Charleston has been collecting history since 1670: the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, pirate raids, and the grim weight of the slave trade all passed through this port. That long record is why the city is often called one of the most haunted in America, and why its ghost-tour bench runs so deep. Here are ten Charleston ghost tours compared, from horse-drawn carriages to after-hours graveyard access, so you can pick your way into the Holy City's shadows.
1. Charleston's Haunted Ghost Tour - Solo Smart Phone Guided Tour
The go-anytime option. Starting at the Old Exchange, the app walks you turn by turn through Charleston's haunted streets with historical narratives and ghost stories at each stop, on whatever schedule your evening allows.
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2. Haunted Evening Horse and Carriage Tour of Charleston
Charleston's haunted history with zero walking. The carriage rolls through the cobbled alleyways past the Mills House, the Circular Congregational graveyard and the Provost Dungeon while your guide handles the spooky side of the city's record. The most atmospheric seat in town.
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3. Charleston Ghost & Graveyard Night-Time Guided Walking Tour
A night walk through the Historic District's dark corridors, with tales of graveyard hauntings, voodoo and botched burials, plus the headline perk: after-hours access to Charleston's oldest cemetery, when the gates are closed to everyone else.
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4. Charleston's Pleasing Terrors Night-Time Walking Ghost Tour
Mike Brown, host of the Pleasing Terrors podcast, leads this 90-minute night walk himself, pairing suspenseful storytelling with a deep knowledge of Charleston's hidden and frightening stories, past and present. The strongest pick for people who choose tours by the guide.
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5. Charleston Dark History and Ghost Tour
A small-group, family-friendly walk covering Hibernian Hall, Washington Park and St. Philip's Church, blending scary stories with true crime and local history. The gentlest on-ramp to Charleston's dark side without watering it down.
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6. The Death and Depravity Ghost Tour in Charleston
Charleston's seedier history, served straight: the horrific, the salacious and the just plain weird, from old brothels to crime stories the polite tours skip. Mature themes and language, and proudly so; not one for the kids.
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7. Charleston Haunted Boos and Booze Tour
Ghost stories with a bar crawl attached, led by a guide in pirate character. The small group works between pubs said to be haunted and landmarks like the Powder Magazine, Charleston City Market and Washington Square, cocktail stops included.
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8. Ghosts of Charleston Night-Time Walking Tour with Unitarian Church Graveyard
The draw here is exclusive after-hours entry to the famous Unitarian Church Graveyard, where the headstones sit half-swallowed by an overgrown Southern garden. Around it, a night stroll through old Charleston's dark deeds, restless spirits and stranger phenomena.
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9. Charleston Ghost & Dungeon Night-Time Walking Tour with Entry to Provost Dungeon
A Historic District night walk through dark corridors and graveyards, with stories of ghosts, voodoo and local superstition, ending inside the pre-Revolutionary Provost Dungeon, a cellar with a grisly record and the perfect place to finish a ghost tour.
Book Now: Charleston Ghost & Dungeon Night-Time Walking Tour with Entry to Provost Dungeon
10. Supernatural Charleston Tour
Local authors who specialize in supernatural history lead this 90-minute night walk, covering public executions, exhumations and the violent episodes that left their mark on the city. The most scholarly of the bunch, without losing the chill.
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Questions people ask
Is Charleston really haunted?
It is often called one of the most haunted cities in America, and the case rests on more than 350 years of hard history: wars, pirate invasions and the slave trade all left their mark here. The reports cluster where the history is thickest, in the graveyards, the old jail sites and the Provost Dungeon.
What is the most haunted place in Charleston?
The Provost Dungeon and the Unitarian Church Graveyard trade the title depending on who you ask, which is why the tours offering after-hours or interior access to them are the ones worth planning around.
Are ghost tours in Charleston worth it?
Yes, and access is the deciding factor: pick a tour that gets you somewhere the public cannot go at night, whether that is the oldest cemetery after hours or the dungeon itself. Book ahead in October and on spring weekends.
Are Charleston ghost tours family friendly?
Several are, the Dark History and Ghost Tour among them. The Death and Depravity tour sits at the other end of the dial, with mature themes and language by design, and the pub crawls are for the over-21 crowd.
Keep reading
If a Southwest swing is on your travel list, Freaky Foot Tours runs walking tours in three Arizona towns; see our locations page.
