Tales Trails and Taverns Podcast

In this episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe and Rob journey deep into the Amazon—and deeper into one of exploration’s greatest mysteries: the disappearance of Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett. A disciplined British Army officer turned obsessive explorer, Fawcett became convinced that an ancient civilization—known only as the Lost City of Z—once thrived in the heart of the jungle. The hosts ex...

In this episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Rob takes Joe down one of the darkest rabbit holes in modern American history — Project MKUltra. Together, they explore how the CIA’s secret mind-control experiments began, what the agency claimed to be studying, and how far those experiments may have gone behind closed doors. From government-sanctioned psychological warfare and drug testing to the di...

In this episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe takes Rob deep down the rabbit hole of the GATE program—an educational initiative originally designed to challenge and support gifted students. But along the way, the conversation takes a much darker and more unsettling turn. Why do so many former GATE students, across different states and decades, report strikingly similar memories? Being pulled...

This week on Tales, Trails, and Taverns, things get a little darker than usual—because Rob is taking us deep below the surface of the internet and into the shadowy corridors of the dark web. Joe sits back as Rob explains what the dark web actually is, how it works, and why it exists—far beyond the myths, urban legends, and Hollywood exaggerations. But that’s just the beginning. From there, we dive...

In this episode, Rob and Joe head deep into one of Massachusetts’ most storied—and unsettling—historical sites: Tewksbury State Hospital. Once a sprawling almshouse and later one of the state’s largest medical institutions, Tewksbury’s history is layered with hardship, controversy, and thousands of forgotten lives. Joe takes listeners through the 150-year history of the hospital—from its beginning...

In this Thanksgiving episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe and Rob dive deep into two of the Northeast’s most mysterious and myth-soaked locations: Camp Hero in Montauk and Plum Island, just off the coast of Long Island. Both places have rich, complicated histories—military experiments, secret research, Cold War paranoia—and both have sparked some of the wildest conspiracy theories of the las...

In Part Two of our conversation with Erica—lead villain of The Rez, urban explorer, and paranormal investigator—we go even deeper into the shadows that followed her home. Joe and Rob pick up where they left off, as Erica reveals chilling details about the aftermath of filming inside the haunted Freetown State Forest—including the unsettling presence she believes may have attached itself to her aft...

In this special two-part episode of Tales, Trails & Taverns, Joe and Rob sit down with Erica — the lead villain from Rob’s upcoming horror film The Rez — to dive into the real-life darkness behind the role. Erica isn’t just an actress with a talent for unsettling performances… she’s also an avid urban explorer and seasoned paranormal investigator with stories that blur the line between acting...

In this special episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe and Rob — both proud U.S. Marine veterans — raise a glass to the birthplace of the Corps: Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They dive into the history of the legendary tavern, where on November 10, 1775, the Continental Marines were first recruited under Captain Samuel Nicholas. The episode explores how this unassuming colonial tav...

In this eerie solo episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe takes listeners deep into the shadowed halls of one of New England’s most legendary haunted destinations — The Omni Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. From its lavish beginnings in the early 1900s to the tragic tale of its original owners, Joe explores the hotel’s rich and sometimes chilling history. He tells the st...

In the chilling conclusion to this two-part Tales, Trails, and Taverns special, Joe welcomes paranormal investigator and urban explorer Heather Lopez to discuss what unfolded during the investigation of his family’s 150-year-old Cape Cod homestead. Heather shares her firsthand experiences inside the Baker house — the heavy, watchful energy that filled each room, and the unmistakable presence of Ne...

In this emotional and eerie first part of a two-part Tales, Trails, and Taverns special, Rob and Joe turn their attention to a deeply personal investigation — the Baker family homestead on Cape Cod. Standing for over 150 years, this once-proud house has sheltered six generations of Joe’s family, but time and neglect have left it weathered, broken, and shrouded in mystery. Joe opens up about what i...

In this festive Halloween episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Rob and Joe trade candy for commentary as they share their must-see and must-not-see Halloween movies! From cult classics like Halloween and Trick ‘r Treat to seasonal favorites like Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas, the guys dive into what makes each film a hit—or a total miss. They also debate the hidden charm (or cha...

In this episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe takes Rob deep into the heart of the Bridgewater Triangle to uncover the mysteries surrounding Dighton Rock, the strange, carved boulder that has puzzled historians, explorers, and locals for centuries. Nestled along the banks of the Taunton River in Berkley, Massachusetts, this ancient rock bears mysterious inscriptions whose origins remain hotly...

This week, things didn’t go as planned—and that might be an understatement. Rob and Joe had a full episode ready to go… until a technical nightmare hit. Rob’s entire audio file refused to download, disappearing into the digital void without explanation. So rather than leave listeners hanging, Joe hit record solo and took you deep into one of New England’s most quietly haunted landmarks: the Hornbi...

In this episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Rob and Joe sit down to talk about their latest creative projects. Joe dives into his brand-new book, Claimed in Stars and Chains, a blend of science fiction, romance, and cosmic terror, while Rob shares the behind-the-scenes process of filming The Rez, his indie slasher shot deep in the infamous Freetown State Forest. Together, they discuss the writi...

In this powerful and reflective episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe sits down with a very special guest — Christina from Sasquatch and Sourdough. Known for blending wilderness wisdom with grounded spirituality, Christina opens up about her profound experience visiting Gettysburg — a place where history, trauma, and spiritual energy collide in ways few places on Earth can match. Together, th...

In this chilling episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joseph and Rob dive into the eerie overlap of horror, filmmaking, and the paranormal. They share their firsthand experiences filming in haunted locations like the infamous Freetown State Forest, a place long associated with ghost stories and strange activity. From sudden battery drains to the unsettling silence of the woods, the atmosphere ad...

In this episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe sits down with paranormal investigator and urban explorer Heather Lopes, also known as Haunted Hunter. With over a decade of experience in paranormal investigation and urban exploration, Heather opens up about her life growing up in a haunted house, the ghostly encounters that shaped her, and how investigating has become a family activity with her...

Joe and Rob are back to celebrate the start of our third year of podcasting! In this milestone episode, we take a look back at where this journey has taken us—revisiting our most downloaded episodes, where in the world our show has been listened to, and the fun, weird, and unforgettable places we’ve explored along the way. From haunted trails and abandoned towns to the bizarre and mysterious corne...

In this special episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe sits down with Connecticut author Tristan Mason to talk about his upcoming anthology Nutmeg Horror. Tristan weaves New England’s legends and lore into chilling, original tales that will keep you up at night. We dive into his creative process, his stories that have already found a home on Creepypasta and YouTube, and how he balances folklor...

On this episode of Horror Movie Monday, Joe is joined by longtime friend and Cape Cod native David Paton to dive deep into the legendary 1975 thriller that made us all think twice about going in the water—Jaws. Together, they break down the masterful suspense, the behind-the-scenes challenges of filming on the open ocean, and the infamous technical issues with "Bruce," the mechanical shark. Plus,...

In this week’s episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns: Horror Movie Monday, Rob and Joe dive headfirst into the gore-soaked chaos of Terrifier (2016), the ultra-violent indie slasher that introduced audiences to the nightmarish Art the Clown. We talk about the film’s roots, from Art’s early appearances in All Hallows’ Eve to his rise as a new cult horror icon. Rob digs into the insane practical eff...

In this episode of Tales, Trails, and Taverns, Joe takes Rob—and all of you—on a journey to one of North Carolina’s most iconic and allegedly haunted landmarks: the Omni Grove Park Inn. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, this grand stone resort has hosted presidents, celebrities, authors, and yes... spirits. Joe describes what it’s like to walk through the massive granite halls of t...

In this week’s Horror Movie Monday, Rob and Joe dive into The Black Phone (2021), the eerie, atmospheric thriller starring Ethan Hawke as the chilling and masked villain, The Grabber. We break down the trailer’s promises versus the movie’s execution, praise Hawke’s haunting performance, and explore the nostalgic—but gritty—portrayal of life in the '70s and '80s. Plus, we take a closer look at one...