146: The Haunted Minnesota Files
The Wabasha St. Caves and First Avenue
In this special bonus episode, we’re taking a break from our usual recap format and diving into something a little different—and very local. Join Amy, AP, and Megan as we explore some of Minnesota’s most haunted hotspots, packed with gangster lore, underground speakeasies, and a few spirits (of the ghostly kind).
👻 Featured Haunts:
- Wabasha Street Caves (St. Paul): Once a mushroom farm, then a Prohibition-era speakeasy, this sandstone cave system is now a event venue with an eerie past. Expect mobster shootouts, mysterious disappearances, and ghostly swing dancers.
- First Avenue (Minneapolis): From bus depot to rock club, this legendary venue has hosted everyone from Prince to Blue October. But did you know it may also host a legless ghost in the ladies’ room and a spirit named “Flippy” who doesn’t like bar stools out of place?
🕵️♀️ We Chat About:
- Gangster ghosts with a soft spot for kids
- Haunted bathrooms and bathroom etiquette (ghost-style)
- Amy’s failed attempt to summon a ghost (but she tried, okay?)
- Dillinger’s pistol, maybe
- How Minneapolis gangsters just wanted to make money while St. Paul’s got a little stabby
- Why prohibition might be responsible for NASCAR
- And yes, somehow it all comes back to mushrooms
📣 Bonus Content:
Amy gives a behind-the-scenes peek at her live show from her other podcast ( Volsteadland ) and connects the dots between historic gangsters and their haunts.
So, pour yourself some contraband hooch and join us where The Activity Continues.
Thanks for joining us! Don’t forget to rate, review, and tell your weird friends.
Chapter Markers
00:00:00 Intro
00:04:32 Hello!
00:05:24 Wabasha Street Caves
00:29:49 First Avenue
00:51:45 Volsteadland Live Show
00:57:31 Minnesota Ghost Stories needed for a book!
00:59:09 Outro
Episode links:
Wabasha Caves Resources:
https://olioiniowa.com/blog/wandering-the-wabasha-street-caves/
https://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2966?srsltid=AfmBOore95sVsCykyvOSoa5KyuZ7LDbq0SZPucb0e_USr1hfeSTiJQfv -Excerpt from a book “Passport to the Paranormal” by Rich Newman
https://hauntedhouses.com/minnesota/wabasha-street-caves/
First Avenue Resources:
https://www.americanghostwalks.com/articles/minneapolis-ghosts-the-spirits-of-first-avenue
https://first-avenue.com/about/our-history/
https://www.americanghostwalks.com/articles/minneapolis-ghosts-the-spirits-of-first-avenue
Buy links
“Passport to the Paranormal” by Rich Newman : https://amzn.to/4kjeLL4
Amazon links could generate a small commission to us at no cost to you.
Leave us a voicemail at: https://www.theactivitycontinues.com/voicemail/
Visit us at: https://www.theactivitycontinues.com/
This episode was recorded on May 5, 2025 and released on May 29, 2025.
📝 Want to share your haunted Minneapolis story?
Our friend and author Ron de Beaulieu is writing a book about haunted Minneapolis and wants your ghost stories! Email her at: hauntedinminneapolis@gmail.com
The Activity Continues is a paranormal podcast where soul friends, Amy, Megan, and AP chat about ghost stories, haunts, dreams, and other supernatural and paranormal stuff including the TV show, The Dead Files. Our recaps are full of recurring jokes about recurring tropes.
We also occasionally do interviews with people from the metaphysical world, as well as Dead Files clients.
Disclaimer:
Sometimes we get a little scientific. We enjoy trying to come up with possible explanations for some of the things that the clients experience. But this by no means indicates that we do not believe the clients or are invalidating their experiences. We do believe.
This podcast is in no way affiliated with HBOMax, the Travel Channel, Painless TV, or the TV show The Dead Files or any of its cast or crew. We’re just fans of the show talking about paranormal shows & movies and other spooky stuff. We want to build a community of like-minded people who would enjoy hanging out and discussing similar content.
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Production, Artwork, and Editing: Amy Lotsberg at Collected Sounds Media, LLC.
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