Washington DC Ghost Tours That Are Sure to Spook You

Ghost City Tours – Bring the Kids

Ghost City Tours runs a few different ghost tour options, and from what we’ve heard from customers who’ve done both our day tours and their night tours, they’re decent if you’ve got kids. Not too scary, more educational with ghost stories mixed in. The “Ghosts of D.C.” tour hits Lafayette Park and the White House area.

Guides like Richard and Chris apparently do a good job keeping kids interested without terrifying them. If you’re looking for maximum spookiness, probably not your best bet. But for families wanting to see DC at night without giving their 8-year-old nightmares? Works fine. Runs about $25-35 per person.

National Nightmares – Actually Pretty Creepy

National Nightmares does Capitol Hill ghost tours with costumed guides, which honestly sounds kind of gimmicky but reviews say it works. Their “Hill of Haunts” tour focuses on the Capitol building area with stories about cursed lawmakers and some demon cat legend we’ve never heard about during our regular DC Nation Tours routes.

Guide named Samuel Chase gets mentioned constantly in reviews, apparently he’s really good at the whole spooky storytelling thing while keeping it tied to actual history. Tours run nightly for around $19, which is cheaper than most ghost tours. If you want creepy without being cheesy, this one seems solid based on what we hear from visitors.

DC Ghosts – Multiple Options Around Town

DC Ghosts runs several different ghost tour routes. Some near the White House, some around Lafayette Park, and they’ve got a “Boos and Booze” pub crawl that combines ghost stories with bar hopping. The pub crawl version honestly sounds way better than just standing outside buildings hearing about who died there.

We see their groups around a lot when we’re wrapping up our evening DC Nation Tours runs. Tours last about 90 minutes, meet at places like Old Ebbitt Grill or that Andrew Jackson statue in Lafayette Park. Prices vary but expect $25-45 depending on which tour and whether alcohol’s included.

AmeriGhost – Lafayette Park and Capitol Hill

AmeriGhost runs two main tours – “Ghosts of Lafayette Park” at 8pm and “Capitol Hill Haunts” at 9pm. The Lafayette Park one covers the area around the White House with stories about duels and assassinations. They call it “Tragedy Square” which is dramatic but whatever, the stories are apparently based on real events.

Capitol Hill tour focuses on ghostly lawmakers and Capitol building legends. Both tours are supposedly all-ages, meeting at specific spots like the Dolley Madison House or Good Stuff Eatery. Run year-round even when it’s freezing or raining, so dress accordingly.

Nightly Spirits – Ghost Tour Plus Drinks

Nightly Spirits does the whole haunted pub crawl thing where you hit multiple bars while hearing ghost stories. Way more social than regular ghost tours, and honestly if you’re going to wander around DC at night anyway, might as well get some drinks involved.

These booze-focused ghost tours last 2-3 hours and cost more because drinks are part of the package. Good option if regular ghost tours sound too boring or educational. You’re still getting DC history and spooky stories, just with alcohol to make it more fun.

Georgetown Ghost Tours – The Haunted Neighborhood

Georgetown supposedly has the most ghosts of any DC neighborhood. Makes sense – it’s older than DC itself, lots of colonial-era buildings, plus those Exorcist steps everyone wants to see. DC by Foot and Fiat Luxe Tours both run Georgetown ghost tours hitting spots like Oak Hill Cemetery.

We don’t bring our DC Nation Tours groups to Georgetown that often since it’s away from the main monuments, but the neighborhood does look creepier at night with all those old row houses and narrow streets. If you want a different vibe than government building ghost tours, Georgetown works.

What Ghost Tours Actually Are

Here’s the thing about DC ghost tours – you’re walking between locations while someone tells you creepy stories. That’s it. Don’t expect to see actual ghosts or do paranormal investigations with equipment. Some tours let you rent EMF meters or whatever for a few bucks if you want to play ghost hunter, but mostly it’s just storytelling.

Tours last 60-90 minutes usually, sometimes longer for pub crawls. You’ll hit 5-10 different spots depending on the tour, hear about who died there or what ghost supposedly haunts the place, then move to the next location. Rain or shine, these tours run every night.

Which Ghost Tour is Actually Best?

Depends what you want. Want legit creepy with good storytelling? National Nightmares gets the best reviews. Got kids? Ghost City Tours won’t scare them too much. Want drinks? Do a haunted pub crawl. Want to see Georgetown at night? Get a Georgetown-specific tour.

We get asked about ghost tours sometimes, and honestly we just tell people to pick based on location and vibe preference. All these companies cover similar ground – historic DC spots with tragic deaths or creepy legends. The difference is how they present the stories and whether alcohol’s involved.

Booking Ghost Tours and Meeting Up

Book online ahead of time, especially October when every tourist wants to do ghost tours for Halloween. Tours meet at obvious spots – restaurant entrances, monument statues, specific building steps. Guides carry lanterns or wear company shirts so you can spot them.

Wear shoes you can walk in for an hour or two. We see ghost tour groups all the time during our evening routes, and there’s always someone struggling in heels or uncomfortable shoes. It’s DC – you’re walking on sidewalks and cobblestones. Dress for that.

Ghost Tours vs Regular DC Tours

Our focus on monuments, government buildings, and actual verifiable history. Ghost tours cover some of the same locations but tell you about murders, hauntings, and creepy legends instead of political facts. Same buildings, completely different stories.

Some visitors do both – our daytime tour to see monuments and learn history, then a ghost tour that night for entertainment. Works pretty well since you’re getting different perspectives on the same city. Plus seeing DC at night is legitimately cool when monuments are all lit up and crowds have gone home.

Are These Tours Actually Scary?

Not really. Creepy? Sure. Atmospheric? Yeah. Genuinely terrifying? Nah. The stories are about tragic deaths and supposed hauntings, but you’re still just walking around downtown DC with a group of tourists. Hard to get too scared with traffic noise and other people around.

Kids handle most ghost tours fine. Some companies specifically market family-friendly versions that tone down scarier elements, but even regular ghost tours aren’t nightmare-inducing. If you’re hoping for paranormal activity or actual ghost sightings, lower your expectations. These are entertainment, not paranormal investigation shows.

Why DC Makes Sense for Ghost Tours

DC’s been around since the late 1700s with intense political drama the whole time. Duels happened in Lafayette Park. Lincoln got assassinated at Ford’s Theatre. Politicians have died under mysterious circumstances. Civil War conflicts, murders, tragedies – this city’s seen a lot of death.

Old buildings from the 1700s and 1800s are still standing, many of them sites where terrible things actually happened. Whether ghosts are real or not, the historical events behind the stories definitely happened. That’s what makes DC ghost tours more interesting than ghost tours in cities without that kind of dark history.

When and Where Ghost Tours Happen

Most ghost tour companies run year-round, not just Halloween. Tours start between 7-9pm depending on season and company. Summer tours start later to catch sunset, winter tours earlier since it gets dark by 5pm. Check specific tour websites for current schedules.

Meeting locations are all over – Lafayette Park, building steps, restaurant entrances. Companies send detailed instructions with photos when you book. Show up 10 minutes early because tours leave on time. We’ve seen ghost tour groups abandon stragglers who showed up late.

Our Honest Take on Ghost Tours

We stick to daytime historical tours because that’s what we do best. But ghost tours serve a purpose – they’re entertaining, show you DC at night, and tell stories you won’t hear on regular tours. Not our thing to run, but we get why people enjoy them.

Best ghost tour depends on your preferences. Serious history with creepy elements? Try National Nightmares. Family activity? Ghost City Tours. Social night out? Haunted pub crawl. They all show you different sides of Washington after dark, which beats sitting in your hotel room.