Your Guide to Boston Ghost Tours & Haunted History
Boston is nearly 400 years old, and with four centuries of history comes four centuries of tragedy, mystery, and restless spirits. A Boston ghost tour takes you through the dimly lit streets and ancient graveyards where the city's darkest stories unfolded — from Revolutionary War massacres and public hangings to mysterious murders and unexplained hauntings in buildings that have stood since the 1600s. Whether you believe in the supernatural or simply appreciate a well-told story in an atmospheric setting, Boston's haunted tours deliver chills that no other American city can match.
Haunted Walking Tours & Graveyard Walks
Boston's ghost walking tours wind through the oldest neighborhoods in the city after dark, stopping at sites where documented paranormal activity has been reported for decades. The Granary Burying Ground — where Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and the victims of the Boston Massacre are buried — is a centerpiece of most tours, with guides sharing stories about the ghostly figures that visitors and security guards have photographed among the headstones. Copp's Hill Burying Ground in the North End adds another layer of the macabre, with gravestones bearing bullet holes from British soldiers who used them for target practice. King's Chapel Burying Ground, Boston's oldest cemetery, rounds out a graveyard trilogy that spans the full history of colonial Boston. Most ghost tours run 75 to 90 minutes and depart from Boston Common or the North End.
Dark History, Crime & Haunted Pubs
Beyond traditional ghost walks, Boston offers dark history tours that explore the city's most disturbing chapters — the Boston Strangler murders, the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 that killed 21 people, and the unsolved crimes that still haunt investigators today. True crime walking tours follow the paths of Boston's most notorious criminals through neighborhoods where the evidence trail has gone cold but the stories remain vivid. Haunted pub crawls combine ghost stories with stops at Boston's oldest bars and taverns — some dating back to the 1700s — where the spirits aren't just served in glasses. The Green Dragon Tavern, where the Sons of Liberty planned the Boston Tea Party, is said to be haunted by colonial-era ghosts who never left their favorite gathering spot. Compare ghost tours above, read real reviews, and explore the haunted side of America's most historic city.
