accessAtlanta

EACH FALL, Six Flags Over Georgia hosts Fright Fest, its ode to Halloween (www.sixflags.com). But some say ghosts haunt Six Flags all year long.

Through the years, many employees and guests have reported unexplained phenomena; tales of strange voices and apparitions are common. And the Six Flags property in Austell is rich in Civil War history.

DARREN VALLANCE/Ghost Hounds (ENLARGE)
Ghost Hounds head honcho Patrick Burns and crew check a venue for paranormal activity. He recently visited Six Flags.
MOST POPULAR STORIES Police: Jeffrey Donovan arrested, suspected of DUI Report: Abdul's return to 'American Idol' doubtful Beastie Boy Adam Yauch has 'very treatable' cancer Fallon's '7th Floor West' is a silly, soapy treat Chris Brown apologizes for Rihanna beating
EMAIL THIS PRINT THIS MOST POPULAR

Recently, accessAtlanta joined members of Ghost Hounds, an Atlanta-based paranormal investigation group, for a late-night Six Flags spook hunt.

PHANTOM OF THE PLANTATION?

Head ghostbuster Patrick Burns, co-star of Court TV's "Haunting Evidence," set up shop inside Monster Plantation, a ride where animatronic monster figures sing and dance as park guests float by in boats.

With headphones and a digital recorder, Burns listened for electronic voice phenomena (EVP). Translation? Talking ghosts. The ride was shut down, the monster figures staring lifelessly into space.

After asking questions out loud for a few minutes — "What's your name?" "Why are you here?" — Burns thinks he may have gotten a response.

He taped what sounds like a little girl saying "love you." We listened. It's a bit faint, but something is definitely there.

"Maybe I've seen one too many episodes of 'Scooby Doo,' " Burns says. "But there's something ominous and spooky about being in an amusement park when it's closed."

TEMPERATURES DROP IN GOTHAM

Another team poked around the Gotham City section of the park, home of Batman the Ride. Near the railroad tunnel, Ghost Hounds recorded drastic temperature drops of 30 degrees. Although the temperature that night was in the low 70s, they also felt a moving cold spot near the Batman ride that registered 39 degrees. A spine-chilling spook? Burns says strange patches of cold air are often attributed to paranormal phenomena.

OTHER GHOST STORIES

Another team of Ghost Hounds reported possible activity near the Ninja roller coaster and the adjacent picnic pavilion. At both spots, a team member claimed to have been touched by something that wasn't visible.

Over at the Fearman's Manor haunted house, two Ghost Hounds became nauseous, another supposed sign of supernatural activity. A pair of EVPs taken in Fearman's Manor contain what sound like the voices of a young girl and an older woman. When the investigator asked, "What is your name?" a girl's voice said "hip hop," followed by a woman's voice saying what appears to be "Dorothy."

HAUNTED ATLANTA

Here's a list of other supposed Atlanta haunts.

Anthony's Fine Dining in Buckhead (3109 Piedmont Road, Atlanta)

This Buckhead restaurant was originally an antebellum plantation. Burns investigated Anthony's with CNN (in 2003) and CBS 46 News (2004). For the latter, it was just Burns and a CBS cameraman.

"The level of activity we found there was staggering. The cameraman went running down the stairs," Burns recalls. "He said something reached out and touched him."

Netherworld Haunted House (6624 Dawson Blvd., Norcross)

Billy Messina and Ben Armstrong, co-owners of Netherworld Haunted House (www.fearworld.com) in Norcross, have had their share of odd experiences. Messina swears he's heard footsteps late at night inside Netherworld, while performers consistently complain of strange phenomena. One night, Armstrong, a self-proclaimed die-hard skeptic, was working alone in the locked Netherworld warehouse. As he was up on a ladder, the audio portion of the show began playing. The odd part? It's motion activated. A frightened Armstrong came off the ladder looking for the culprit. He found no one.

"I freaked out," Armstrong says. "I can't explain how it was triggered. I thought for sure someone was in there with me."

Kennesaw House (1 Depot St., Suite 200, Marietta)

Burns investigated this former Civil War hospital and morgue, which is now the Marietta Museum of History. It's there Burns claims he "caught one of the most amazing photographs I've ever seen." The picture, taken of a staircase in 2001, shows a solid, white figure that resembles an outline of a person. Until this day, it's still a mystery.

Warren House (54 Mimosa Drive, Jonesboro)

Originally built in the 1830s, this house was used as a hospital during the Civil War after former owner Guy Warren passed it on to the Confederate Army. Supposedly, severed arms and legs of wounded soldiers were tossed out of its third-floor operating room window. Current owner Dr. Jack Farrar claims there has been some strange occurrences, and it's rumored that the spirit of Warren still resides there today. The Henry County Ghost Hunters, another group of paranormal investigators, is currently researching the site.