When in Portland....

Blood Runs Cold In New "Beyond Bizarre" Tour Exploring Portland 's Haunted Hideaways and Supernatural Stories

- Portland Walking Tours Introduces Bone-Chilling Ghost Tour July 1 -

PORTLAND , Ore. – June 12, 2007 – Unexplained mysteries, ghostly adventures and spooky stories fill the new "Beyond Bizarre" evening tour from Portland Walking Tours. The tour begins July 1 and offers both family-friendly and over-21 versions.

"We hired a leading expert on the paranormal and a proven clairvoyant to help us develop this tour and now, as certified members of the International Ghost Hunters Society, we're leading walkers on an eerie crawl through the creepiest parts of our town," said David Schargel, founder of Portland Walking Tours. "Our popular Best of Portland, Epicurean Excursion and Underground Portland tours have always been historical and factual, but Portland 's spooky, weird and wacky past haunted us until we gave in and created the Beyond Bizarre tour."

Armed with real ghost hunting equipment, walkers venture down shadowy streets to reveal Portland 's paranormal, catch glimpses of ghosts, expose psychic hoaxes and duck through haunted passageways. The spine-tingling Beyond Bizarre tour invites thrill-seekers to:

• Wield a working electromagnetic frequency meter to search for supernatural activity at the entrance to the legendary underground Shanghai Tunnels, one of " America 's top ten most haunted places" according to the Travel Channel;
• Visit the site of Portland 's deadly cholera outbreak while trying not to disturb the sleeping spirits lurking in the nearby burial grounds;
• Tiptoe through the top floor of Portland 's most haunted hotel to catch a glimpse of skin-crawling sights; and
• Hear tales of dark secrets, strange rituals and things that go bump in the night.

"In all my years of researching the paranormal in the Pacific Northwest, I've never seen an urban area with a higher concentration of supernatural activity than here in Portland ," said Jefferson Davis, author of A Haunted Tour Guide to the Pacific Northwest. "This tour visits the top three haunted places in the city and gives walkers the unmatched opportunity to witness other-worldly things most never experience."

Family-friendly tours are offered daily at 7 p.m. and a late-night version with true tales of murderous mayhem, deadly debauchery and extreme weirdness for the over-21 crowd begins at 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. All Beyond Bizarre tours start at Old Town Pizza, located at 226 NW Davis (between NW 2^nd and 3^rd Avenues). Tickets for the 7 p.m. tour are $19 for Adults ($17 when booked online), $15 for Senior/Youth, $5 for Children and Tots are free. Tickets for the longer 10 p.m. tour are $29 (which includes a drink voucher). Tours regularly sell out and advance ticketing is required to reserve ghost hunting equipment. Space is limited and tours begin promptly, so walkers are required to arrive at least 15 minutes before start time.

About Portland Walking Tours

Portland Walking Tours, a division of Hometown Advantage, offers guided tours exploring Portland 's food, history, art, architecture, fountains, parks and neighborhoods. Private walking tours and school field trips are also available. Parent company Hometown Advantage, www.hometownadvantage.com, provides event and meeting planning services including customized group tours throughout the Willamette Valley and Columbia Gorge as well as step-on guides, transportation services and entertainment. The 24-hour Portland Walking Tours information and ticketing line is 503-774-4522. Additional information and online ticketing available at www.portlandwalkingtours.com.