The 16 Most Hair-Raising and Spine-Chilling Ghost Tours Across the U.S.

The birthplace of Louisiana Voodoo, New Orleans is a city where tales of vampires, ghosts and witches swirl around. Needless to say, an evening walking tour of the Big Easy promises to make you feel a bit queasy or rather uneasy. But remember it’s all in good (and ghoulish) fun.

Ghosts and gangsters...where do we sign up!? Travel with a guide to some of the creepiest destinations in the the Windy City—including Prohibition-era speakeasies where bootleggers and mob bosses ran the show, criminal hangouts and the infamous Death Alley, which was used as a morgue after the mysterious 1903 fire at the Iroquois Theatre.

Savannah has more haunted spots than almost any other city in the United States. While wandering the cobblestone streets, lined with Antebellum homes and Spanish moss-draped trees, remember you’re not alone. From Johnson Square and Colonial Park Cemetery to the Savannah Historic District, souls (some of which have unfinished business) are everywhere.

Founded in 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, St. Augustine claims bragging rights as the oldest city in America. Over the centuries, a lot of ominous stuff has gone down in this coastal town. A tour that combines walking around blood-curdling locations and a ghost hunt gets an A+ in our book.

Boston goes way back to the days of yore. So you best believe there are a lot of historic and hair-raising sites worth checking out in Beantown. Two of the oldest burying grounds obviously top the list. Touring around on the “Trolley of the Doomed” with a costumed host…we’ll that’s just icing on the creepy cake.

Arguably the most obvious pick, Salem is infamous for its witch trials in which 19 people were sentenced to death. You don’t have to look far to come across a place with some connection to supernatural phenomena. This top-rated guided walking tour packs a plethora of eerie enticements into one evening.

Because the Big Easy is equally famous for its partying (hello, Mardi Gras) and spooky happenings, a haunted pub crawl just feels like the perfect way to spend the evening. The tour description—"explore the intoxicatingly haunted side of the New Orleans French Quarter"—really just says it all. You're in for a bewitching and boozy night.

Not in the mood to hoof it to the various haunted sites in Charleston? We’ve got a great option for you! A horse and carriage tour of downtown’s most creepy corners. Enjoy a beguiling blend of haunted and historic all while kicking back on a charming mode of transport as it meanders through the cobblestone streets of Holy City.

There are a bunch of things to do in Asheville, North Carolina. If you tend to gravitate towards graveyards and spine-chilling attractions of that sort, don’t miss the chance to do an after-dark walking tour of the city’s most macabre venues. Besides visiting the Basilica of St. Lawrence and Pritchard Park, participants learn to use ghost-hunting equipment.

This tour of Old Louisville hits the trifecta of history, architecture and eerie attractions. What was the stomping ground of high society, bourbon barons, titans of the river trade, prostitutes and mobsters in its heyday is now known as America's most haunted neighborhood. Myths, legends, true tales and impressively preserved Victorian mansions with a dark past are just the beginning...

Austin keeps it weird—and that extends to its tours. Want to see a different (dare we say darker) side of the city? A storyteller-led evening excursion to experience all the tales of ghosts, spirits and shady characters IRL will certainly do the trick. An otherworldly encounter might even be in your future.

In a historic haven, there’s bound to be some good old-timey attractions and oddities to discover. Gettysburg has way more spooky stuff (ahem, reports of paranormal activity) to unpack than most places. As you walk through battlefields, basements where civilians hid during the war and shadowy alleyways, that fact becomes glaringly obvious.

Love a good scare (or, maybe the altitude is just making you extra brave)? Book a twilight ghost tour of the Mile High City, specifically the notoriously spooky Capitol Hill neighborhood. Muster up some courage as you trot between Sheedy Mansion and Poets Row while listening to tales of scandals, unsolved mysteries and murders.

Besides music and food, Nashville has a slew of historical—and haunted—locations linked to the Civil War. And you get to see and hear about ‘em on this slightly spooky tour. If you’re not into super scary stuff, this is a great choice since it’s only a little freaky and totally family-friendly.