Virginia State Parks on Wikimedia

Every city tells a story. Sometimes, these stories are romantic and fanciful, and other times, they are eerie and disturbing. Museums offer curated versions of history, but a ghost tour lets you experience a city's underbelly. Ghost tours often blend folklore, mystery, and storytelling to paint a vivid portrait of the city's true spirit. 

Whether you believe in the supernatural, love the macabre, or are a true skeptic, a ghost tour pulls back the curtain to reveal a city's true history. Even if you only have one day to spend in a place, a ghost tour is a fun, invigorating, and rich way to get to know it on a less surface level. 

Let's dive into some of the reasons why a ghost tour should be how you spend your time when visiting a new city.

History Through Storytelling

A ghost tour introduces you to the layers of a city that many traditional tours skip over. This is the stuff that doesn't make it into exhibits of local museums. A good ghost tour isn't about dates, architecture, and facts. It's about telling a dramatic story that offers a view into past events, forgotten people, and lore. 

The best ghost stories are rooted in real history, whether it's a devastating fire, a gruesome murder, or a political scandal. Since the tour should take place where the event occurred, history feels more urgent and immediate. You can walk the same steps that a victim walked. In its own way, it's quite exhilarating. 

Your Explore Neighborhoods Often Excluded From Tours

An underrated benefit of taking a ghost tour to learn about a city is the route that many take. These tours often traverse less popular neighborhoods and districts that most tourists avoid or don't even know exist. They ignore the busy downtown core to guide you through old cemeteries and historic districts with gruesome stories to tell. 

This approach lets you see how a city lives after dark. The vibe is different from most tours, and even familiar landmarks will present themselves in a spookier way. The city will feel different as you explore its various sides that are rough around the edges. 

Sharon Azran, photographer and a B’Tselem staff member on Wikimedia

A More Social and Interactive Experience

A typical tour is more like a college lecture, which is fine, but not all that engaging. Ghost tours offer more memorable moments and usually have more charismatic guides. These guides often ask questions, invite you to participate, and can adapt their pacing to match the group's energy and interests. 

Since the stories are unusual, they often stick in your memory long after the tour has concluded. You'll be telling your friends about the strange stories you learned, or be proud to share a pic or two of a scary location you visited. 

The thing with ghost tours is that it doesn't even matter if you believe in ghosts. The fun, suspense, and charm of these tours create an experience that will make you fall in love with the city you're visiting. 

Forget museums and galleries, a ghost tour is the most dynamic way to step into a city's history and mood. You can walk away from the path taken by most tours and gain a deeper appreciation for a city's defining people, events, and lore.