks I had to second guess entering, but I did not come all this way to spend my birthday there and not see it ALL. So I went in, and instantly the SB-7 that sits beside her case started talking. At one point, I thought she said my name, but I am sure she was saying "Staysha" as she is one of the most well-known employees and tour guilds there, and on top of it, she and Peggy are close. Every question I asked was answered...
X- "do you like it here?"
Peggy- "yes"
X- "This is a lovely room Zak has made for you, do you like it?"
Peggy - "Care" "Safe" "Zak"
This went on and on for the few moments we had in there, and I look forward to continuing our conversation in the near future
No heart attacks, no raised heart-rate (I keep a close eye on it during investigations, or in a place like this)
The Cauldron Room - Ed Gein
This room I was so excited for this room, as even as a young child had fascinations with Serial Killers. Forensics, true crime, anything macabre, or unusual in general.
Outfitted like a barn, The cauldron being the centerpiece of the room, I remember looking up to see scarecrow dummies and the shovel that Zak Got when he bought the cauldron hanging on a hook just above.
I wanted to see as close as allowed, and at the time there was no glass case. You could see the charred metal, the remnants of Lady Snake's ritual there the night of the Ghose Adventures "Museum of Madness" Special. It was so close but yet could hear that inner voice saying "stay back, don't get too close" I moved to the other side of the room, inspecting the decor while listening to the legend of the items, and other related information. I then all of a sudden feel a grab on my butt, I must have jumped as the Tour guide said "you just got grabbed, didn't you? " "Yes, I did..right on my.." she finishes my sentence and makes it noted that a female's experiencing touches was a regular thing in Ed's Room. Certainly makes sense, considering what he did with the skin and parts of females, along with the lore that made him infamous as the Butcher of Plainfield.
What I didn't expect is to once again feel his dark energy nearly a month later, here in the safety of my own home. My bed, my shower, my space.
Bela Lugosi's Cursed Mirror
Another of the most famous artifacts in the museum is the Mirror that was once housed in Bela Lugosi's home. In 1982 a man was murdered inside the home and the mirror was the only witness to a crime for which the killer was never found. Many, including Zak, believe that the mirror took in that negative energy as well as the horrific murder itself and now its dark imagery is now part of the mirror- and the negative effects it has on people.
This was also that room was Thomas Edison's writing table as well as the set of Crying boy Paintings, that have their own haunted past of starting fires, yet being the only thing to survive the remains of several houses they hung in that were burnt to the ground.
I wanted to see these other items as well of course, but after getting again as close as allowed to the Mirror, I could not leave it. My body felt stuck like I was there but not there at the same time.
I began to see lights in my peripheral vision, but then I started seeing what looked like me walking slowly towards the place where the mirror ended, and I began. Closer and closer I peered in, only to see myself appear but yet I wasn't myself. I looked old, haggard, and worn. I remember feeling dizzy at this point and had a fellow tour member help me out of the room where I sat outside in the hallway trying to not let what I saw affected me to the point of being led out. So I gathered my courage to move on as there was still so much to see!
The Natalie Wood "Splendor Yacht Room"
This was another room that when entering I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness. Being among some of the items from the Yacht, you could feel the energy they still held in them. Other than a pain in my arm, and again a feeling of sadness as I could feel the items carried a lot of emotional residual energy.
Such a tragic death, so young, so talented. All the facts blurred by a drunken night of fun and terror. All this time, as still, her death is a mystery.. Only Natalie knowns what happened that fateful night.
The Dybbuk Box
At this point in the tour, my head was reeling with emotions, thoughts, sounds, smells, and overwhelming energy.
Before entering, the tour guide told us that it was her duty to inform us that a few days prior the box had started to open just a wee bit on its own. It was still of course concealed in its case, but the fact that it began to open all made sense the following March when Ghost Adventures did their Quarintene special, in which the last episode was the opening of the box. Zak had tried before to open it on a few occasions (Once alone with Post Malone, and again in a live episode of Ghost Adventures) Yet, both times it wasn't going right, and Zak followed his intuition and didn't do it.
In my small tour group of 4 (myself included) I was the only one who dared enter this room after the update.
Upon entering the room, I was overcome with excitement. I walked right up to it, circled around the case to soak in every detail. Every letter carved on the back, every crack, every mark, every inch. I then went back to the front and peering into the slight opening I became transfixed. I was trying to soak it all in, not realizing that I had nearly "checked out" and didn't realize how long I had been standing there. One thing I do remember is the feeling that took over me when I saw the glint of gold from the Chalice it contained. After that, I recall my chest tightening, and instead of listening to my intuition that was saying "get the hell out of there" I could not move, I was stuck.
Being the only guest in there, it took the tour guide to essentially "wake me up" and by now woozy and confused state as well and having a hard time walking was escorted out of the room to the other tour guests waiting in the hallway.
There is so much more to say about this amazing experience, along with many more notable areas and exhibits still untold.
These experiences stuck with me for days... but it wasn't until I got back to my hotel room that I noticed the scratches on my chest and when taking a photo in the mirror saw this black mist-like anomaly hovering beside me.
All I can leave you with is my take on the amazing building and collection housed at Zak Bagan's Haunted Museum. If you are interested in the Paranormal, Macbre, or just want to see some one of a kind items associated with some interesting history this is the place for you!
I can't wait to return.
