VAGazette.com

When Maxanne Taverniti began a tour company in Williamsburg several years ago, her first priority was historical accuracy. From that initial goal grew a popular ghost tour that visits several "haunts" in and around the Historic Area. Taverniti is carrying her belief in accuracy over to Yorktown for her new venture, the Yorktown Moonlight & Mysteries Tour.

Why Yorktown?

"I love the history that took place in Yorktown," she said. "It's such a pristine and untouched area. The motive behind everything I do is try to find creative ways to share storytelling as an art form, and share the history of an area in a fun and creative way."

The Yorktown Moonlight & Mysteries tour combines both bus and walking tours of Yorktown's waterfront, Main Street (shown) and battlefields.

She thinks Yorktown is such a beautiful village, people should come and enjoy it. "They'll get the same feeling I get when I go there," she added.

The Yorktown venture also gave her a chance to try something new, combining a motor coach tour along the waterfront and around the village and nearby battlefields with a candlelit walking tour past historic homes, taverns and public buildings.

"This is the first time anyone has done a combination with the two elements of a coach tour and a walking tour," Taverniti said. "That idea really intrigued me as an innovative and fun way to do something."

As she did with the ghost tours in Williamsburg, Taverniti called on the writing of noted ghost-story author L.B. Taylor.

WANT TO GO? June through August, the Yorktown Moonlight & Mysteries Tour is offered at 7 and 8:30 p.m. nightly. In September and October the tour is offered on Saturday nights only at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, and $10 for children ages 4-11. Children under 4 are free.

"He had done a selection of stories that were wonderful," she said. "We also did some of our own digging and found a couple of stories. The historic area of Yorktown has such a unique atmosphere. We can talk about the battlefields in two ways. We tell folks that the spirits that are here at the battlefield are not necessarily scary ones, but historic ones.

"Bob Taylor has a wonderful library of stories we use down there. We blend fun facts, history and trivia. That formula has never failed us."

While the product may be a ghost story, historic accuracy is never far away. Tour guides interject bits of history throughout the program.

"We go to extra lengths to try and get folks to understand, right up front, what is a lore or legend. But when we talk about history, we have to get it right the first time and every time. That's a responsibility I feel deeply, and there is nothing more important," Taverniti said.

The ghost tours are fun, she added, because she enjoys making people smile. And adding the fun of a ghost tour can draw in an audience that otherwise would never join a walk to learn history.

"You have to find a way to put a new spin on an existing theme," she said. "But the real reason is, I want to help people learn the history. When you do that, the onus is on you to make sure you provide the most accurate, immediate, and relevant historic information sprinkled throughout the tour. It would be irresponsible to do anything less."