About Ghostly Activities
Meet Jacob Rice
I’m Jacob Rice. I investigate haunted places, document what I find, and report it here — in blog posts, podcast episodes, and documentary films.
Since 2009, I’ve investigated haunted locations across North America, preserved stories that would otherwise disappear, and documented what actually happens when you spend a long night in a place where something doesn’t want to leave. That work has brought more than 3 million visitors to Ghostly Activities and generated over 1 million podcast downloads across three books and 20 documentary films.
I’m not chasing jump scares or made-for-TV drama. I’m here to find out what really happened, and why it might still be happening.
How It Started
It began in Chicago in 2007. A ghost appeared in the elevator of my apartment building. It was my grandfather, checking in on me, and I didn’t recognize him. I freaked out and shooed him away.
I’ve regretted it ever since.
That moment changed everything. I realized hauntings aren’t just strange phenomena. They’re unfinished stories. From that night on, I’ve treated every encounter like a mystery waiting to be solved, and every ghost like someone with something to say.
Two years later, Ghostly Activities was born.
How I Investigate
Most ghost hunting content starts with the gadgets. I start with the archives.
Before I set foot in a location, I’ve already been through newspaper records, death certificates, property histories, and eyewitness accounts. I want to know who lived there, who died there, and what they left unresolved. That research becomes the spine of the investigation and eventually the spine of the documentary.
On location, I’m looking for evidence across five categories (auditory, visual, environmental, engagement, and personal ) but evidence only means something in context. A voice on a recorder is interesting. A voice on a recorder that matches the name of a child who died in that room in 1920 is a story worth telling.
I also report when an investigation turns up nothing. A null result is still a result. Not every location delivers, and pretending otherwise doesn’t serve anyone, living or dead.
Keeping It Real
Respect comes first. I learn names, study the time period, and speak as if the people are still part of the conversation — because as far as I’m concerned, they are. No provocation. No shouting. Just questions, patience, and the understanding that if you can’t relate to a ghost as a person, you probably won’t get very far with them.
What You’ll Find Here
Long-form investigations. Oral histories. Historical deep dives. Ghost hunting methodology. Twenty documentary films. Three books. And a podcast that’s been running since 2019.
If you want to know what’s really going on — who these people were, what happened to them, and why some places don’t let go — you’re in the right place.
Find Ghostly Activities
🎧 Podcast — Apple, Spotify, Podbean or your favorite app
📺 YouTube — Ghost hunting documentaries and podcast episodes
📖 Books — Three books on ghost hunting and real ghost stories