Are you ready to explore the dark underbelly of Virginia’s capital and meet the ghosts of Richmond? Hear authentic, bone-chilling stories in one of Virginia’s most haunted cities.
Book NowUncover a chilling past dating back centuries with hauntings born of revolution, civil war, murder, and mayhem. Discover a sordid collection of ghastly phantoms on a Richmond ghost tour to reveal terrifying encounters that continue to haunt the streets of this historic colonial city.
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Tours are held daily, rain or shine, and year-round. Please see a list of available tours below to book your tour today, or for more information.
The tour with Mars was great! Enjoyed meeting new people, hearing stories, and trying some new drink... read more
Alexis was the greatest tour guide. She was so friendly and knowledgeable and she made the tour so ... read more
Alexis was the greatest tour guide. She was so friendly and knowledgeable and she made the tour so ... read more
Beneath Richmond’s Church Hill district sits an abandoned tunnel built in 1873. Before construction was complete, ten men died in cave-ins.
So it is no surprise that on October 2nd, 1925, the entire tunnel collapsed on a work train. Several workers died, and rescuers only ever recovered one body. The city has since sealed the tunnel to prevent anyone from going in — or coming out.
Richmond was Edgar Allan Poe’s adopted city. This museum honors the mastermind of horror.
The museum houses many pieces of furniture belonging to Poe. Some say he still reclines on his favorite sofa after visitors head home. Perhaps he is there to admire the collection of his earthly belongings. Since 1922, this museum has been a Mecca for enthusiasts of horror, mystery, and fear.
Located in the historic Shockoe Bottom district, the Mason’s House was built back in 1785. Often heard is the rattling of keys belonging to the original caretaker.
Nearly all of this nation’s Founding Fathers were Freemasons. Who knows what rituals they performed as a part of this secret society. These are the stories you won’t find in history books.
Welcome to Richmond, a city where war, death, and unspeakable tragedy transcend time and continue to be seen, heard, and felt on its notoriously haunted streets.
Recognized for its well-preserved history dating back to before the revolutionary war and its significant role in the Civil War, Richmond’s appeal is rivaled by its disturbing reputation. There is a dark energy that lies just beneath the surface of the city’s picturesque veneer and its residents, who have witnessed so many horrific happenings over the years, still whisper the tales of supernatural sightings and spirits that began centuries before its colonial birth.
Visit the C&O Church Hill Tunnel, a landmark that doubles as a tomb where laborers and passengers met untimely ends and continue to wander the tunnel in trying to find a way out. Discover Lumpkin’s Jail and stand in the spot where unfathomable tragedy transpired against the enslaved, and where the dead linger in search of their revenge.
Be prepared to encounter many of these notorious ghosts and more on an authentic ghost tour of Richmond as you hear shocking stories of real-life victims and villains whose spirits still call the River City their home.
During the Civil War, hundreds of thousands of American soldiers lost their lives on the battlefield with many perishing in hospitals from infection, incurable amputation wounds, and, horrifically, at the hands of inexperienced Civil War surgeons.
Within the city of Richmond alone, several buildings were turned into makeshift hospitals, meaning countless men died in these bloodstained streets, in undeniable pain. The suffering experienced by the forsaken is why these lost souls continue to roam Richmond to this day, unable to depart from this realm, leaving them restless and tied to a war that has since come to an end.
The suffering and inhumane treatment of slaves continued to echo into the 20th century, through the roaring 20s and Great Depression, right into the civil rights movement. Its tragic effects can be felt as you walk the historic streets of Shockoe Bottom where the passion and rage of entire generations resonate in the very foundations of the centuries-old buildings that line the colonial thoroughfares.
Join Richmond Ghosts to hear sordid, real-life stories from this historic city’s tormented past, and stop by some of its most haunted locations. Prepare to feel goosebumps as you travel back in time, coming face-to-face with the famous ghosts and long-dead spirits of these haunted sites.
On the surface, Richmond might look like a charming, southern town, but just below the town’s bustling city center lies one of the most chilling, famously haunted sites in Virginia. Discover the C&O Church Hill Tunnel, one of the longest tunnels in the United States, spanning 4,000 feet long and taking five decades to build. Of course, the 50 years of construction were not without their fair share of death and disaster.
Beneath your feet lies the final resting place for at least nine innocent men whose lives were all tragically taken by deadly cave-ins at the tunnel. Learn about the fatal 1925 tunnel collapse that buried a steam engine locomotive and trapped a number of workers in pitch-black darkness. It’s believed that the trapped African American laborers whose desperate cries for help went unanswered can still be heard above ground, manifesting into agony-filled muffled screams.
Uncover the true horrors that are buried in the C&O Church Hill Tunnel that now serves as a sealed tomb for the workers whose souls continue to haunt the site to this day. Today, residents of nearby apartment buildings continue to report hearing the eerie sounds of a ghostly train whistle and disembodied wails begging, or perhaps daring, anyone who hears them to dig deep into the tunnel’s sinister secrets.
Richmond is known for its preservation of historic buildings, but those monuments are not without their own bone-chilling backstories. Visit the Smith & Foundry, a bistro located in the city’s oldest commercial building that dates back to 1817. The building has been home to several businesses over the years, nearly all of them going out of business leading locals to believe the building is cursed. It just might be.
The first business to occupy the building was that of a gunsmith, Mr. James McNaught, who was a master of his craft but proved to be a difficult employer for his apprentice, Daniel Denoon. Hear the harrowing tale of Daniel’s futile attempt to venture out on his how own only to be viciously gunned down by McNaught who would later go on to kill himself.
Could Daniel’s blood have tainted the building with an aura of vengeance for his untimely death? One thing is for certain: as businesses come and go, Daniel’s unsettled spirit remains. Learn what happened when the staircase where he met his demise was renovated and what it conjured up. Reports of strange sounds and disembodied knocking from the storage closet that is now in its place are constant. Yet, they’re not as terrifying as the unfortunate women who’ve caught a glimpse of Daniel in the bathroom mirror, only to find themselves alone when they turn to confront him.
Attempts to cover up Richmond’s wretched past has been to no avail. During the Civil War, the city had ties to a particularly evil, unsavory era in America’s history: the slave trade. While enslaved people living in Richmond were generally given more freedoms than slaves of the south, city officials feared they would rebel when Virginia seceded, leading to a series of new, inhumane laws restricting their movements across town. If these rules were broken, these slaves were ruthlessly whipped, harassed, or even worse, killed.
Reminders of this grisly part of Richmond’s past can still be seen today. Visitors to Lumpkin’s Slave Jail, which once held thousands of slaves and was the site where countless people experienced unspeakable horrors, injustices, hangings, and torture, frequently report feeling a somber, dark energy. The tormented souls of the persecuted charge the nearby African Burial Ground with stoic energy, one that asks visitors to examine the true price of human evil.
What is meant for peace and sanctuary houses a history of death, despair, and curses. Discover St.John’s Church, the first church in Richmond that was established in 1611 in Dutch Gap and moved to Richmond after a disastrous and tumultuous century. Its deadly origins translated, bringing its streak of cursed luck with it. Hear the gruesome tales of the original perish’s ill-fated Good Friday death during the Indian Massacre of 1622.
St. John’s Church didn’t fare better in its new location. Surrounded by unmitigated death, the church serves as the final resting place for some notable names in history including Edgar Allen Poe’s mother, Eliza, and the unjustly crucified Daniel Danoon. But perhaps none are as terrifying as the spirit of Sarah Henry, wife of Virginia delegate Patrick Henry who suffered from “diseases of the mind”. Condemnation, a brutal death, and her body being dumped in an unmarked grave were a trio of atrocities that resulted in her angry spirit roaming the church grounds, laughing maniacally and, at times, banging on the door of the dungeon prison she’s forever tethered to.
Throughout the Civil War, roughly 2% of the population tragically lost their lives fighting in grueling, bloody conflicts over the course of 4, agonizing years. Around Richmond, this lasting pain continues to plague the city. This misery, agony, and persistent sense of dread can especially be felt around Richmond’s most haunted locations, including the historic Pohlig Box Factory, where over 300 soldiers drew their last breaths.
Countless spine-tingling ghost stories and face-to-face encounters with souls from beyond the grave have come from this location, which, for a time, served as a makeshift Civil War hospital. Wounded, poor, dying men occupied each bed, which, unsurprisingly, lends credence that chilling tales of long-departed soldiers remain there to this day. Watch for the strange, ghastly apparitions of Civil War soldiers, and learn why some say the Pohlig Box Factory is the most haunted building in all of Richmond.
Riddled with the corpses of Civil War casualties, this location is just one of many eternal reminders of the suffering and bloodshed that took place on the battlefield. The war has placed an irreversible, dark stain on the city of Richmond, as the innocent lives lost due to these horrible atrocities continue to haunt the seemingly charming streets well over a century later.
Richmond is one of America’s oldest cities making it a beacon for horrific, haunted history. Plagued by endless violence, bloodshed, and ceaseless cruelty, the feelings of pain and suffering experienced by many in the city’s past continue to cast a dark light over Virginia’s capital city.
Take a stroll with Richmond Ghosts and stop by the infamously haunted Engineering Bureau Hospital, Mason’s Hall, and other chilling destinations throughout Richmond’s historic Shockoe Bottom. Uncover the sinister secrets that are buried alongside the city’s old roots, and come face-to-face with apparitions of long-dead Civil War soldiers, famous authors, and other ghastly residents from Richmond’s past who continue to haunt the present to this day.
The number of unspeakable atrocities and lives viciously cut short by war and the institution of slavery has left a bloody stain on each building, every park, and all of the dark corridors that create a ghastly labyrinth underneath the city of Richmond. Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, Richmond is a goldmine for chilling tales and mysteries that offers a little something to everyone.
We invite you to travel back in time to unveil the long-buried sins of this historic city that continue to plague its past. Join Richmond Ghosts for a non-stop, terrifying adventure to some of the city’s most notoriously haunted destinations, and make memories that will follow you into the grave, and beyond.
Now more than ever, people are taking a keen interest in ghost encounters, haunted locations, and terrifying tales from the past. Thanks to social media, it’s easier than ever to connect with the ghostly community and dive into the mysteries of some of the most paranormal active cities across the US.
Richmond is a particularly enticing place for lovers of sordid tales, haunted history, and unique origins of the ghosts that continue to lurk around Virginia’s capital city to this day. Join us to experience a buried side of Richmond’s history, told through grim retellings that are bound to follow you far beyond your visit to Virginia’s capital city.
* This is a walking tour and we do not enter privately-owned buildings or private property *
Most visitors to Richmond have their typical list of “must-see” sites: the Virginia State Capitol Building, the Museum of Fine Arts, or Maymont, to name a few. But don’t you want to learn about a darker, more hidden, yet equally as important side of Richmond’s history? Join Richmond Ghosts and immerse yourself in the haunted legends that have been passed down to locals for generations. While some history books might skip over the city’s macabre past, learning these terrifying tales is crucial to gaining an understanding of Richmond’s culture. Visit popular spots such as the C&O Church Hill Tunnel, the site of one of Richmond’s biggest tragedies. At least nine men were killed during the construction of the tunnel…meaning it’s a particularly active site for chilling, otherworldly encounters with these troubled spirits.
The city of Richmond played a key role in the American Civil War, and if you’re visiting, odds are you’ve learned more than your fair share about this side of the city’s history. If you’re looking to expand your knowledge of what really lies between every darkened corner of this historic town’s streets, look no further than an authentic, curated tour with Richmond Ghosts. Learn something new, and expand your conventional knowledge of this capital city’s morbid past.
Curious about what lies beyond the grave? Even skeptics are bound to get goosebumps with a tour from Richmond Ghosts. Visit the real-life locations behind hair-raising stories such as that of the Richmond Vampire, who locals claim is buried in — and haunts — the mausoleum of W. W. Pool in Hollywood Cemetery to this day. Even the most adamant of non-believers won’t be able to deny the sense of dread, horror, and misery that plagues this historic town. If there’s one place that will convince you that ghosts are, in fact, very real, look no further than Richmond.
Richmond isn’t exactly known to be a late-night town. But a certain group of Richmond’s residents is especially active after the sun goes down: its ghoulish ghosts and otherworldly spirits. Stop by the infamous Rosie Connelly’s Pub, and learn about the haunted drinking establishment where brothel-goers, youth, and many visitors used to sip whiskey back in the early 1900s. For years, workers have reported feeling ghostly hands trying to work in the kitchen, while others have reported seeing a mysterious, full-body apparition of an unknown man, who, without any explanation, would appear in the kitchen before vanishing.
Richmond is widely considered to be the home of Edgar Allen Poe, who, for a time, lived at the corner of Second and Franklin Streets during his youth. Since then, Richmond has become a mecca for fans of the famous author, who penned countless, spine-tingling stories throughout his career that continue to haunt readers today. Follow Richmond Ghosts and dive into the sordid history of the Edgar Allen Poe Museum, a historic house that’s said to be the site of unusual spiritual activity. The shadowy phantom of Poe himself is said to roam the corridors, meaning that perhaps, he’ll be listening in on your conversations during your visit.
As nice as it is to wine and dine your significant other, don’t you want to try something new for your next date night? Join Richmond Ghosts for your next big night out on the town, and get the blood pumping by visiting some of the city’s most notoriously haunted locations. Whether you’re a Richmond local, or just enjoying a romantic getaway, be prepared to cozy up to your date after visiting chilling sites including St. John’s Church, the final resting place for dozens of restless spirits. Walk hand-in-hand across the harrowed ground as you learn about the tragic death of revolutionary Patrick Henry’s wife, Sarah Henry, whose tormented soul is said to roam the church and graveyard all these years later. Listen for her disembodied cries as she bangs on doors, begging to be released from her dungeon prison.
