Meet Our Tour Guides
We are justifiably proud of our tour guides. Each has been chosen for his or her experience, whether as a tour guide, a public speaker or performer, a historian, or as a delightful combination of all the above. Each has been professionally trained to provide our valued guests with a history tour that is factual (as opposed to fantastical) and an experience that is both fun and educational.
Ladies and gentlemen, in their own words, let us introduce:
Amanda
Hi I’m Amanda!
History is my passion. I have a Bachelor of Arts in History from the College of William and Mary in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, and a Master of Science in Education from the University of New Haven in Connecticut. I worked at Mystic Seaport Museum before teaching social studies in a public school for over a decade.
When I became a full-time, remote researcher/writer, I followed in the footsteps of many of our city’s pioneers by migrating south to Fort Myers. Of course, I have made it a priority to learn about the history of the land I now call my home. It is my pleasure to share it with you!
Christopher
Hi I'm Christopher!
Christopher Balzano is a teacher, writer, folklorist, and the current host of the podcast Tripping on Legends.
He has been documenting the unexplained since 1994 and has been a figure in the paranormal world through his book, articles, and his work as the director of Massachusetts Paranormal Crossroads and now Tripping on Legends.
Balzano is the author of two books about regional hauntings in Massachusetts’ Bridgewater Triangle, several collections of true ghost stories and a pair of how-to paranormal books.
He has been a featured contributor in more than two dozen other books, often called in to offer insight into the paranormal or perspective on a certain case.
His recent book, *Haunted Florida Love Stories*, focuses on ghostly legends across the state that all love as part of their backstory and his newest *Haunted Ocala National Forest* recounts the weird and haunted happenings in Florida’s creepiest state forest.
He has appeared on radio stations across the country and throughout the Internet, as well as being called upon by television shows to comment on ghosts and urban legends.
Breanne
Hi I’m Breanne!
Born and raised here in Fort Myers, I’m a sixth generation Floridian. My husband is also a native and we have two daughters together.
I’ve always had a passion for history, which led me to being a proud board member of the Southwest Florida Historical Society as well as a cemetery and gravestone preservationist. In 2020, I started a small business named “The Grave Maid” where I specialize in cleaning headstones and restoring old burial grounds.
I’ve decided to dedicate my life’s work to our local history & forgotten cemeteries in the area.
I will be conducting the Cemetery and Fabulous Female Tours.
