There is no better way to transition into the Halloween season than to take a trip along the ghost coast. Charleston, Savannah, and New Orleans have an abundance of hallowed attractions to kickstart your fall festivities. Plastered with wildly popular reviews, these tours will expose you to historic cities with a hair-raising twist.
Savannah
Hearse Ghost Tours
One of the most unique ways to experience a ghost tour in Savannah is to take a ride with Hearse Ghost Tours. For more than 22 years, they’ve employed real hearses—
used for thousands of funeral transportation—converted into eight-seater convertible rides for citywide tours. Each tour is family-friendly and unscripted, with drivers taking their own routes and telling their own stories.
1410 E. Broad St., Savannah, GA, 912.695.1578, hearseghosttours.com
Savannah History & Haunts
With five-star ratings and killer recommendations, a stop at Savannah History & Haunts is sure to bring secrets of the past alive. You will be guided on the moss-draped cobblestone streets of Savannah with only the dim light of a candle, hearing about the city’s haunted past of war, execution, and crime.
17 W. McDonough St. Savannah, GA, 833.728.8687, savannahhistoryandhaunts.com
Some other spots to check out:
Ghost City Tours
Meeting locations vary, Savannah, GA, 855-999-9026 ghostcitytours.com/savannah
6th Sense World
415-B Bonaventure Rd., Savannah, GA, 912.292.0960, 6thsenseworld.com
New Orleans
Witches Brew Tours
Rated No. 1 on Tripadvisor and awarded Travelers’ Choice 2022, Witches Brew offers some of the best haunted tours in New Orleans. In business for almost 10 years, tour guides are highly knowledgeable specializing in cemetery, haunted, and historical tours.
A journey with Witches Brew might include thrilling stories and truths about ghosts, vampires, voodoo, or other supernatural phenomena in the area. Witches Brew highly recommends its 3-in-1 tour, where you learn about the history and architecture of the French Quarter, the mysteries of voodoo, and Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau. You’ll also be treated (or tricked) with accounts of St. Louis Cemetery #1 and its crumbling graves, plus see legendary Jackson Square.
Meeting locations vary, 504.454.3939, witchesbrewtours.com
Hottest Hell
Hottest Hell has been featured on television networks such as NBC, Discovery, and ABC. The company features four main tours: Walking The Devil’s Empire, Dim Corner, Backatown, and Gates Of Guinee. The founders say they strive to properly inform others after years of seeing misinformation all around them.
On Walking The Devil’s Empire tour, you might visit the old Parish Prison or hear the chilling stories of Axe-man, but no two tours are ever the same. The Dim Corner tour is for those who already know some of the histories that lie within the town but want to learn more. Backatown touches on scandal in areas that have been destroyed and rebuilt, and Gates of Guinee is for those who want more on voodoo—and the differences in Haitian Voodoo, New Orleans Voodoo, Santeria, and Hoodoo—plus spirituality, mystery, and zombie lore.
Fun fact: Ludacris and Charlie Sheen have rated Hottest Hell 5 stars.
Meeting locations vary, 1-888-975-HELL(7355), hottesthell.com
More Haunts:
Bloody Mary Tours
Haunted Museum & Spirit Shop, 826 & 828 N. Rampart St., New Orleans, 504.915.7774; 504-909-6666, bloodymarystours.com
French Quarter Phantoms
718 N. Rampart St., New Orleans, 504.666.8300, frenchquarterphantoms.com
Ghost City Tours – New Orleans
Meeting locations vary, 855.999.9026, ghostcitytours.com/new-orleans
New Orleans Legendary Walking Tours
941 Decatur St., Ste. 201, New Orleans, 504.503.0199, neworleanslegendarywalkingtours.com
NOLA Ghost Riders
600 Canal St., New Orleans, 504.522.3200, nolaghostriders.com/tours
Charleston
Bulldog Tours
At Bulldog Tours, licensed tour guides explore all things mystical in Charleston’s most frightening and eerie locations. Visit where some of the city’s worst criminals spent their lives, and experience centuries-old cemeteries and graveyards.
18 Anson St., Charleston, SC, 843.628.5448, bulldogtours.com/tours/ghost
Old South Carriage Co. Haunted Carriage Tour
Charleston’s only haunted carriage ride takes you through the city’s historic streets, while spinning spooky tales about ghosts, pirates, patriots, and graveyards. Featured is the infamous Provost Dungeon at the Old Exchange, used by the British as a military prison during the Revolutionary War.
14 Anson St., Charleston, SC, 843.723.9712, oldsouthcarriage.com
More Haunts
Buxton Books – The Ghosts of Charleston Tour
160 King St., Charleston, SC, 843.723.1670, buxtonbooks.com/ghosts-of-charleston
Explore Charleston, Charleston CVB, Charleston Haunted Jail Tour
18 Anson St., Charleston, SC, 843.722.8687, charlestoncvb.com
A Haunting in the Upstate
Don’t miss Hopkins Haunted Hayride at Historic Hopkins Farms, Oct. 26-27, 6:30-10:30pm, 3717 Fork Shoals Rd., Simpsonville, historichopkinsfarm.com.
