Looking for a great way to weave in some history lessons while also giving your kids some frightful fun? Take your brood on an interactive haunted history tour. These guided walking or bus tours will educate everyone about a new city (or your own), introducing you to spooky secrets from the past, including infamous personalities and unsolved mysteries. We’ve rounded up some spook-tacular family-friendly haunted history tours for your ghost-loving gang.
Bonus: Many of them are offered year-round, not just for Halloween!
1. The Haunted History Walking Tour – St. George’s, Bermuda
If your cruise ship docks for an overnight port stop in Bermuda—and many of them are doing so thanks to the popularity of the beautiful island—the Haunted History Walking Tour is the perfect evening activity. This award-winning theatrical ghost tour takes place in the historic 400-year-old town of St. George’s, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entertaining storyteller guides—dressed in authentic period costumes—take participants on at 60-minute evening stroll, where surprise characters pop up in unexpected places.
Recommended Hotel: The Fairmont Southampton
2. AmeriGhost Haunted Downtown Tour – Nashville, TN
Discover a whole new side of Music City with AmeriGhost’s Haunted Downtown Tour, where you’ll see some of the most goosebump-inducing spots in Nashville. Professional storytellers will captivate the kids while they learn about this southern city’s haunted heritage during the 90-minute, half-mile walk through shadowy streets. You’ll wander through famous landmarks like the Ryman Auditorium, Printer’s Alley and the Tennessee State Capitol, unlocking the dark mysteries within.
Recommended Hotel: The Hermitage Hotel
3. French Quarter Kids’ Spooky Tour and Ghost Hunt – New Orleans, LA
Children of all ages will love trying out some real ghost-hunting techniques during French Quarter Kids Tours’ New Orleans Spooky Tour and Ghost Hunt. Searching for long-lost pirates, 19th century spirits and ghosts using high-tech tools like detectors, participants will also learn about voodoo spells on The Big Easy’s historic streets. This tour, led by experienced teachers, is especially fun for kids ages 5 to 10 and is offered in the morning and right before dinnertime.
Recommended Hotel: The Roosevelt New Orleans
4. Hocus Pocus Tours – Salem, MA
Available year-round, Hocus Pocus is an award-winning 90-minute walking tour through the haunted streets of Salem, home to the infamous witch trials. Kids will enjoy learning about the city’s colorful history, told through 15 stops including the jail that once housed the Boston Strangler and the site of the Witch Trial Memorial. You’ll also hear about Salem’s 300-year-old curse. The stroller-friendly tour also offers custom walking tours for groups of 10 or more. It’s recommended for kids ages 5 and up.
Recommended Hotel: Salem Waterfront Hotel & Suites
5. The Grave Tales Tour – Savannah, GA
History buffs will love the Grave Tales Tour, held nightly on the streets of Savannah, where you’ll visit haunted mansions and cemeteries where notorious citizens are buried, plus a Revolutionary War battlefield. Beginning in Johnson Square in Savannah’s Historic District, you’ll hear about local ghosts on this 90-minute walking tour, along with historic events and the people who shaped the city. Your kids will enjoy learning about voodoo and hoodoo, and the roles they played in Savannah’s underground communities. Bonus: Kids 5 and under are free.
Recommended Hotel: Courtyard Savannah Downtown/Historic District
6. Gory Stories – The Kids’ Tour – Edinburgh, Scotland
Meet the creepy characters from 19thcentury Edinburgh during Mercat Tours’ Gory Stories – The Kids’ Tour, a daytime walk back in time through the gothic city’s most infamous haunted sites, including the famous Blair Street Underground Vaults. In the city’s Old Town, you’ll learn the meaning of gardyloo—spoiler alert: It’s what residents in medieval Scotland used to yell out to warn people when waste about to be thrown from a window into the street below, since there were no indoor toilets then—and hear scary stories about Scottish witches and buried treasure. The tour is 75 minutes, and recommended for children ages 5 and up.
Recommended Hotel: Apex City of Edinburgh Hotel
7. The Original Haunted Walk of Toronto – Ontario, Canada
Running from April through December, the 90-minute Original Haunted Walk of Toronto includes many of the city’s spooky (but not too scary) ghost stories about the city’s early days as visitors see haunted theaters, hidden burial grounds and paranormal phenomena at the Hockey Hall of Fame. Families will also see some iconic Toronto landmarks such as St. Lawrence Market and Mackenzie House. It’s supernatural fun for kids of all ages.
Recommended Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Downtown
8. The Ghost Bus Tour – London, England
The perfect blend of comedy and spookiness, The Ghost Bus Tour takes place on a restored vintage 1960’s black Routemaster double-decker bus furnished with antique lamps and thick velvet curtains—an ideal space to learn about London’s ghoulish history. Hosted by classically trained actors, this tour starts off in Trafalgar Square and offers participants an evening of theater and fun as they learn about spirits and ghosts from the city’s past. The tour includes visits to St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London and Cross Bones Graveyard.
Recommended Hotel: Courthouse Hotel Shoreditch
9. Spooked in Seattle Ghost Tour – Seattle, WA
If your kids love all things ghost-related, this is the tour for you. Hosted by professional ghost hunters, the 90-minute Spooked in Seattle Ghost Tour recounts true tales of the haunted city, presenting evidence collected during paranormal investigations. Go inside haunted sites while walking through Seattle’s oldest neighborhood, such as the Pioneer Square Hotel, Smith Tower and Merchant’s Cafe and Saloon, where you’ll hear about spirits that continue to make themselves known. Bonus: You’ll see part of the city’s famous underground at the very end of the tour. This tour is recommended for children age 5 and up.
Recommended Hotel: Crowne Plaza Seattle Downtown Area
10. The Original Fell’s Point Ghost Walk – Baltimore, MD
Discover the ghosts that haunt the cobblestone streets of Baltimore on the award-winning Original Fell’s Point Ghost Walk. You’ll visit the historic seaport neighborhood where sailors mysteriously vanished, and where pirates hunted British shipping vessels during the War of 1812. The 60- to 90-minute tour loops through the waterfront area, visiting 10 haunted spots after dark, making it a frightfully fun way to spend the evening.
Recommended Hotel: Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
Montreal-based Wendy Helfenbaum is a journalist, content strategist and TV producer who writes for dozens of digital and print magazines, as well as many brands. Wendy loves cruising, adventure travel and venturing off the beaten path with her husband and teenage son, and she can pack a carry-on bag like nobody’s business. Follow her, @WendyHelfenbaum.
What to Pack for Your Next Trip
Men’s/Dad’s Casual Fun Outfit for the Fall
Girl’s Casual Overalls Outfit for the Fall/Autumn
Boy’s Casual Outfit for Back to School in the Fall/Autumn
Women’s/Mom’s Casual Fun Outfit for the Fall
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