Welcome To Columbus's #1 Rated Ghost Tour

The ghosts of Columbus are an eclectic bunch, from the beer-drinking phantom of Barley’s Brewing Company to the Victorian-era spirit who wanders in the contemporary Skyscraper Center. Ethereal figures, unseen wraiths, residual haunts, and intelligent apparitions carry the key to a haunting past that spurred a haunted future.

An American President’s Secret Afterlife

If you were to lay out the history of the Ohio Statehouse and the oddities tied to its existence, you’d expect a bounty of malevolent apparitions, restless haunts, and even a spectral cat or two.

Embark on a jarring trip into the statehouse’s past to uncover the darker moments in its lifetime, from the innumerable construction worker deaths to the floor that once belonged to an asylum. Then, hear about the real spirits that call the statehouse home: a worker on a rigid schedule and a president with a secret lover. 

Is there a darker presence hidden in the Ohio Statehouse, just waiting for the right individual to set it free? Its sordid tales certainly suggest as much, though it’s the benevolent souls that have claimed this space for now. Hear all about them and more on a bone-chilling ghost tour with Columbus Ghosts.

What Will I See?

Visit Columbus’s Most Haunted Locations, Including:

• Elevator Brewery – A scene of revenge imprinted forever on the iconic Columbus bar. Rumor has it the abuse carried out by a gruff early 20th-century colonel kicked off a chain reaction that led to his murder and subsequent haunting of the Elevator Brewery.

• Lazarus Building – The pioneer of the modern department store, Simon Lazarus, is inadvertently responsible for the holiday season as we know it today. Though he missed out on the growth of his company, his spirit is believed to have been there for every change. Even after its closure and conversion into an office space, Simon remains tied to his legacy.

• Ohio Statehouse – Did President Abraham Lincoln have a secret love affair? If so, his spirit couldn’t help but revisit his beloved, the daughter of Ohio’s 23rd governor, Salmon Chase. Despite the tragedies tied to the statehouse, its hauntings are surprisingly mellow and aren’t likely to encroach into anyone’s dreams.

A Haunting Family Legacy

Simon Lazarus’ The Lazarus Department Store may not have been the first department store, but it certainly was the most influential. After his passing, his heirs elevated the business beyond his original vision. Join Columbus Ghosts and explore the Lazarus family legacy, from the German immigrant’s start to his spectral presence overseeing the company.

Though Simon may have died before The Lazarus Department Store became a holiday mecca, he likely surveyed as children gathered around Santa and shoppers delighted in large Christmas displays. An ethereal fixture of his family’s business, the patriarch remained in the shadows for so long.

In the chaos of retail, Simon’s specter could hide, but more recently, his stoic presence has been spotted by businesses that now rent out the converted office space. A quiet apparition, it’s as if he merely wishes to bask in his family’s former success.

Phantom Footprints in the Snow

Small, narrow footprints in freshly fallen snow lead away from the Elevator Brewery, vanishing not far from where they seemingly begin. Is it a trick of the eye? Or are they echoes of a powerful moment that unfolded just outside this Columbus establishment? Find out by exploring the brewery’s haunted happenings with Columbus Ghosts.

Many patrons who visit the Elevator Brewery are simply looking for casual conversation or a place to blow off steam after a long day. Not Colonel Randolph A. Pritchard, though. A particular villainy seemed to emanate from him, especially as whispers of his abuse of local women circulated throughout the bar. 

One February night in 1909, the colonel was made a permanent resident of the Elevator Brewery. Following a heated discussion with an unknown person in the alley, he stumbled back into the bar, bloodied, the life draining from him quickly. No one knows who ended his alleged horrible reign, though the lady-like footprints in the snow suggest it was an act of revenge.

Why is Columbus so Haunted?

Bloodied Messages at the Red Brick Tavern

Stop outside Barley’s Brewing Company with Columbus Ghosts and pivot to another nearby haunt beloved by locals — the Red Brick Tavern. The 19th-century building has had quite the history, having housed a school, a private residence, and an inn years before dishing out refreshing libations.

Not everything is so upbeat about the Red Brick Tavern, though, for within resides a spirit whose end is both grisly and tragic. Jilted by the man who was meant to be hers forever, a young woman spent her final moments on the upper floor of the building, embroidering a piece of fabric with one final message.

Some patrons claim to have spotted the bloodied figure of the sorrowful spirit, her transparent form spotted from outside the bar in front of the very same window she allegedly took her life by. The embroidery she finished just before succumbing to her self-inflicted wounds is still hanging in the bar, the crimson stains of her blood spattered on the fabric.

Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things

When you call for the dead, don’t be shocked when you get a response. It’s a lesson learned by teenagers who test their bravery by confronting local lore and urban legends. For the mischievous youth of Columbus, the target was often the Hayden mausoleum, a relic of the Green Lawn Cemetery. 

Though Green Lawn has its own fascinating history to explore, join Columbus Ghosts for a glimpse at what’s happening at Hayden Mausoleum. Not only is it a brilliant landmark dedicated to a founding family, but it’s also the focus of a popular game among teens. Knock on the mausoleum’s door.

Erected for the family to rest peacefully, the constant knocking from local teens may have finally gotten to one of the Hayden family members, Peter. Knock today, and Peter may make sure you get an answer, whether you really want it or not.

Columbus’s Most Haunted

A city with as rich a history as Columbus is bound to be ripe with spectral energy. While Columbus Ghosts will take you on an extensive tour of many sites the city has to offer, there are other haunted venues you may consider exploring on your own.

Spots like the Blind Lady Tavern take you back in time to when the tavern ran as a brothel and revisit Madame Frances Miller’s protective actions that left one unwanted customer riddled with shotgun buckshot. Is the victim of the madame’s trigger finger still slinking around the old brothel? 

As part of the John F. Wolfe Columbus Commons, Mirror Lake draws a lot of attention throughout the year, the mixing of positive and negative energy fueling the spectra presence of the mysterious Pink Lady

The Green Lawn Cemetery isn’t short on its own phantoms. Pay a respectful visit to the many bodies buried within the 360-acre cemetery, making sure to try and call out to Leonora Perry, the cemetery’s first burial.

If you’re feeling especially brave, you can head out to Watkins Road Bridge. Or, as locals know it, Headless Hattie Bridge. Said to have been the site of a tragic car accident where a woman and her infant perished, Watkins Road Bridge is as classic as an urban legend goes. Stop your vehicle on the bridge, flash your lights 12 times, and you may just see the headless apparition of poor Hattie, anguished over her baby’s death.

From the tortured spirits trapped within the old Ohio State Penitentiary to the benevolent presence of cartoonist Jamer Thurber, heard walking around the museum dedicated to his work, Columbus is a treasure trove of ghostly experiences.

* This is a walking tour and we do not enter privately-owned buildings or private property *