New York City’s dark history comes alive after sunset when ghost tours take brave visitors through haunted streets and buildings. These spooky walking adventures reveal chilling tales of murder, tragedy, and unexplained phenomena that have shaped the city’s supernatural reputation.
Whether you’re a paranormal enthusiast or just looking for a thrilling way to experience New York’s history, these ghost tours offer unforgettable encounters with the city’s spectral residents.
1. NYC Ghosts (Greenwich Village)
NYC Ghosts runs tours such as Chilling Nightmares through Greenwich Village, often meeting near Washington Square Park. Their tours explore haunted architecture, burial grounds, and paranormal lore tied to real past events. Guides walk guests through narrow streets, stopping at sites like former hospitals, old cellars, and sites of mystical encounters.
They balance historical sources with local stories. I joined one walk and appreciated how the Villages old lampposts become part of the narrative. Their branding features both 8-stop and 12-stop versions. It remains one of the more consistent options for ghost walkers in Manhattan.
2. Haunted Manhattan: 90 Minutes Of Terror
Haunted Manhattan offers 90-minute walks across Manhattan neighborhoods, each featuring multiple haunted sites. Their route changes but often includes locations in lower Manhattan, the old city, and historic streets. The tours highlight tragic events like fires, murders, epidemics, and unexplained disappearances. Archival accounts, old newspapers, and eyewitness reports often underpin the storytelling.
I’ve seen travelers mention odd chills in certain alleys—though anecdotal, that’s part of the fun. The company uses author research and local lore to craft a spine-tingling walk. For anyone wanting a broader Manhattan ghost experience, this is a solid option.
3. Ghosts Of Greenwich Village By Top Dog Tours
Top Dog Tours leads a smaller, more intimate ghost walk in Greenwich Village, generally limited in group size. Their route often features the “House of Death” at 14 West 10th Street, where various hauntings are claimed. Guides provide historical context, old records, and the ghost lore that grew around those sites.
In my walk I was struck by how quiet alleys and narrow passages feel charged after dark. Because of the small group, they reach less-visited corners. The blend of footsteps, shadows, and guide stories makes it immersive. It’s a favorite for those who don’t want large tourist crowds on their haunted walk.
4. Bowery Boys Walks – Ghosts Of NOHO
Bowery Boys offers Ghosts of NOHO, walking tours in the NoHo (North of Houston) area, intersecting haunted lore, architecture, and municipal history. The tour visits historic addresses, underground sites, and lesser-known haunted alleys. Their guides are local historians and storytellers who tie ghost tales to urban development and social history.
I once joined their walk, and I liked how they point out architectural clues that hint at past eras. The haunted stories are grounded in documented events or court records when possible. It’s a quieter, lore-rich alternative to more commercial routes.
5. Ghosts & Gravestones
Ghosts & Gravestones is a national brand with NYC tours connecting haunted history and cemetery lore. Their Haunted Manhattan and Midnight Tour options cover graveyards, historic buildings, and nighttime streets. They incorporate chilling tales of the dead, gravestone lore, and the darker chapters of urban history.
I joined their NYC tour once; it included stops at old burial grounds and talking head guides in vintage costumes. The theatrical aspect is heavier, appealing to those wanting a haunted spectacle. But the backbone is local lore and historic tragedy, which adds weight.
6. The Ghostlight Tour (Broadway Haunted)
The Ghostlight Tour walks through Broadway’s historic theaters, backstage passages, and haunted lore landmarks in the Theater District. It focuses on stories tied to performance venues, backstage tragedies, and unexplained activity in theater spaces. Guides often are theater insiders or performers who know backstage superstition and history.
On one walk I felt the haunted aura when passing darkened stages, empty lobbies, and side corridors. They share tales of phantom footsteps, disembodied applause, and lingering shadows in dressing rooms. The tour is longer than most walking ghost tours, giving you time to absorb the weight of theatrical history under moonlight.
7. Boroughs Of The Dead: Occult New York
Boroughs of the Dead offers ghost and macabre history tours spanning multiple boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Upper West Side, and more. Their Ultimate Greenwich Village Ghost Tour and Uncanny Upper West Side are popular. Their guides dig into occult history, spiritualist sites, and documented hauntings woven into the city’s past.
On my walk with them, I appreciated getting into neighborhoods I had not explored after dark. The tours feature architecture, esoteric symbolism, and stories that often fall outside mainstream city tours. They appeal to travelers wanting depth, not just jump scares.
8. NYC Gangsters & Ghosts Tour
NYC Gangsters & Ghosts weaves crime history with hauntings. The walk takes visitors through neighborhoods once controlled by mob activity: speakeasies, back alleys, crime scenes – and blends ghost stories tied to those places. It brings in historic crimes, betrayals, gang lore, and spectral speculation.
My experience with it made me see crime history anew, with ghost stories layered over real events. The tour tends to highlight tension in shadows, former dens of vice, and corners of the city rarely seen by tourists. If you like true crime and ghost stories, this tour is a creative mashup.
9. Creepy Ghosts Of NYC
Various smaller operators use names like Creepy Ghosts of NYC or Ghost Walk NYC offering walks with names like “Haunted NYC” or “Ghost Walk Manhattan.” These tours often operate in Lower Manhattan, Chinatown, or the Financial District. They stop at historic spots: old burial grounds, former prisons, fire ruins – and share ghost legends tied to urban growth and tragic events.
While some promoters oversell camera interference or ghost contact, the core is historical storytelling. In my walks with them I always found new corners of old blocks I’d never noticed before. Their route variety, price point, and evening times make them accessible for spontaneous travelers.
10. Ghost Tours Of The Lower East Side / East Village
Certain tours focus on the Lower East Side and East Village neighborhoods, where immigrant history, disease outbreaks, tenement fires, and radical politics feed ghost lore. Guides walk past sites of old hospitals, narrow tenement alleys, and haunted storefronts while recounting tragedies from past centuries. On my night walk there, old facades seemed to carry weight beyond their facades.
The tour mixes street lore, immigrant stories, and haunted narratives into an illuminating contrast. This is a good option for travelers staying in the Lower East Side or wanting to explore Manhattan’s off-beat corners after dark.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
