From Maine to Hawaii, these are the 10 best ghost tours of 2022

Photo courtesy of Nirian // Getty Images

Do you love to learn and get spooked at the same time? Ghost tours offer thrills and chills but also a unique insight into the history of a destination and the notable people who've lived there (and maybe still do). We asked our readers to vote for the 10 best ghost tours in the United States, and the results are in.

Photo courtesy of Old Bisbee Ghost Tour

No. 10: Old Bisbee Ghost Tour - Bisbee, Arizona

The Old Bisbee Ghost Tour has brought visitors up close to and even inside some of the area’s most haunted locations, to spots after dark where vehicles can’t even go. The tour ventures through streets, alleys and stairways, where ghosts of miners, moms and “a lady of the evening” are said to still linger. The tour company also offers a Haunted Pub Crawl through Bisbee’s most haunted bars, complete with “spirits” to drink.

Photo courtesy of Anita Carrera

No. 9: New Braunfels Ghost Tours - New Braunfels, Texas

A 90-minute walking tour with New Braunfels Ghost Tours takes visitors through downtown New Braunfels to learn about the historic town’s murderous history. Tours pair historical facts with engaging storytelling for a spine-tingling evening out.

Photo courtesy of French Quarter Phantoms

No. 8: French Quarter Phantoms - New Orleans, Louisiana

These tours are not scripted, and there are no costumes necessary. The French Quarter Phantoms tour guides are educated storytellers who have studied history and local lore. Visitors can sign up for a true crime tour, ghost and vampire tour, a trip through the cemetery or an unusual perspective of the French Quarter.

Photo courtesy of Ghosts of Charleston

No. 7: Ghosts of Charleston - Charleston, South Carolina

Experience an 80-minute walking ghost tour at night through the streets of this historic Southern city with the Ghosts of Charleston tour. Master storyteller tour guides bring to life hauntings and supernatural stories as visitors explore spooky locations. The tour's highlight is its ending with exclusive access to the 1772 Unitarian Church Graveyard, where many guests have claimed ghostly encounters.

Photo courtesy of iStock / Marje

No. 6: Ghost City Tours - Savannah, Georgia

Ghost City Tours take guests on a chilling journey through "America’s Most Haunted City" by night, visiting locations throughout the Historic District, including haunted mansions, squares, cemeteries, bars and hotels (where some guests never checked out).

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Photo courtesy of Black Cat Tours

No. 5: Black Cat Tours - Salem, Massachusetts

Evening walking tours with Black Cat Tours take visitors back in time through the true history of Salem. Visit some of the city’s most haunted sites, learn about the tools used by early ghost hunters and hear stories of how the town inspired the horror stories of H.P. Lovecraft, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allen Poe.

Photo courtesy of Heather Anderson / Bar Harbor Ghost Tours

No. 4: Bar Harbor Ghost Tours - Bar Harbor, Maine

You’ll recognize Bar Harbor Ghost Tours by their distinctive blue lantern. These nightly excursions give an overview of New England paranormal history from a Native American perspective. The tour includes exclusive nighttime access to the 1932 Criterion Theatre when it's not in use.

Photo courtesy of Nightly Spirits

No. 3: Nightly Spirits - Multiple Cities

Nightly Spirits are known for their haunted pub crawls at cities around the United States. Tour some of the most historic and haunted spots, drinks in hand, in cities like D.C., Denver, Dallas, Charleston, Houston or Boston. 

Photo courtesy of Tanya Kapanui

No. 2: Mysteries of Hawaii - Oahu, Hawaii

Mysteries of Hawaii offers four different walking tours, including a Ghosts of Old Honolulu Tour, Honolulu Haunted Crime and the Waikiki Night Marchers. The business is Native Hawaiian-owned and operated, and tours are as educational as they are fun.

Photo courtesy of Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours

No. 1: Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours - San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio began as a Spanish settlement in 1691, and it’s acquired its fair share of ghosts and restless spirits since. Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours take visitors inside the Menger Hotel (the most haunted hotel in Texas), one of the city’s first hospitals, the San Fernando Cathedral and the Bexar County Jail.