2025 Wicked Bridgeport Walking Tour

Paranormal author and lecturer Michael J. Bielawa will once again lead a fascinating lantern stroll of historic downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Friday, October 24, at 6:30 PM. October provides the perfect time to visit scenes of suspected hauntings, Victorian era murders, “Men In Black” sightings and other unexplained phenomena. Remarkably this wide variety of mysteries is centrally located within easy walking distance of the Barnum Museum.

Tickets are only available through Eventbrite.com. Pre-Registration is REQUIRED. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Walk up registration is not available. Tickets are $10 per person for Barnum Museum members, and $20 for others. Please note that this program is NOT recommended for children under 12 years of age.

Award-winning author and historian, Bielawa is well versed in the paranormal and New England history, and his explorations have taken him to the Northeast's most exotic and mysterious places. He is the author of numerous articles and five books, including Wicked Bridgeport (which received the first-ever New England Paranormal Literary Award) and Wicked New Haven. Bielawa has discussed Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein on NPR and brought Connecticut’s unique folklore to light on popular WTNH-TV programs Good Morning Connecticut and Connecticut Style. His essays on legends and the supernatural have appeared in FATE Magazine, The Connecticut Post, Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game Program (about abandoned 19th century ballparks), Connecticut Magazine, London's Fortean Times, and The Edgar Allan Poe Review. The Bridgeport Public Library’s History Center webpage posts Bielawa’s essays on such divergent subjects as Jack the Ripper and early encounters with “Men In Black.”

Bielawa has shared his research with radio audiences on WCBS, WABC, WICC and WPLR, and he celebrated New Haven’s 17th century "Phantom Ship” when he created the 4-story-tall, illuminated art installation, “The Persistence of Legend.” His dedication to preserving New England history has been covered by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Bielawa’s Bridgeport tales are based on research conducted at local and state libraries, historical societies, and through personal interviews. During the walk, Bielawa encourages participants to take photographs in order to help document the area’s paranormal activity.

This event will be held whether the moon & stars are shining or the rain is falling.

Please contact the Barnum Museum at [email protected] for more information.

Host or Publisher The Barnum Museum