HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena — as catalogued
Kid-Friendly and Adults-Only Ghost Walks Through Historic Downtown Harlingen
318 W Jackson Ave, Harlingen, TX 78550
Research updated August 2026
Age
The Haunted History Tour is kid-friendly; the Nuthin' but Ghosts Tour may not be suitable for children
Cost
$
$15 per person for the Haunted History Tour; children 10 and under free. Pricing per the operator's own site.
Access
Wheelchair OK
An outdoor walking tour of historic downtown Harlingen along sidewalks.
Equipment
Photos OK
Historic downtown Harlingen commercial district · Arcadia Theater site (destroyed by fire, 1970)
Leaux Leaux Paranormal Investigations, LLC (pronounced "Lu-Lu") is operated by Lysa Hillestad and Darrin Bippes, paranormal investigators with over two decades of combined experience across the United States and Canada. The couple pitched the city of Harlingen on organized downtown ghost tours in 2022, and the tours have run regularly since, covering a route of historic downtown buildings including the Grimsell Seed Store (built on the remains of the Arcadia Theater, Harlingen's largest movie house, destroyed by fire in 1970) and the former Palm Hotel building, now Frank's Collection & Antiques.
The tours have been covered by MyRGV.com, KRGV's "Made in the 956" series, and the City of Harlingen's own tourism blog and social channels.
Sources
The Haunted History Tour visits about nine stops through historic downtown Harlingen, including the Grimsell Seed Store on the former Arcadia Theater site and the antique shop that was once the Palm Hotel, where the current owner has described hearing footsteps and her name called by an unseen presence. The Nuthin' but Ghosts Tour is a shorter, more hands-on evening tour of about four stops using EMF meters and dowsing rods.
This is the tour operator's own marketing material and reported field investigation, not documented history independently verified for this listing; it is included here as a description of what the tours cover, not as an endorsement of any specific claim.
Media Appearances
A 90-minute, kid-friendly walking tour of about nine stops through historic downtown Harlingen, pairing documented building history with reported hauntings, led by longtime local paranormal investigators. Tickets $15 per person; children 10 and under free. Meets at Lozano Plaza, 318 W Jackson Ave.
A roughly 2-hour, more intensive walking tour of about four downtown Harlingen stops using EMF meters and dowsing rods; the operator advises it may not be suitable for children. Meets at Lozano Plaza, 318 W Jackson Ave.
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Named stop; occupies the structural remains of the Arcadia Theater, which burned down June 2, 1970.
Named stop; the building cycled through use as the Palm Hotel, Day's Pharmacy, and a physician's office before becoming an antique shop.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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