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5 Ghost Tours to Get You in the Spirit

Halloween’s spooky season is a rite of fall

Denver Union Station at night
The Dark Side of Denver Ghost Tours travel through downtown. Here, Denver Union Station.
Getty Images
By

Kristin Braswell,

 
AARP
Published September 23, 2024

It’s almost that time of the year — when balmy summer days become just a memory, and brisk air beckons the arrival of the holidays. October has always been synonymous with spooky season, from queuing up your favorite scary movies to celebrating Halloween with decorations and social events. If you’re looking for ways to learn about the haunted legacies of various cities in the U.S., ghost tours are a great experience in a structured group setting. Hop on a bus, take a stroll through cemeteries and creepy mansions; hear scary tales of yesteryear and get insight to a city’s history and notable figures.

“Ghost tours present an opportunity to feel the past around us in modern day, to immerse ourselves in times gone by and to discover the origins and practices of things we believe and stories we have today,” says Courtney McInvale, historian and founder of Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours in Connecticut. 

According to the latest AARP travel survey, 63 percent of travelers 50-plus planned to travel only domestically in 2024. These five ghost tours can get you in the spirit for Halloween right here in the U.S.

a woman at a gravesite at night in Massachusetts
Participants in Salem Black Cat Tours are immersed in the city’​s spooky past.
Courtesy Black Cat Tours

Salem Black Cat Tours

Salem, Massachusetts

Price: $28; 10 percent discount for adults 60-plus; use promo code “Salem” online or request the discount when buying in person.

Black Cat Tours immerse participants in Salem’s famed spooky past. The Ghostly Night Tour, the most popular, visits dozens of chilling and historical sites in downtown Salem, which is a walkable city. During the approximate mile-long walk, you’ll get a peek into real-life events that inspired American authors such as Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Tour guides study the most up-to-date information on the city’s history, says Daniel Fury, co-owner of Salem Black Cat Tours.

participants standing attending Denver Ghost Tours outside Union Station
“There [are] no flashy special effects or cheesy jump scares,” says Brook Lee, owner of the Dark Side of Denver Ghost Tours.
Courtesy Dark Side of Denver Ghost Tours

Dark Side of Denver Ghost Tours

Denver

Price: $25 per person

Dark Side of Denver Ghost Tours include a leisurely walk through lower downtown and some of the area’s most spine-tingling sites, including breweries, bookshops and tunnels. “There [are] no flashy special effects or cheesy jump scares,” says Brook Lee, owner of the tour group. “We focus on history to help remind us of what may still be lingering behind to this day.” 

people at a gravesite at the Mystic Moonlit Graveyard Ghost Tour
The Mystic Moonlit Graveyard Ghost Tour is from Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours.
Courtesy Seaside Shadows

Seaside Shadows Haunted History Tours

Mystic, Connecticut

Price: Walking tours are $30 to $35 per person, depending on season, length and type of tour.

Join professional guides who lead you through the area’s burial grounds, unveiling unsolved crimes, folklore and ghost stories of Mystic. Historical tales include mysteries from the Victorian era, Civil War, Gilded Age and more. Options include the Mystic Moonlit Graveyard Ghost Tour, Paranormal Pub Crawl and Downtown Mystic Ghost Tour. The 1-mile tours can be arranged for private or public groups, says McInvale, the founder.

people attending the Haunted Orange County tour
The Haunted Orange County tour makes stops in the city’s Old Town neighborhood.
Courtesy Ernie Alonzo

Haunted Orange County

Orange, California

Price: $39 per person

Take a stroll through Old Town with a tour guide who will share the tales of haunted objects in antique stores, restaurants with an unusual service and an undertaker’s parlor. “For many older adults, our tours provide a unique opportunity to delve into local history and learn about the city’s rich and often mysterious past,” says Ernie Alonzo, director of operations at Haunted Orange County.

painted The Ghost Bus Tour bus illuminated in blue at night
The Ghost Bus Tour in San Antonio visits the Menger Hotel.
Lauren Swartz/Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours

Ghost Bus Tour in San Antonio

San Antonio

Price: $50 per person

This tour cruises to some of San Antonio’s most hair-raising sites, including the Menger Hotel, a cemetery and more — all led by a guide and driver who can provide a fright.

Kristin Braswell is a travel journalist and founder of CrushGlobal Travel. She has written for Vogue, CNN, USA Today, Essence, NPR, Architectural Digest, Ebony and the Los Angeles Times, among others.

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