Bower’s Harbor Inn – Haunted Restaurant in Traverse City, Michigan

Bower’s Harbor Inn commands a stunning hilltop position overlooking Grand Traverse Bay, its elegant Victorian mansion exterior and white-tablecloth dining rooms concealing a century of tragedy, obsession, and the restless spirit of a woman whose jealous rage and tragic death created one of Northern Michigan’s most famous and well-documented hauntings. Built as a private residence in 1880 by Chicago lumber baron J.W. Stickney, this historic building has transformed from family home to speakeasy to acclaimed restaurant where diners come for award-winning cuisine but frequently leave with stories of Genevieve, the ghost who haunts the dining rooms, manifests in mirrors, moves objects, and seems particularly drawn to women dining alone or men showing attention to female companions, making it a location where paranormal activity enhances rather than detracts from the dining experience as staff and patrons have learned to coexist with a spirit whose presence has become part of the restaurant’s identity.

Historical Background

Year Built: 1880

Original Purpose: Private summer residence for Chicago lumber magnate J.W. Stickney and his family, designed as an elegant Victorian retreat from urban life

Significant Events: The most significant tragedy occurred in the early 20th century when the home belonged to a wealthy family whose daughter, Genevieve Stickney (accounts vary on exact dates, placing it between 1906-1920s), allegedly discovered her husband having an affair with a servant or neighbor woman. In a fit of jealous rage, Genevieve confronted the lovers, and depending on which version of the legend you believe, either killed herself in despair, was murdered by her husband, or died accidentally during the confrontation, with her body discovered hanging in what is now the ladies’ restroom or discovered at the bottom of the stairs, circumstances that remain murky but universally agree she died violently and her spirit has remained ever since.

During Prohibition (1920-1933), the building allegedly operated as a speakeasy serving Canadian alcohol smuggled across the bay, with rumors of violence, gambling disputes, and at least one murder during a card game gone wrong, adding layers of dark history beyond Genevieve’s tale. The property served various purposes including private residence, boarding house, and occasional restaurant through the mid-20th century, with each iteration reporting paranormal activity that owners initially dismissed or tried to suppress until the phenomena became too consistent to deny. In 1974, the building was restored and reopened as Bower’s Harbor Inn fine dining restaurant, with staff immediately experiencing encounters with Genevieve’s spirit, and management eventually embraced the haunted reputation when denying it proved futile given the frequency and consistency of paranormal reports from staff and diners across decades.

Paranormal Activity Summary

The most consistent phenomenon involves Genevieve’s spirit interacting with female guests, particularly those dining with male companions, with reports of invisible hands touching women’s hair or shoulders, earrings being removed and found in unusual locations, and women feeling watched or experiencing cold spots when visiting the restroom. Male diners report being touched as well, particularly feeling taps on shoulders or having their chairs pulled backward as if Genevieve is seeking attention or expressing jealousy toward those giving attention to other women.

Objects move throughout the restaurant with wine glasses sliding across tables untouched, silverware rearranging itself into different patterns, candles extinguishing and relighting without explanation, and dining room chairs moving positions between services despite being left in specific configurations. Genevieve’s apparition appears frequently in the restaurant’s mirrors—particularly the large antique mirror in the ladies’ restroom—with hundreds of witnesses reporting seeing a woman in Victorian-era clothing standing behind them before vanishing when they turn around, and staff document that this mirror manifestation occurs so regularly it’s become an expected rather than shocking phenomenon.

Ghost Stories & Reports

Genevieve Stickney – The Jealous Spirit: The restaurant’s primary ghost manifests as an elegant woman in late Victorian or Edwardian dress, appearing throughout the building but most frequently in dining rooms, the ladies’ restroom mirror, and the staircase area. She appears as a beautiful woman with elaborate upswept hair, fine jewelry, and formal period attire, sometimes appearing solid and three-dimensional before fading, other times manifesting as a translucent figure or merely a reflection in mirrors that has no physical source.

Hundreds of witnesses have encountered Genevieve, with her behavior patterns remarkably consistent across decades—she seems drawn to attractive women, particularly those dining with men, appears jealous or territorial, and manifests through touches, object manipulation, and mirror appearances that staff interpret as attention-seeking behavior from a spirit whose jealousy in life apparently continued into death. Multiple diners report feeling their hair stroked or jewelry touched, initially assuming their companion did it before realizing the person couldn’t have reached them, and these gentle interactions suggest Genevieve examines or perhaps envies the living women sharing space in what she still considers her home.

The Prohibition-Era Gambler: A male spirit believed connected to the speakeasy years appears in the bar area and wine cellar, manifesting as a man in 1920s attire sometimes seen holding playing cards or a whiskey glass. His presence is accompanied by the smell of cigar smoke and bootleg whiskey, sounds of poker chips clinking, male voices arguing about money, and occasionally the crack of gunfire though no weapon is present.

Staff members working bar shifts report encountering this entity, describing him as less interactive than Genevieve but still present, with bottles occasionally moving on shelves, glasses falling and breaking without explanation, and one bartender documented seeing a full apparition of a man in period clothing sitting at the bar after hours, raising a glass in toast before vanishing, suggesting residual replay of his habits or possibly an intelligent spirit still enjoying the establishment he frequented in life.

The Servant Woman: Some witnesses report a second female spirit, less frequently encountered than Genevieve but present nonetheless, appearing as a woman in servant’s attire from the early 1900s. Local legend identifies her as the woman involved in the affair that triggered Genevieve’s jealous rage and death, though whether she died at the property or simply her memory imprinted paranormally remains unclear.

This entity appears primarily in kitchen areas and service corridors, seen carrying dishes or linens as if still performing her duties, and witnesses describe her as appearing frightened or anxious rather than hostile, possibly still fleeing Genevieve’s wrath or residually replaying her work routine, with staff reporting feeling watched while working in back-of-house areas and occasionally seeing a figure in peripheral vision that vanishes when viewed directly.

The Child on the Stairs: A less prominent but documented phenomenon involves childish laughter and the sound of small footsteps running up and down the main staircase, though no child apparition appears consistently enough to establish clear identity. Staff members report toys or small objects appearing on stairs where no children have been present, and one theory suggests a Stickney family child who died young, though no historical records confirm such a death.

Genevieve’s Manifestation Patterns: Genevieve exhibits distinct behavioral patterns that staff have learned to recognize and even predict—she becomes more active during evening dinner service, particularly on Friday and Saturday nights when the restaurant is busy with couples, manifests more intensely when beautiful women dine alone or receive significant male attention, and the ladies’ restroom mirror shows her reflection so frequently that female staff warn female guests that “you might see something unusual in the mirror, but don’t be frightened, it’s just Genevieve.”

Most Haunted Spot Inside

The Ladies’ Restroom and Antique Mirror: This intimate space where numerous accounts place Genevieve’s death (by suicide or murder) and where her reflection appears with such extraordinary frequency generates the most consistent, documented, and witnessed paranormal activity in the entire establishment, with literally hundreds of women over decades reporting identical experiences of seeing a Victorian-era woman standing behind them in the large ornate mirror mounted on the wall. The manifestations follow a consistent pattern—women enter alone, approach the mirror to check appearance or wash hands, glance up and see a woman in old-fashioned clothing standing directly behind them as if physically present in the small room, experience a moment of startled recognition that someone is there, turn around to find the room empty, look back at the mirror to find the reflection gone, and often flee in frightened confusion or fascinated excitement depending on their openness to paranormal experiences, while some witnesses report Genevieve’s reflection making eye contact through the mirror, appearing sad or angry, occasionally mouthing words though no sound accompanies the visual, and in rare cases reaching toward the observer as if trying to communicate or touch them before fading, with the room also producing sudden temperature drops creating freezing conditions, the overwhelming scent of vintage perfume appearing and dissipating, and women reporting feeling touched, having their hair stroked, or experiencing the sensation of invisible hands on their shoulders while standing alone, phenomena so consistent and frequent that staff now casually mention “the mirror” when seating female guests, and the restaurant has leaned into the haunted reputation by encouraging guests to photograph the mirror hoping to capture Genevieve’s image, with dozens of photographs over the years showing anomalies, mists, or what appears to be a woman’s figure when no one was present, making this the single most haunted and evidentially documented location in the building where experiencing Genevieve’s presence is more probable than not during any given evening of restaurant operation.

Can You Visit?

Open to the Public? Yes – operates as full-service upscale restaurant open to dining public

Entry Fee: No admission fee; restaurant operates on reservation basis with entrées ranging from $28-$58; bar/lounge accessible without reservation

Tour Availability: No formal paranormal tours offered; dining reservation provides access to experience the haunted environment; staff willing to share Genevieve stories with interested guests; several Traverse City ghost tour companies include Bower’s Harbor Inn as exterior stop with history

Photography Allowed? Yes throughout public areas; guests encouraged to photograph the ladies’ restroom mirror in hopes of capturing Genevieve; flash photography discouraged during active dinner service out of courtesy to other diners

Visiting Hours: Restaurant: Monday-Saturday 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Sunday 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM (seasonal variations, closed January-March); Bar: Opens at 4:00 PM; Reservations strongly recommended for dining, particularly summer season and October

Best Time to Visit

Friday and Saturday evening dinner service (6:00 PM – 9:00 PM) produces the most consistent paranormal activity as Genevieve seems more active when the restaurant is busy with couples and romantic dining scenarios that apparently trigger her jealous nature. October generates heightened activity with the Halloween season energy, and summer season (June-September) when tourist crowds fill the restaurant creates the atmosphere Genevieve seems to prefer, though staff report she’s present year-round with manifestations occurring even during slow weekday services or closing duties.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

Server Michelle Kowalski, employed since 2008, documented over 100 paranormal incidents during her tenure including multiple occasions when place settings she arranged were found completely rearranged in geometric patterns during the brief time she stepped away, wine glasses sliding across tables away from guests while she watched, and her most memorable encounter in 2015 when she saw Genevieve’s full apparition standing near table 7 watching a couple dine, the spirit appearing solid and three-dimensional in an elaborate green Victorian dress before fading slowly over approximately 10 seconds while Michelle stood frozen in awe.

In 2017, guest Jennifer Walsh captured compelling photographic evidence when she used the ladies’ restroom, photographed herself in the famous mirror for social media, and upon reviewing the image discovered a woman in Victorian clothing clearly visible standing behind her left shoulder though Jennifer was alone in the small room, the figure showing period-accurate clothing details, a stern expression, and slight transparency, with photography experts confirming no manipulation or technical anomalies and the image becoming one of the most widely circulated pieces of Bower’s Harbor Inn paranormal evidence.

Restaurant manager David Krueger documented his 2019 closing experience when he was alone in the locked building completing paperwork around midnight, heard distinct footsteps walking through the dining room above his office, investigated with keys ready expecting an intruder, found the dining room empty but all the chairs at table 12 pulled out as if a large party had just been seated, smelled overwhelming vintage perfume, and experienced a sudden temperature drop so severe his breath became visible despite it being July, an encounter that converted him from skeptical manager who dismissed staff ghost stories to believer who now freely acknowledges Genevieve’s reality.

Local Legends & Myths

The Curse of Beauty: Local legend warns that exceptionally beautiful women dining at Bower’s Harbor Inn will receive particularly intense attention from Genevieve’s jealous spirit, with several stories circulating about gorgeous women having jewelry pulled off, drinks spilled by invisible forces, or experiencing frightening bathroom mirror encounters because Genevieve resents their attractiveness and male attention they receive.

The Table Genevieve Prefers: Restaurant folklore identifies table 7 as “Genevieve’s table” where she most frequently manifests and paranormal activity occurs with highest intensity, with staff documenting that couples seated at this table experience more unexplained phenomena than those elsewhere, leading some servers to intentionally seat skeptical guests there while believers often request it hoping for an encounter.

The Earring Phenomenon: Perhaps the most specific legend involves Genevieve removing earrings from female guests’ ears, with dozens of women reporting feeling a tug, discovering one or both earrings missing, and finding them in impossible locations—inside sealed water glasses, in jacket pockets that were confirmed empty, on different tables across the restaurant—suggesting Genevieve takes them as souvenirs or out of jealousy then returns them in ways that demonstrate her supernatural nature.

The Anniversary Manifestation: Legend claims that on the anniversary of Genevieve’s death (date disputed and unknown), her spirit manifests with unusual intensity, appearing solid enough to be mistaken for a living woman, and several accounts describe confused staff approaching her to offer service before she vanishes, though without confirmed death date this anniversary timing remains folklore rather than verifiable pattern.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

Northern Michigan Paranormal Research has investigated Bower’s Harbor Inn multiple times since 2009 with restaurant permission during closed hours, accumulating extensive evidence including dozens of EVPs featuring a female voice responding to questions about her name (responses matching “Genevieve”), her reason for staying (“It’s my home”), and her feelings (expressions of sadness, loneliness, and references to betrayal). Their thermal imaging captured a human-shaped cold spot moving through the dining room when confirmed no living people occupied that space, and they documented the ladies’ restroom mirror showing temperature anomalies and what appears to be a face forming in condensation patterns despite no humidity source creating the condensation.

The Syfy Channel attempted to investigate Bower’s Harbor Inn for “Ghost Hunters” but scheduling conflicts prevented formal investigation, though producer representatives who visited for location scouting reported experiencing phenomena including objects moving, cold spots, and one producer claiming to see Genevieve’s reflection in the mirror during a preliminary visit, calling it “one of the most compelling spontaneous encounters” she’d experienced during location research, though without formal investigation these remain anecdotal rather than documented evidence.

**Traverse City psychic medium Rebecca Morrison conducted multiple sessions at the restaurant between 2014-2018, claiming consistent contact with Genevieve’s spirit who communicated that she died by hanging herself after discovering her husband’s infidelity, that she remains because she’s bound by unresolved jealousy and rage, and that she’s aware of the restaurant’s modern use and enjoys the energy of couples dining, living vicariously through their romantic interactions while simultaneously feeling jealous, creating the ambivalence that explains her behavior—both seeking connection and expressing resentment toward living women who have the love and attention she lost.

Safety Warnings & Legal Restrictions

**The restaurant is located on a hillside with steep driveways, stairs, and uneven terrain that can be hazardous particularly during Michigan winters when snow and ice create slipping risks, with several guests requiring assistance after falls on exterior stairs, emphasizing the importance of appropriate footwear and caution when visiting during inclement weather.

**The building’s historic Victorian construction includes steep interior staircases with narrow treads, low doorways in some areas, and original architectural features that don’t meet modern accessibility standards, requiring guests with mobility challenges to inform staff who can provide ground-floor seating and assistance as needed.

**While Genevieve’s spirit is generally considered benign with most interactions being gentle touches or visual manifestations, individuals with severe anxiety, cardiac conditions, or extreme fear of paranormal phenomena should be aware that unexpected ghostly encounters have startled guests sufficiently to cause panic attacks, with one instance requiring EMS evaluation after a woman experienced severe anxiety following a mirror encounter, though the guest recovered quickly once removed from the triggering environment.

**The ladies’ restroom where Genevieve most frequently appears is a small, enclosed space that can feel claustrophobic particularly when paranormal manifestations occur, and guests experiencing distress should immediately exit and inform staff who are trained to handle such situations professionally and can provide alternative facilities or assistance as needed.

Cursed or Haunted Objects

The Antique Mirror: The large ornate mirror in the ladies’ restroom where Genevieve appears most frequently allegedly came from the original Stickney residence and may have been the mirror Genevieve used in life, with some theories suggesting mirrors can trap or attract spirits who were vain or appearance-focused, though whether this specific mirror holds special significance or simply serves as a reflective surface where Genevieve chooses to manifest remains debated among paranormal researchers.

Table 7’s Chandelier: The chandelier hanging above table 7 where Genevieve most frequently manifests allegedly sways or dims in response to her presence, with multiple witnesses documenting the light fixture moving without air current or vibration and dimming dramatically during confirmed paranormal activity, suggesting either Genevieve manipulates it intentionally or her spiritual energy affects electrical systems in proximity to her manifestations.

Genevieve’s Portrait: A portrait hanging in the dining room allegedly depicting Genevieve Stickney (though authentication remains disputed) is said to have eyes that follow observers through the room, with multiple guests photographing the painting and claiming that her expression appears to change—sometimes smiling, sometimes stern, sometimes weeping—between photographs taken minutes apart despite being a static painted image.

The Victorian Earring Collection: The restaurant keeps a collection of earrings that mysteriously appeared over the years in impossible locations, allegedly taken by Genevieve from guests and “returned” in ways demonstrating supernatural activity, with staff displaying these as evidence of the haunting and testament to decades of guests experiencing the earring removal phenomenon that has become Genevieve’s signature interaction.