Ghost Cities · Pennsylvania
We run walking tours in Arizona, and we research haunted history everywhere. This is our honest local guide to Philadelphia: the tours worth booking and the stories behind them.
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Our top picks in Philadelphia
Philadelphia is one of the country’s oldest cities, and its centuries of history also include plenty of ghost tales, spooky stories, and other macabre myths and legends. Meet your costumed guide in Center City, and explore Philadelphia’s historical landmarks after dark. You’ll see the highlights of Old City, Society Hill, and Independence National Historical Park, and will also hear tales of hidden burial grounds, haunted houses, and other dark secrets.
Every step in Philadelphia’s Old City is alive with history, and with frights. On this spooky, after-dark ghost tour, you’ll learn the stories and secrets behind one of the country’s oldest residential neighborhoods, including tales of hauntings and unexplained happenings. As you go, you’ll also discover top Philadelphia landmarks, from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall to the American Philosophical Society Museum and the First Bank of the United States.
See the dark side of Philly during this adult night tour developed by a local university professor. Not for the faint of heart, this tour uncovers Philadelphia’s R-rated sites and stories, from vampires, pirate ghost ships, and haunted attractions to torture, executions, and the red light district. You'll also visit historical attractions and see the sights illuminated at night. This tour is not suitable for children.
More worth a look
Uncover chilling secrets about the Founding Fathers and the darker side of American history on this ghost tour designed exclusively for adults in Philadelphia. Explore the eerie past of one of America's oldest public hospitals and step into a historic house reputed to be Philadelphia's most haunted building. Additionally, you'll visit the First Bank of the United States, where the spirit of Alexander Hamilton is rumored to linger.
Uncover Philadelphia’s dark past, and visit some of its most famous landmarks besides, on this macabre, small-group walking tour of Center City. Meet your guide (a college professor or trained historian), and set off to sights ranging from Betsy Ross House and Elfreth’s Alley to Christ Church and beyond. As you go, listen to ghost stories, legends about famous serial killers, and other spooky tales. The tour concludes with a beverage or moonshine sample.
Embark on a pub crawl with a twist when you visit Philadelphia’s spookiest landmarks and drinking dens. Pick from several convenient departure times, and meet your guide in the heart of Center City. With just a small group for company, you’ll follow your guide to centuries-old cemeteries, macabre colonial landmarks, and other eerie attractions. Then, continue onward to three supposedly haunted bars and taverns, where you’ll enjoy drink samples, snacks, and prize giveaways.
Ghosts, witches, demons, and werewolves have spellbound horror writers for centuries, but the stories are rooted in something real. This walk places Philadelphia ghost stories and Halloween-season lore in a wider historical context of supernatural folklore. As scholarly as it is creepy, with no minimum age. Fans of the Grim Philly podcast will recognize the voice in person.
Discover Philadelphia’s most chilling legends and frightful accounts by following clues and solving puzzles on your phone. As you solve challenges, the story unfolds and exact directions on your phone will guide you to the next location.
Philadelphia is one of the country's oldest cities, and its founding-era streets carry more than the story of the Continental Congress. Old City, Society Hill, and Washington Square sit atop hidden burial grounds and colonial-era tragedy, and the city is often counted among the most haunted in America. The same blocks that hold Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell also hold the stories guides save for after dark.
The tours above are our honest picks, ordered with the strongest first. Most meet in Center City or Old City and run in the evening, year-round.
The candlelight ghost tour is the classic: a costumed guide, the highlights of Old City and Independence National Historical Park, and tales of hidden burial grounds that most daytime visitors walk right past. The Ghosts of Philly dark history walk covers similar ground with more landmark context, from the First Bank of the United States to the American Philosophical Society.
Adults get two stronger options. The Dark Philly night tour, developed by a local university professor, covers the R-rated material: executions, the red light district, and pirate lore. Founding Phantoms digs into the darker side of the founders themselves, including a historic house reputed to be Philadelphia's most haunted building and the bank where Alexander Hamilton's spirit is said to linger. For something social, the haunted pub crawl trades cemetery silence for three supposedly haunted taverns.
True crime fans should look at the Cemetery and Serial Killers walk, led by a professor or trained historian and capped with a moonshine sample. The Grim Philly walk is the scholarly pick, and the exploration game turns Old City into a puzzle you solve by phone.
Eastern State Penitentiary, once the most famous prison in the world, now stands abandoned with its crumbling cells and heavy air. The Betsy Ross House, where staff and visitors report an eerie atmosphere in the rooms where Ross lived and worked. Elfreth's Alley, Christ Church, and the burial grounds of Society Hill each carry their own accounts. The guides know which stories hold up; we will let them tell you.
Eastern State Penitentiary gets mentioned most, with reports tied to the ghosts of former inmates. Several tours also visit a historic house in Old City reputed to be the most haunted building in Philadelphia.
Some are. The Dark Philly night tour and Founding Phantoms are designed for adults, while the candlelight tour and the exploration game work for most ages. Check each listing before booking with kids.
Most routes stay within Old City, Society Hill, Washington Square, and Independence National Historical Park, with some Center City starts. Comfortable shoes cover all of it.
The haunted pub crawl includes drink samples, snacks, and stops at three supposedly haunted bars, and the Cemetery and Serial Killers walk ends with a beverage or moonshine sample. Otherwise plan on drinks being your own expense.
Read our ranked list of the best haunted tours in Philadelphia, then dig into haunted Philadelphia, things to do in Philadelphia, and where to stay in Philadelphia, or see everything we cover in Pennsylvania.
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