cemetery in Salem Massachusetts (best haunted tours in Boston)

Love the spookiness of Halloween but not into the “jump out and scare you with a chainsaw” aspect of haunted houses? A ghost tour is right up your (dark and scary) alley! Typically based on history, these walking (or trolley riding!) tours bring you right to the site of true life hauntings! And what is more creepy than that? Check out one of these haunted tours in Boston this Halloween season!

Ghosts & Gravestones

Boston :: Daily, April through October. Call for dates/times for November. Saturdays, December through March :: Adults $47.83, children 6-12 $35.86. Under 6 not permitted :: Purchase online here

Ride the Trolley of Terror through Boston and learn about the paranormal hi-jinks associated with Boston Common, the Omni Parker House, and Kings Chapel. Perhaps you’ll even hear a bit about the famed Boston Strangler! Disembark the trolley throughout the ride to explore cemeteries and learn about Boston’s sordid past — and haunted present!

Ghosts & Gravestones Frightseeing Tour boards beside the Marriott Long Wharf Hotel on 200 Atlantic Avenue, corner of State Street.

Haunted Boston Ghost Tours

Boston :: Nightly, April through November :: Adults $18, seniors $15, children under 16 $13. Recommended for ages 8 and up :: Reserve tickets here

Explore haunted Boston by foot in this 90-minute walking tour. Learn about what secrets lie beneath Boston Common (hint: it’s not the T!), the spooky history of the Boston Athenaeum, and what is rumored to be the most spirit-filled hotel in Boston!

The tour meets in the Boston Common at the entrance to the Central Burying Ground Cemetery on Boylston Street; it ends at the Omni Parker Hotel.

Dead of Night Ghost Tours

Plymouth :: Nightly :: Adults $20, Children 12 and under $15 :: Reserve tickets here

Learn about the haunted history of some of the oldest streets in America on this 90-minute Twilight Lantern walking tour. Visit ancient tombstones as you hear about curses and local folklore. Hear about why spirits wander these same paths and learn some tips and tricks for catching them on film! Purchase a combo tour if you would like to add visiting the 1725 Captain Taylor House and the 1849 Trask Museum Building, two of Plymouth’s most haunted houses, to your evening.

Tours leave from 31 North Street in Plymouth at 7 p.m.

Ghosts of Newport

Newport, RI :: Select nights, April through November :: Adults $20, seniors/military $18, children $12 :: Purchase tickets here

Ghost hunters can choose from two separate tours through historic and beautiful Newport. Carved in Stone brings you to the early days of Newport and through the Common Burying Ground to investigate gravesites dating back to the 1600s. The Olde Town Ghost Walk brings you on a lantern-lit stroll through historic Newport.

Carved in Stone departs from Newport’s Visitors Center, 23 America’s Cup Avenue. Olde Town Ghost Walk departs from Mainsail Restaurant and Skiff Bar on the second floor of the Newport Marriott.

Salem Night Tour

Salem :: Nightly, year-round :: $25 :: Purchase tickets here

In this 75-minute open-air tour, guests will discover why Salem is one of the most haunted, historic, and beloved cities in America! Ghost enthusiasts are encouraged to bring their cameras, as spirits are caught on film nightly!

Tour departs from 7 Essex Street, located between the Peabody Essex Museum and the Hawthorne Hotel.

Bewitched After Dark

Salem :: Nightly through October, select dates April through November :: $30 per person :: Purchase tickets here

Voted Salem’s best historical tour, there is an amazing amount of knowledge to be gained about Salem’s sordid history on the Bewitched After Dark tour. From the Colonial history to the 1692 Witch Trials and hysteria, spirit seekers will have ample opportunities to learn where the ghosts they are hunting came from!

Tours depart from 180 Essex Street.

Haunted Footsteps

Salem :: Daily, March through November (daytime tours also available) :: Adults $25, children 6-12 $18, seniors (60+), students, military, veterans, police, firefighters, teachers, EMTs, and Salem residents $22. Purchase tickets here.

Join the Witch City’s oldest established professional walking tour company as they guide you through true tales about the paranormal activity, centuries-old murders, and the astounding history of Salem!

Tours depart from 8 Central Street, downtown in the 1805 Custom House.

Spellbound Tours

Salem :: Nightly, April through November 15 :: $30 per person :: Purchase tickets here.

Join a staff of professional paranormal investigators as they lead you through Salem. Not only will you hear the spooky stories, your guides will teach you about modern paranormal investigation and some ghost-hunting tricks!

The tour begins at the Revere Bell in front of the Salem Visitor Center at 2 New Liberty Street.

Deanna Greenstein
Deanna is a mom of five (yes, five) children, who lives in Brockton with her small circus of kids, her husband, their dog Penny, and a few cats. Her life is loud, energetic, mostly fun, often gross (did she mention four of those kids are boys?), and she wouldn't have it any other way. In between carting kids to school, baseball, gymnastics, guitar, dance, track and field and every other kid activity known to mankind, she works as a school bus driver for the city of Brockton, and is the Director of Religious Education at the Unity Church of North Easton, a Unitarian Universalist congregation. Deanna also holds degrees in Elementary Physical Education and Dance Education, which she plans to put back into use one day. At parties, Deanna can often be found hanging out with family pets. She follows her children around with a camera like the paparazzi, is pretty sure that 97% of her blood stream is made of coffee, and her laundry is never done. You can also find her blogging at https://eighteenmoreyearsofburpsandfarts.wordpress.com