Best Ghost Tours in Richmond

With Halloween only a few weeks away, many of us already have our minds on costumes, trick-or-treating, and fun Halloween activities. Of course, with little ones, we tend to focus more on the less spooky activities. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to indulge in a little ghoulish fun ourselves. And what better way to entertain our need to scare ourselves silly than with a ghost tour? Thanks to Richmond’s rich, centuries old history, there are haunted places aplenty – and plenty of tours to guide you to the ghosts.

With everything from Civil War battlefields to historic hotels reported to be haunted by spirits, there’s no shortage of places in Richmond to get a chill down your spine. You can search out these spooky sites yourself, of course; but a guided tour offers an easy way to learn the full history behind the paranormal people reported to linger in these locations.

If you’re looking for a good way to get in the Halloween spirit (no pun intended), then we’ve got just what you’re looking for. We took a look at some of the best ghost tours available in Richmond and came up with a list of our favorites. To make our list, the following tours had to offer:

1. Family friendly options for kids at least elementary age and up
2. Unique tour features
3. A good combination of actual local history and haunting (in other words, not a staged haunted house)

The following ghost tours provide a great way to explore the Richmond area and learn about the eccentric characters that once lived here…and, perhaps, never left. Take a look at our favorite ghost tours in the Richmond area, and if you know of one we might have overlooked, let us know! We love to learn more from our readers, so be sure to drop us a line at [email protected].

In the meantime…happy haunting!

5. Riverfront Canal Cruises’ “Eerie” Canal Tours

We’re kicking off our list with Riverfront Canal Cruises because this “eerie” event only happens once a year. Every year, usually just a day or two before Halloween, Riverfront Canal Cruises features a spookily spectacular cruise down the Kanawha Canal in downtown Richmond. The tour features a float past the oldest and most famously haunted districts in Richmond, led by a guide that tells their creepy tales. Best of all, while this tour offers plenty of thrills and chills for everyone, it’s more than open to younger children. In fact, little ones will receive a special candy treat, making it the perfect Halloween haunt for the whole family.

Tours offered:
Eerie Canal Cruise

Age Range:
All ages

Cost:
$3/person, Children aged 4 and under are free

Hours:
Saturday, October 27, 2018
5pm – 9pm
20-minute tours leave every half hour (on the hour and half hour) with the last boat departing at 8:30 p.m.

Location:
Canal Turning Basin (14th and Dock Streets, Richmond, VA)

4. Richmond Historic Haunts

These history rich ghost tours are intended to educate, as well as provide a little bit of spooky fun. Their goals is to portray the “offbeat and overshadowed aspects” of Richmond diverse history. They consider their tours to be family-friendly, so everyone is welcome. However, they are committed to the facts and won’t gloss over some of the most bizarre and potentially unnerving elements of stories, myths, and legend that float around some of Richmond’s most historic sites. So naturally, parents should use their judgment.

Tours offered:
Uncivil Wards History Tour: A tour through old Richmond to visit the sites of several Civil War era hospitals and prisons
Rails & Sails History Tour: A tour highlighting the rail and water ways of old Richmond, as well as the people who are tied to these places.

Age Range:
All ages but parental discretion is encouraged

Cost:
Adults – $15; Kids ages 6 to 12 –  $10; Kids 5 and under – free

Hours:
Every Sunday in October at 10am. Uncivil Ward History Tours will be offered on October 7 and 21. Rails & Sails Tours will be offered on October 14 and 28. Click here for booking information.

Location:
Uncivil Wards History Tour: Libby Prison history marker at the corner of S. 20th & E. Cary Streets in Shockoe Bottom

Rails & Sails History Tour: Patrick Henry Park at the corner of N. 24th Street and  E. Broad Street in Church Hill.

3. Ghouls Trolley Tours

The Ghouls Trolley Tour is one of the offerings of Richmond’s Eerie Nights ghost tours. This tour allows passengers to climb aboard a trolley to explore some of Richmond spookiest settings. But what makes this tour so special is that the guides go all out, complete with costumes and “characters” from the 1920s. As you roll through the streets of Richmond, they’ll tell you all about the long forgotten legends of ghosts and ghouls who haunt the shadows of Richmond – one of the nation’s most haunted cities. The tour last two hours and is aimed at a more mature audience, but can be considered family friendly – with parental discretion, of course.

Tours offered:
Ghouls Trolley Tour

Age Range:
There are no set age restrictions, but parental discretion is advised. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost:
$32/person

Hours:
Every Friday and Saturday night from October 5 – November 3, 2018. Tours begin at 9pm.

Location:
17^th Street Farmers Market (Main Street side), 100 N 17th Street, Richmond, VA 23219

2. Eerie Nights Walking Ghost Tour

Like it’s partner tour, the Ghoul Trolley Tour, Eerie Nights Walking Tours are a theatrical journey into the deep, dark underbelly of Richmond’s past. Costumed “ghoul guides” from the 19^th century lead you to several historically haunted sites in the city and reveal the sites’ spooky background. Also like the trolley tours, the content of these tours is decidedly dark, so older kids without a fear of fright should be fine, but your littlest ghost hunters may want to stay home.

Tours offered:
Eerie Nights Walking Tour: A walking tour through Richmond’s haunted history.
Tales from the Pump House: A special event tour that takes you into the historic Richmond Pump House for a spooky storytelling experience.
Tales & Tails: A special event tour that invites your furry, four-legged companions to explore the haunts of Richmond with you. A portion of tickets sales benefit the SPCA.

Age Range:
There are no set age restrictions, but parental discretion is advised. Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

Cost:
$10-14/person for Eerie Nights Walking Tours and Tales from the Pump House ; $45/person + pet or $14/person for Tales & Tales

Hours:
Every Friday from October 5 – November 3, 2018 at 8pm. Every Saturday from October 5 – November 3, 2018 8pm and 10pm.

Location:
17^th Street Farmers Market (Main Street side), 100 N 17th Street, Richmond, VA 23219

1. Haunts of Richmond

As the most established ghost tour service on our list, Haunts of Richmond has been dishing up delightfully dark ghost tours since 2004. Their tours are based on the book “Haunted Richmond, the Shadows of Shockoe,” and lead visitors to some of the paranormal places found in the city. With a variety of tours available, you can choose areas of the city that most interest you, then delve into their dark past with experience “ghost guides.” As with other tours on our list, use your discretion with kids based on your knowledge of their fright tolerance.

Tours offered:
Shadows of Shockoe: A tour through what is reported to be one RVA’s oldest and most haunted areas.
Church Hill Chillers: A tour that covers the more colorful (and creepy) characters that once inhabited the Church Hill neighborhood.
Haunted Capitol Hill: A tour around the state’s capitol buildings to see their less than auspicious past.
Phantoms of Franklin: A special event (select night only) that takes you down Richmond’s historical Franklin Street and explores the spirits that linger there.
Spirits & Spirits Pub Crawl: A special event tour available for private parties only, this tour takes you into four of Richmond’s favorite pubs for dark tales and drinks. (Adults)

Age Range:
There are no set age restrictions, but parental discretion is advised. Call (855) 445-8927 or email [email protected] for questions.

Cost:
Adults – $14 online, $16 at the door, or $17 by phone; Kids under 13 – $10 online; $12 at the door, or $13 by phone.

Hours:
Fridays and Saturdays at 9pm, with a 7:30pm tour added in the month of October. Click here for a complete schedule.

Location:
Each tour has its own starting point. Click here to see specific meeting places for each tour.