The mere mention of Salem conjures tales of witch trials and macabre mishaps. This haunted history tour, ideal for fans of superstition and the supernatural, takes you on a lantern-lit journey to sites of alleged haunting. Explore an atmospheric cemetery, visit buildings inhabited by restless souls, and listen to paranormal stories delivered by a master storyteller. A charged atmosphere is guaranteed on this tour.

Haunted history walking tour of Salem
Delve into Salem's macabre history and listen to terrifying tales from a master storyteller guide
Explore a cemetery, visit haunted buildings, and wander spooky streets by lantern light

What's Included

Local, professional and certified local guide
Visit several sites where paranormal activity has occurred
Hear stories of accidental death and murder.
Guide will dress in a costume
Analytics on any ghost photos you may get
We do not go in any buildings so admission is not included nor necessary
All ghost and paranormal stories are exclusive to Salem

Gratuities
Hotel Pick-Up and Drop-Off
There's no food or drink offered, but snacks, soda and water are available for sale.

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

8 Central St
8 Central St, Salem, MA 01970, USA
We are part of the pedestrian walkway downtown at the corner of Essex and Central Streets. We are next to Emporium 32 and across from the New England Dog Biscuit Company. Look for our purple sign.

End point

Salem
Salem, MA, USA
Returns to downtown area. Guide can direct you to where you want to go.

What To Expect

Arrive at the Salem Historical Tours office on 8 Central Street. Here, you’ll greet your costumed guide and follow the light of a lantern to some of Salem’s most haunted locations.

Listen to commentary dripping with dark humor and historical facts as you visit a spine-tingling cemetery and stand upon sites associated with the infamous Salem Witch Trials.

See, too, buildings inhabited by restless specters and learn about some of Salem’s dearly departed residents. Bid your guide farewell at a central Salem spot after your evening of exploration.

Salem Historical Tours & Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Ropes Mansion and Garden

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Old Burying Point Cemetery

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

John Ward House

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Witch House

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Rockafellas Restaurant

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Children must be accompanied by an adult
Wheelchair accessible
Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
Stroller accessible
Tour times vary by season. Available tour times reflected during checkout. Please plan to arrive 15-20 minutes prior to your tour. Check in at Salem Historical Tours Office at 8 Central Street, Salem, MA.

Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Most travelers can participate
The City of Salem has rescinded its face mask and proof of vaccination order. You no longer have to show proof of vaccination or wear a face mask to enter our office and gift shop. It is subject to change in the future.
Traffic and parking in October can be very difficult. Give yourself extra time to get here and park no matter what your GPS is telling you. Check Salem.org for details on where to park.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

4.0

212 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-10 of 212 reviews

Fun and interesting

Jennifer_H, Sep 2023

Enjoyed the Ropes mansion garden portion the most. The guide walked fast and it was difficult for some of the older folks in our group to keep up.

Scam

Anggie_T, Sep 2023

I was at the location point at 8:00pm and nobody was there... So I had to cancel then I asked for my refund and they rejected.... Don't go with this is scam

Response from Host, Sep 2023

We start every tour at 8 Central Street which is stated when you sign up for a tour. If your group wasn't sure on where to meet your group could've called our office for directions.vWe're sure you weren't at the meeting spot as the other guests on the tour went out with the guide.

Fun but fast

Carol_G, Sep 2023

Very informative and loved the history. Felt like we were running instead of walking. Lost over half our group.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Hello Carol, while we're glad you enjoyed the tour it was probably the rain that led some of the group to leave the tour as it was raining throughout the entire day. We do a 90 minute tour which is about a mile and a half length wise.

Allen was amazing, he...

Grace_K, Sep 2023

Allen was amazing, he knew his stuff & you could tell he’s really passionate about what he does! We ran into a few other groups along the way and he did a good job of navigating around them/projecting his voice when needed!

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Hello Grace, Thank you for the amazing review! We're so pleased to hear you had a great time with us! Allan is on one of the best guides in town! Please be sure to come back and visit again soon!

10/10 recommend!

Grace_B, Aug 2023

Me and my husband decided to do this walking tour, and it was amazing! Stash was our guide and he was great at story telling and letting us know the history of where we were. (Also funny too so that’s a plus)

Response from Host, Aug 2023

Hello Grace, Thank you for the amazing review! We're so pleased to hear you had a great time with us! Stash is on one of the best guides in town! Please be sure to come back and visit again soon!

Great tour

Amanda_W, Jul 2023

Like the tour. Was a informational and entertaining. Would do it again. Toyr guide was really nice. We had a tiny group so we got alot more personal attention.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Hello and Thank you for the fantastic review! Please be sure to come back and visit us and Salem Again soon!

Haunting and Historical Awesome!

Debbie_K, Jul 2023

We had Stach as our guide! It was incredible with us having a small group and made it possible to hear well. The stories--both historical and paranormal-- were fascinating! And the sights were beautiful and creepy, which was a fantastic view of Salem. Would definitely use this booking group again!

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Hello Debbie, Thank you for the amazing review! We're so pleased to hear you had a great time with Stash! He is one of the best guides in town. Please be sure to come back again soon!

Entertaining

Martha_B, Jun 2023

Our guide infused humor. We heard similar stories on the trolley tour also. Just wish there were some different spots shown. Seems like a lot of repetion.

Response from Host, Jul 2023

Hello and Thank You for the great review! We're so pleased to hear you had a fun time with us! Please be sure to come back and visit again soon!

Not too historical based,...

jackie_w, Jun 2023

Not too historical based, great addition to another tour and interesting for those who enjoy the paranormal.

Response from Host, Jun 2023

Hello Jackie, The Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour is a mix of accidental death, murder, and haunted history. Our guides use personal stories as well as hauntings from Salem's storied history to enhance the tour for everyone.

Cool tour

M_G, May 2023

Cools tour, Bob was a good guide and storyteller. It was three of us and the TG, made the tour a little more engaging.

Response from Host, May 2023

Hello and Thank you for the amazing review! Bob is one of the best guides around! Please be sure to come back again soon!

Our tour guide Ryan was...

Natasha_B, May 2023

Our tour guide Ryan was amazing. The way he told the stories of all the places was exciting and very accurate. I would take another tour with him in a heartbeat if I ever got the chance. Ryan was the best tour guide I have ever had. His enthusiasm while talking and explaining the events that took place was detailed and enthralling. Way to go Ryan!!!

Response from Host, May 2023

Thank you for the fantastic review! Please be sure to come back and visit us and Salem Again soon!

Skip this one.

Terri_W, May 2023

Just not good. Would not recommend. Tour guide shared alleged paranormal activity like it was factual. NO access to the inside of any building.

Response from Host, May 2023

Our tour is advertised as stories of accidental death, murder and paranormal activity. Technically, all paranormal activity is alleged (even on all the ghost shows). It is a matter of whether you believe or don't believe. There are many incredible stories around Salem witnessed by multiple people and we tell you these incredible tales and show you pictures in some cases. We bring you to locations that have had activity through the years and we have over 100 strange pictures on our website. Our website explicitly states that we do not go into any buildings.

Bob was an amazing tour...

Maria_R, Nov 2022

Bob was an amazing tour guide. He made the tour very special with his personal ghost stories and great facts about Salem

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hello Maria, Thank you for the fantastic review! Bob is one of the best tour guides around! Please be sure to come back and visit us and Salem Again soon!

Our tour guide was Allan....

Cynthia_J, Nov 2022

Our tour guide was Allan. It was a cold windy night but we enjoyed our time with him. He did a great job.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hello Cynthia, Thank you for the wonderful review! We're so pleased to hear you had a great time with us! Please be sure to come back again soon!

Interesting but hard to hear guide

Tina_k, Nov 2022

Tour would have been better in a smaller group. 30 people made it hard to hear the guide even after he turned up the speaker.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Good tour with tons of participants

Debi_S, Nov 2022

This was a decent tour. We heard some interesting stories and it was cool that our guide had family ties to the Witch Trials. Overall, the tour had too many people and it was really difficult to hear the guide while moving. When we stopped at the sites, it was fine and everyone was able to hear the stories. Overall, it was a decent tour, but know if you take this tour in October, there will be about 40 or so people with you.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hello Debi, Thank you for the amazing review! We're so pleased to hear you had a great time with us! The Witch Trials are a wild time in history. Please be sure to come back again soon!

I felt like there were...

Hope_M, Nov 2022

I felt like there were too many people in the tour. If theres an ordinance where u cant speak with microphones i say dont go into places where u cant be heard and i did feel like there was going to be a lot of personal ghost stories but i wanted to hear about ghosts often seen by multiple people, the history of that. But tour guide was pretty funny. But in all fairness we left early cause we felt like we knew where the tour was going and i wasnt going to hold my bladder for it.

Response from Host, Nov 2022

We keep our tour groups to 35-40 people while other companies go 50 or more. This makes it easier to get to the locations and gives ample time for people to catch the group before the guide starts talking. All of our guides use microphones so they are very loud. We are one of the few companies in town that actually follow the rules. There's also no way of knowing where the tour was going as you admitted to leaving the tour early. Our staff works extremely hard to bring this haunted history to life. Halloween crowds are always large in Salem. There can upwards of 100,000 people a day. Sharing is caring and we all have to share this wonderful spooky city.

Interesting tour! Entertaining guide!

Molly_B, Oct 2022

Bob was our guide and he was quite the entertainer and had quite the sense of humor and definitely was very knowledgeable on the subject of hauntings in salem and had his own personal stories to add. Also loved the cloak and lantern effect. Only thing I proably wouldve liked more of is the history .. bob did alot of his personal stories . Also we went on halloween this year and it was freezing out (we were the 9pm tour) so I would recommend hand warmers and a nice coat

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hello and Thank you for the nice review! We're pleased to hear you had a fun time with us! Please be sure to come back again soon!

Meh

Daniel_R, Oct 2022

When she stuck to the script she was great. She was kinda rude. Would have liked more history. She more just told stories of ghost sightings and her own opinions

Response from Host, Oct 2022

This tour is haunted history and ghost stories with our tour guides personal stories mixed in. We have serval other walking tours that have more history with them. Perhaps you should've taken one of those.

Hauntings in Salem

Cindy_S, Oct 2022

We enjoyed hearing the guide’s real life experiences while he shared the history of Salem! It’s quite a different experience on a cold foggy night!👻🧙🏻‍♀️

Response from Host, Oct 2022

Hello and Thank you for the wonderful review Cindy! We're pleased to hear you had a great time with us! Please be sure to check us out again soon!

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