Austin Ghosthunters Take on the Driskill Hotel

Austinites Alexandra Parrish, David J. Neff and Aaron Bramley have been hunting ghosts for the last six months with their show Ghosthunting and Milkshakes, the only Central Texas paranormal TV show. It airs on Facebook, YouTube, iTunes and Time Warner Ch. 16.

Alex believes in ghosts and Dave doesn't. On each show they investigate supposed hauntings in Texas, and at the end, determine a winner based on the amount of evidence obtained. The loser buys the winner a milkshake. In their first-ever Halloween episode, the team investigates downtown Austin's notorious Driskill Hotel.

The opulent hotel opened in Austin in 1886 by Colonel Jesse Driskill, but closed just six months later. After several more openings and closings, in 1999 it was fully restored to its original grandeur.

One of the ghosts at the Driskill is said to be Colonel Driskill himself, who is accompanied by the smell of cigar smoke. Smoking is not allowed in the hotel, and in the video, a staff member says she and most of the other staffers have all smelled cigar smoke at least once and in various areas.

Another ghost is the Texas ladies' man, who haunts guest rooms of beautiful women and supposedly lays out the clothes that he wants them to wear that night. Another spirit often seen is a young girl bouncing a ball. It is thought that she is the ghost of a Senator's daughter who fell to her death down the hotel's grand staircase while chasing a ball.

Have you ever encountered a ghost at the Driskill?