HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Haunted School Bus Tours of Rochester Plus a Thursday Walking Tour of Mantorville, Led by Paranormal Investigator Dr. Hawk Horvath
151 4th Street SE, Rochester, MN 55904
Research updated August 2026
Age
13+ recommended; minors require adult supervision due to tour language and content
Cost
$$
Ticket pricing is not published on the operator's site as reviewed; tours are advance-ticketed with limited capacity. Verify current pricing at hauntingswithhawk.com.
Access
Limited Access
Rochester tours ride a school bus between stops; the Thursday Mantorville tour is a walk through the small downtown.
Equipment
Photos OK
Rochester, Minnesota (Olmsted County) · Mantorville, Minnesota (Dodge County)
Dr. Hawk Horvath has investigated paranormal activity in southeast Minnesota for nearly two decades and has led public ghost tours for roughly 14 years, according to regional press coverage. The tours previously operated in partnership with Rochester Trolley & Tour Co.; as of the 2024 season Horvath runs them independently, in partnership with Rochester Bus Service, using a school bus for the Rochester route.
The Rochester tour departs from the Olmsted County Government Center and stops at Rochester landmarks including the Rochester Civic Theatre, the Chateau Theatre, and the Kahler Grand Hotel. A separate Thursday-night walking tour covers downtown Mantorville, a Dodge County town regional media describe as one of Minnesota's most haunted, including the 1918 Mantorville Opera House and the Hubbell House restaurant. Tours run fall weekends and have been covered by the Rochester Post Bulletin, ABC 6 News (KAAL-TV), and regional radio outlets KROC and Y105FM.
Sources
Horvath describes the Rochester Civic Theatre as one of the most active sites on her tour, reporting that she has detected "dozens of voices and occurrences of paranormal activity" there during her own investigations. At the Kahler Grand Hotel, regional press coverage ties the tour's narrative to Helen Vorhees Brach, the Chicago candy-company heiress who vanished without a trace after a stay at the hotel in 1977, one of the most publicized unsolved disappearances associated with Rochester. Horvath brings investigation equipment on the bus tour and demonstrates it for guests alongside recounting her findings; she has repeatedly told press outlets the tours are meant to be historical and educational rather than scare-based.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
A three-hour bus tour departing the Olmsted County Government Center, visiting Rochester sites including the Rochester Civic Theatre, the Chateau Theatre, and the Kahler Grand Hotel. Dr. Hawk Horvath shares evidence from her own paranormal investigations, local history, and a ghost-hunting equipment demonstration. Friday and Saturday nights, fall season.
A walking tour of downtown Mantorville, covering the 1918 Opera House, Hubbell House restaurant, the Restoration House, and the Old Log Cabin. Thursday nights, fall season.
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Named by the operator as one of the most haunted stops on the Rochester bus tour; Dr. Horvath describes detecting recurring voices and paranormal activity in the building.
Named as a stop on the Rochester bus tour.
Named as a stop on the Rochester bus tour; press coverage ties reported activity to Helen Vorhees Brach, the Chicago candy heiress who disappeared after a 1977 stay at the hotel.
Named as a stop on the Thursday Mantorville walking tour.
Named as a stop on the Thursday Mantorville walking tour.
Named by the operator as a Mantorville walking-tour stop; no independent corpus entry found for this building.
Named by the operator as a Mantorville walking-tour stop; no independent corpus entry found for this site.
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