HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
+ 1 further entry on record
Hands-On Paranormal Investigation Along the Grand River
40 Monroe Center NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Research updated July 2026
Age
All ages; equipment use suited to teens and adults
Cost
$$
$40 per person (ages 5+); children under 5 free. Booked through the operator's Peek widget.
Access
Limited Access
Outdoor walking on downtown sidewalks and along the Grand River; some uneven historic surfaces.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1826 · Furniture Industry Heritage · Grand River Industrial Corridor · Pantlind Hotel Historic District
The Grand Rapids of the late 19th century was the country's largest furniture-manufacturing center, built around the rapids of the Grand River that gave the city its name. The river served as both transportation corridor and industrial power source, and decades of lumber-rafting operations produced a substantial historical record of drownings and accidents documented in the Grand Rapids Press archives.
Tours Around Michigan operates as a Grand Rapids tour company offering walking, history, and ghost-hunt programs across downtown. The Grand Rapids Ghost Hunt Tour assembles at 40 Monroe Center NW, on the sidewalk outside the Shinola Detroit store in the Monroe Center pedestrian district. The route is roughly one mile, lasts about 90 minutes (1.5 hours), and covers the Pantlind Hotel section of the Amway Grand — built in 1902 and incorporated into the modern complex in 1981 — along with adjoining commercial buildings and the riverbank.
The tour was profiled by Fox 17 and by Rapid Growth Media after launching, with coverage emphasizing the operator's hands-on equipment use and accessible scheduling. Departures run 11 AM, 2 PM, 4 PM, 7 PM, and 8 PM seven days a week, year-round, for groups of 4-20. Bookings are handled through the Peek reservation platform and the toursaroundmichigan.com booking portal at $40 per person.
Sources
Tour narrative draws on the Pantlind/Amway Grand history, where staff over many years have reported a woman in early-20th-century dress on the upper floors of the hotel's older section. The Pantlind opened in 1902 on the site of the earlier Morton House and was incorporated into the Amway Grand Plaza when the modern tower was added in 1981. Hotel staff and guests have reported elevator anomalies, doors opening on empty hallways, and what witnesses describe as the smell of cigar smoke in non-smoking corridors.
Along the river, tour guides reference 19th-century drowning records during the lumber-rafting era. Investigators on the route have logged EMF spikes near specific building corners and audio anomalies on personal recorders. The operator presents these readings as data rather than confirmation, in keeping with the tour's hands-on equipment focus.
Fox 17's morning coverage of the tour emphasized the program's blend of documented local history with field-investigation methodology. Tour guides return often to the framing question: why does this stretch of downtown produce so many reports? They do not answer it.
Media Appearances
A 90-minute hands-on outdoor investigation through downtown Grand Rapids using EMF detectors, voice recorders, and other paranormal equipment provided by the operator. The route covers the Grand River bank, the Pantlind/Amway Grand corridor, and adjacent historic blocks.
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