Experience the spine-tingling thrills of a night traversing the Big Apple’s spookier streets on a tour of New York's haunted streets. During your fully narrated tour, discover the rich history of West Village and Greenwich Village haunts, including Hangman’s Tree and the New York residence where Edgar Allan Poe penned and published some of his most famous works. You may even encounter local ghosts gliding through their favorite former haunts! Full narration provides the historical context for the city’s scary stories.
So you won't have to brave a walk through the city's spookiest streets alone, the 2-hour trip through New York’s dark past begins from Washington Square Park, where you’ll meet your guide under the Washington Square Arch. Well-versed in the lore of a city with one of the densest concentrations of paranormal phenomena, your guide will regale you with entertaining tales of the more sinister side of Greenwich and West Village as you stalk the streets.
You won’t have to travel far for your first dip into New York’s ghoulish past. Washington Square Park’s Hangman’s Tree is ripe with haunted history that stretches 300 years, from the traitors of the American Revolution to prisoners of Newgate Prison. While there’s no public record of hangings, plenty of legends tell a different dark story. That may be in part because from 1797 to 1826, the park itself was a potter’s field, or community graveyard for undesirable people. Look at the picturesque park in a whole new way after your guide passes along these stories and more surprising facts for the area.
The twilight tour continues through Greenwich and West Villages’ storied streets and purported haunted hotspots. While Edgar Allan Poe might have strong ties to Baltimore, the macabre writer penned “The Cask of Amontillado” at the residence you’ll pass in New York City, where he also revised and published “The Raven.” Try and catch a glimpse of the ghost of another creative soul, Dylan Thomas, who expired after consuming 18 shots of scotch in 1953 at the West Village’s White Horse Tavern. Even 12 Gay Street has its own ghoul, who stalks the halls of its former favorite speakeasy.
If the specters are feeling shy, you’ll still get chills from the legendary history contained in the streets and buildings you visit with your guide. With a wealth of knowledge and humorous tidbits about New York’s past, you’ll step back into the night armed with a greater appreciation for the city’s past and a scary story or two up your sleeve.