Haunted or Not? Bella Notte Ristorante: Jackson, Michigan

Employees and customers swear the Bella Notte Restaurant (or "Ristorante") is haunted, and has been for decades, even before the space was turned into an eatery.

The location was once the home of Oppenheim's clothing store, founded in 1898. In the 1950s, Oppenheim's disappeared and a Sav-a-Lot drug store stood in it's place...then along came Bella Notte Ristorante years later.

When I visited to find out more about a haunting, I felt the upstairs was pretty creepy and desolate. Several spirits are said to inhabit the upstairs and they seem to enjoy spooking employees and customers that are granted a tour.

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One in particular is that of a lady in a lustrous, 1910 blue silk dress, who has been spotted walking thru the dark of night with a little girl - possibly her young daughter. Some people claim to have heard echoed cries of lost-sounding children...but who are these ghosts supposed to be?

Employees and customers of Bella Notte have experienced the usual sounds, cold spots, strange greenish glows and eerie feelings, as well as witnessing lights that shine by themselves when not turned on and doors opening & closing by themselves.

As far as any greenish glow? One night, when a manager was showing me around upstairs – about 20 years ago – she stopped and pointed to the wall.

“See that greenish glow?” she asked.
“No, I don't see it.”
“It's right there!” she exclaimed, pointing right at it.
“Nope. Can't see it.”

I don't know what the heck she was seeing but I sure didn't see anything.

If you pay a visit, you can request a tour of the upstairs, of which someone may help you (I don't know if they still give tours of upstairs any more).

An elevator takes you up - and once the elevator door opens, you really do get a sense of...something. Go see for yourself...Bella Notte is located at 137 W. Michigan in downtown Jackson.

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