NYC can seem awfully crowded—and that's not even counting the many "unseen" inhabitants who are said to roam our ranks. Encounter these ghostly gangs, and uncover Manhattan's many mysteries and hair-raising history, while out on one of these 8 spooky ghost tours of NYC. Each are sure to "tour-ture" you with some frightening fun!
These moody, lantern-lit evening tours delve into the mysteries and murders behind NYC's scariest historical headlines, factoring in plenty of supernatural elements en route. Sign up for one of three tour options, covering the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village (learn about the real Boston Strangler, and the ghosts of the Triangle Factory fire); Lower Manhattan (hear about a murder linked to Jack the Ripper, and a grave-robbing riot); and Hell's Kitchen/Tenderloin (with back stories on a trio of serial killers, neighborhood gangsters, and Broadway theater ghosts).
Book It: Tours run 2 to 2.5 hours and cost $25/person; the 2014 season ends on December 13, 2014. Book tours and learn more at ghostsandmurders.com.
This spook-specialized walking tour company offers a slate of tours throughout the city, with themed options like "Peter Stuyvesant and His Ghostly Friends of the East Village," "Edgar Allan Poe and His Ghostly Neighbors of Greenwich Village," "George Washington and the Ghosts of the City," "From Ghost Busters to John Lennon: The Ghosts of the Upper West Side," "The Nevermore Tour: The Ultimate Ghost Experience," and the "Phantom Pub Crawl of the East Village Starring Harry Houdini." Tours weave together ghost stories, scandalous tales, haunted places, folklore, and more, all in short mile-long circuits.
Book It: Ninety-minute tours cost $20 to $25, and are offered on select dates year-round; ghostsofny.com.
If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Dr. Pete and Dr. Stew, of course, a duo of paranormal investigators and licensed NYC tour guides dubbed the “Ghost Doctors.” Each leads group tours throughout NYC, affording participants a crash course in ghost-hunting basics and equipment usage (like infrared temperature detectors and night-vision goggles) while out on ghostly expeditions in purported paranormal hot spots like Central Park, SoHo, Grand Central Terminal, and even the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Book It: Tours cost $35 to $40 and run on select dates year-round; book tickets and see schedules at ghostdoctors.com.
Devoted to exploring the dark side and dirty underbelly of New York City, Boroughs of the Dead conducts several themed walking tours, like the "The Ultimate Greenwich Village Ghost Tour," "The Weird West Village: From Poe to Lovecraft," and Manhattan’s only dedicated Edgar Allan Poe walking tour, held in Greenwich Village. Unique for the company, each meticulously researched tour is guided by established or emerging horror and fiction writers, adding a unique storytelling component to their outings.
Book It: Tours, currently scheduled on select dates through November 22, 2014, average 1.5 to 2 hours, and cost $20/advance, or $25/day of; to book and for more info, visit boroughsofthedead.com.
Great New York Tours runs a featured "Ghost Walk" focused on the paranormal phenomena of Greenwich Village, with stops that include nods to Edgar Allen Poe, a mass grave at Potter's Field, and the "Hangman's Tree"—the oldest tree in Manhattan, and reportedly the scene for several hangings.
Book It: Two-hour tours depart Thursdays through Saturdays, year-round, at 7pm. Advance booking ($35) is required; greatnewyorktours.com.
Haunted Manhattan specializes in the ghosts, ghouls, and villains of the Village, with a trio of 90-minute tour products, each taking in an unlucky number of 13 haunted stops in either the West Village, Greenwich Village, or East Village. Actor-guides position themselves as in-character experts on the nabes' sordid underbellies and after-life denizens, and lead participants to visit with dead poets at the White Horse Tavern, ghost trains at the Astor Place subway station, and more.
Book It: Tours run 7 days a week through November 15, 2014 (though not each individual tour is offered daily); tour times are 7:30pm and 9:30pm. Book tickets ($25) at hauntedmanhattan.com.
Billed as NYCs most haunted neighborhood, this 1.5-hour twilight tour of Lower Manhattan hits up the cemetery at Trinity Church, the haunted Fraunces Tavern, and dark and spooky alleyways in the city's oldest quarter. For good measure, those of you that "ain't afraid of no ghosts" will also visit a film location from Ghostbusters 2.
Book It: The last tour of the season is on Halloween night (October 31, 2014) at 6:30pm. Nab tickets for $25 (free for kids under 10) at wallstreetwalks.com.
This pay-what-you-wish tour company proposes a pair of spooky outings. Try the "Ghosts of Greenwich Village" tour, which focuses on the haunted past of Greenwich Village and Chelsea, with a stop at the hidden mass tomb of yellow fever victims, and a retelling of the murderous legend of Sid and Nancy. Or, sign up for their "Haunted High Line" tour, which recounts tales of the eccentrics who once lived below the tracks, or of the child ghosts said to haunt the street formerly known as Death Avenue.
Book It: The 1.5- to 2-hour tours are free, but guides depend upon gratuity; tours are scheduled on select dates through November 9, 2014, but may be extended, depending upon popularity; freetoursbyfoot.com.
1. Ghosts, Murders and Mayhem Walking Tours
These moody, lantern-lit evening tours delve into the mysteries and murders behind NYC's scariest historical headlines, factoring in plenty of supernatural elements en route. Sign up for one of three tour options, covering the neighborhoods of Greenwich Village (learn about the real Boston Strangler, and the ghosts of the Triangle Factory fire); Lower Manhattan (hear about a murder linked to Jack the Ripper, and a grave-robbing riot); and Hell's Kitchen/Tenderloin (with back stories on a trio of serial killers, neighborhood gangsters, and Broadway theater ghosts).
Book It: Tours run 2 to 2.5 hours and cost $25/person; the 2014 season ends on December 13, 2014. Book tours and learn more at ghostsandmurders.com.
2. Ghosts of New York
This spook-specialized walking tour company offers a slate of tours throughout the city, with themed options like "Peter Stuyvesant and His Ghostly Friends of the East Village," "Edgar Allan Poe and His Ghostly Neighbors of Greenwich Village," "George Washington and the Ghosts of the City," "From Ghost Busters to John Lennon: The Ghosts of the Upper West Side," "The Nevermore Tour: The Ultimate Ghost Experience," and the "Phantom Pub Crawl of the East Village Starring Harry Houdini." Tours weave together ghost stories, scandalous tales, haunted places, folklore, and more, all in short mile-long circuits.
Book It: Ninety-minute tours cost $20 to $25, and are offered on select dates year-round; ghostsofny.com.
3. Ghost Doctors
If there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? Dr. Pete and Dr. Stew, of course, a duo of paranormal investigators and licensed NYC tour guides dubbed the “Ghost Doctors.” Each leads group tours throughout NYC, affording participants a crash course in ghost-hunting basics and equipment usage (like infrared temperature detectors and night-vision goggles) while out on ghostly expeditions in purported paranormal hot spots like Central Park, SoHo, Grand Central Terminal, and even the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Book It: Tours cost $35 to $40 and run on select dates year-round; book tickets and see schedules at ghostdoctors.com.
4. Boroughs of the Dead
Devoted to exploring the dark side and dirty underbelly of New York City, Boroughs of the Dead conducts several themed walking tours, like the "The Ultimate Greenwich Village Ghost Tour," "The Weird West Village: From Poe to Lovecraft," and Manhattan’s only dedicated Edgar Allan Poe walking tour, held in Greenwich Village. Unique for the company, each meticulously researched tour is guided by established or emerging horror and fiction writers, adding a unique storytelling component to their outings.
Book It: Tours, currently scheduled on select dates through November 22, 2014, average 1.5 to 2 hours, and cost $20/advance, or $25/day of; to book and for more info, visit boroughsofthedead.com.
5. Great New York Tours: New York Ghost Walk
Great New York Tours runs a featured "Ghost Walk" focused on the paranormal phenomena of Greenwich Village, with stops that include nods to Edgar Allen Poe, a mass grave at Potter's Field, and the "Hangman's Tree"—the oldest tree in Manhattan, and reportedly the scene for several hangings.
Book It: Two-hour tours depart Thursdays through Saturdays, year-round, at 7pm. Advance booking ($35) is required; greatnewyorktours.com.
6. Haunted Manhattan
Haunted Manhattan specializes in the ghosts, ghouls, and villains of the Village, with a trio of 90-minute tour products, each taking in an unlucky number of 13 haunted stops in either the West Village, Greenwich Village, or East Village. Actor-guides position themselves as in-character experts on the nabes' sordid underbellies and after-life denizens, and lead participants to visit with dead poets at the White Horse Tavern, ghost trains at the Astor Place subway station, and more.
Book It: Tours run 7 days a week through November 15, 2014 (though not each individual tour is offered daily); tour times are 7:30pm and 9:30pm. Book tickets ($25) at hauntedmanhattan.com.
7. Wall Street Walks: Downtown Ghost Walking Tour
Billed as NYCs most haunted neighborhood, this 1.5-hour twilight tour of Lower Manhattan hits up the cemetery at Trinity Church, the haunted Fraunces Tavern, and dark and spooky alleyways in the city's oldest quarter. For good measure, those of you that "ain't afraid of no ghosts" will also visit a film location from Ghostbusters 2.
Book It: The last tour of the season is on Halloween night (October 31, 2014) at 6:30pm. Nab tickets for $25 (free for kids under 10) at wallstreetwalks.com.
8. Free Tours by Foot: Ghosts of Greenwich Village Tour & Haunted High Line
This pay-what-you-wish tour company proposes a pair of spooky outings. Try the "Ghosts of Greenwich Village" tour, which focuses on the haunted past of Greenwich Village and Chelsea, with a stop at the hidden mass tomb of yellow fever victims, and a retelling of the murderous legend of Sid and Nancy. Or, sign up for their "Haunted High Line" tour, which recounts tales of the eccentrics who once lived below the tracks, or of the child ghosts said to haunt the street formerly known as Death Avenue.
Book It: The 1.5- to 2-hour tours are free, but guides depend upon gratuity; tours are scheduled on select dates through November 9, 2014, but may be extended, depending upon popularity; freetoursbyfoot.com.
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