It wouldn’t be Halloween in Yankton without a ticket to the Haunted History Tours hosted by the Dakota Territorial Museum.

This year’s tours will be held Oct. 24, 25 and 27 – tours times to be announced later.

Since 2009, museum director Crystal Nelson has been taking people around Yankton for a hauntingly good time. The last couple of years the museum has had a waiting list for people wanting to participate.

“It’s great to see how much this event has taken off,” said Nelson.

Besides being an annual fundraiser for the museum this really is a fun tour to be a part of, says Nelson. You get to hear stories about Yankton’s past that most never knew about.

“We’ve even had people come in and share stories with us about different locations,” she added.

Over the years Nelson has compiled an extensive list of locations around Yankton. As of right now Nelson and her staff have enough location for four tours, so you don’t see the same place until five years later. And they are always looking for more locations.

Last year the museum was one of the tour locations. Attendees had a lot of fun hearing about the interesting things that happen at the museum. Other stops in the past have included the Mead Building, the IOOF Building, Lilycrest, and Sh-Booms. Those stops made for very interesting stories to share.

This year’s tour will take attendees back to the very first tour Crystal gave. All the details still need to be worked out but visits to places like Yankton College, the Dakota Theatre and the Coulson House are in the plans.

“Each time we tour a place, people on the tours often confirm the experiences of others or have experiences of their own in some of the public places we go. So, if you were on the first tour years ago, there may now be more to the story,” Nelson said.

“In addition, sometimes circumstances change and we can go into a place that we haven’t previously been able to enter so there is always something new to experience, even if you have been there before.”

New this year is the addition of the Pathfinder Bus. Over the past year, the museum raised the money to purchase a 25 passenger bus and has entered into a partnership with the Yankton Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Yankton Chamber of Commerce.

“Anyone that wishes to support the ongoing education of Yankton’s history and tourism is encouraged to seek out the museum or Chamber for an opportunity to advertise on seat covers as well.”

Tickets go on sale October 1 and can be purchased at the Dakota Territorial Museum, 610 Summit Street, or by call them at 665-3898. The cost is $5 for members of the Yankton County Historical Society and $10 for non-members.