The 8 Best Halloween Tours In and Around NYC

• Cost: $50/person
• Duration: 2 hours
• Good for Kids: Yes

As you will see if you keep scrolling, there are a few suggestions for ghost tours in NYC on this list; all of these tours focus on the Greenwich Village area, said to be a hub of paranormal activity on the island, but they are all unique in their offerings. This particular tour features ghost stories related to luminaries, such as Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving. There’s also a chance of spotting the ghost of FDR’s beloved pup. Who knows? Anything can happen in the city that never sleeps.

• Cost: $36/person
• Duration: 2 hours
• Good for Kids: Yes

This two-hour, history-based tour is a great Halloween tour for anyone interested in true crime—namely because it’s dedicated to the infamous gangsters and mob bosses of the last century, and the many ghosts they left in their wake. The agenda includes visits to all the former vice districts of Manhattan: Chinatown, The Five Points, Little Italy and Greenwich Village. If you’re curious to know where infamous figures like John Gotti and Lucky Luciano made merry and committed murder, you’ll find out on this tour. Oh, and if you’d like to make it a family affair, you’ll be pleased to know that children six and under can join for free.

• Cost: $132/person
• Duration: 2 hours
• Good for Kids: No

Attention, film buffs: this is the Halloween tour for you. A local actor will be your guide on this two-hour walking tour of all the famous landmarks from your favorite horror movies and TV shows. Notable stops along the tour include a visit to The Dakota, where Rosemary’s Baby was filmed, Spook Central (the real-life building from Ghostbusters), and Peaches’ townhouse from the first season of the chilling Netflix series You. Best of all, this tour has some interactive features, including the opportunity to solve a true crime in the apartment building featured in Only Murders in the Building. This is an all-ages tour that will delight anyone with an interest in cinema. That said, I flagged it as ‘not good for kids,’ simply because most kids won’t have seen the films and shows that are highlighted here and, thus, might find it boring.

• Cost: $27/person
• Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours
• Good for Kids: Yes

Greenwich Village is known to be one of the most haunted neighborhoods in Manhattan and the rich history behind the hauntings is truly fascinating to hear. On this particular tour, you will visit the Mark Twain house, where many have claimed to see the deceased author wandering around in a white suit; the Jefferson Market Library—an architectural gem that used to serve as a prison for Manhattan’s female criminals; and a haunted restaurant, where ghost sightings have consistently been reported since 1910. The mile-long tour is family-friendly, packed with information and sure to send a chill down your spine

• Cost: $39/person
• Duration: 2 hours
• Good for Kids: Yes

Here, another after-dark ghost tour of Greenwich Village that’s reportedly very informative and full of fascinating historical anecdotes about all the most haunted places in the West Village. Highlights of the itinerary include the Brown Building (the site of an infamous and very deadly fire), the Hanging Tree of Washington Square Park, and a visit to the most haunted house in all of Manhattan, where multiple murders took place and as many as 22 spirits are said to reside.

• Cost: $26/person
• Duration: 1 hour
• Good for Kids: Yes

This haunted mansion tour in the seaside town of Cape May, NJ, is one of the highest-rated ghost tours around, and the guides pull out all the stops. In fact, you can even rent an EMF detector and conduct your own paranormal investigation while touring all the city’s spookiest spots, from the historic district to the haunted beachfront inn. Naturally, this tour takes place after sundown, so look for a guide with a lantern and get ready to hear some chilling ghost stories.

• Cost: $35/person
• Duration: 2 hours
• Good for Kids: No (only kids ages 11+ are permitted)

Located just 2.5 hours outside of NYC, the New England town of Mystic is considered one of the most haunted places in the state of Connecticut. Indeed, the rich maritime history of this coastal town is riddled with ghost stories and tales of paranormal activity, and you can hear (and maybe even experience) the best of it on this guided graveyard tour of a colonial burial ground. You’ll learn all about the ghosts of war time heroes and abolitionists, plus hear local legends about vampires on this nighttime tour. Best of all, glowing reviews suggest that the tour guides are incredible storytellers across the board, so you can count on being thoroughly engaged. Psst: I recommend booking it on a full moon for an extra spooky experience.

• Cost: $30/person
• Duration: 1.5 hours
• Good for Kids: Yes

It’s a bit of a trek to get to from NYC (just under five hours by car), but if you’re up for a road trip this Halloween season, you should definitely visit New England’s spookiest town. Salem, Massachusetts—home to the infamous witch trials—is basically Halloweentown, and there is no shortage of tours dedicated to its witchy, haunted history. This particular moonlit tour gets very high reviews for having lively, engaging and very funny guides, as well as a solid itinerary that includes two cemeteries, the Witch Trials Memorial, a site where one witch was tortured to death (!), multiple filming locations from the movie Hocus Pocus, and more.