Welcome To River City Ghosts
The Origins of a City Built By War, Murder, and Misfortune
By day, the Riverwalk is a tourist destination that sees thousands of visitors each year, each experiencing the Hollywood version of San Antonio’s origin. By night, it echoes with the sorrow of the many casualties of these unforgiving waters. The city was built around this famous attraction but before the development of restaurants and hotels, bodies lay strewn in their place with many more floating downstream for Texas wildlife to consume.
Beyond the culture, unique architecture, and ongoing Fiestas the city is known for, remain the souls of the soldiers and settlers that not only helped establish San Antonio as a city but also as one of the most haunted places in Texas.
Journey deep into the heart of Texas to explore the most iconic and haunted spots in Texas’ most visited city. Hear unbelievable descriptions of unexplained activity and apparitions that have been experienced up and down the Riverwalk. Discover the identity of the ghost who continues to inhabit the Briscoe Western Art Museum and why the souls of performers and guests maintain their presence at the iconic Majestic Theater, even during ongoing performances.
WHAT WILL I SEE ON THIS TOUR?
The Alamo And The Grim Reality of The Battle’s Dark End
Downtown San Antonio is filled with haunted history, but none is quite as famous, notable, or as deadly as The Alamo. One of the most prolific battle sites in history is also home to the unexplained phenomenon that has been experienced for more than 150 years. You’ll visit and stand in the exact spot where bodies of fallen soldiers lay strewn across the field and where their tortured souls can still be seen and heard.
Tourists from far and wide visit The Alamo every year by the thousands to see the site where Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, William B. Travis, and the rest of the defenders fought this brutal war. In the very spot where souvenir photos are taken the corpses of fallen soldiers were disposed of by burning, denying them their Christian burial and rendering their souls doomed to wander the grounds endlessly.
The bloodshed and casualties of this unholy past have made The Alamo one of the most haunted places in the United States. Unexplained phenomenon has been reported since the 1800s, with full articles on the terrifying activity being featured in the San Antonio Express-News. The eerie encounters are in abundance at The Alamo with both employees and tourists alike claiming to see apparitions of defenders, Mexican soldiers, and even monks. If you’re lucky, you just might have a run-in with John Wayne, star of the movie The Alamo and frequently spotted apparition.
When The Fiesta’s End The Darkness Sets In
Did you know that your hotel is likely to be one of the former hospitals that housed the sick, and caters to the dead? Uncover the truth behind the creepy Emily Morgan and the final resting place of the soldiers, settlers, and Native Americans whose blood was shed during constant battles for control of the Lone Star State.
Before operating as an award-winning hotel, the Emily Morgan was originally constructed to serve as the city’s first Medical Arts Building. Though it would be considered one of the most advanced and well-renowned hospitals in the nation, within its four walls cruel and merciless practices rendered patients permanent residents of the now hotel of torment. Hear the horrendous conditions patients endured and which floors held their decaying corpses. Learn about the madness that’s continued to be passed down and has since manifested in heinous acts and creepy encounters.
Why is San Antonio So Haunted?
Horrific Ends and Restless Spirits
Built before the Alamo, La Villita was once considered a slum neighborhood that originally served as the Native American settlement. Today, it’s one of the most thriving areas in San Antonio, both for its culture and terrifying unexplained anomalies. The buildings that inhabit La Villita are known for strange phenomena such as disembodied voices and objects moving on their own. This, however, is child’s play compared to the disturbing accounts by witnesses of beheaded Comanche Indians showing themselves at night, wielding tomahawks in search of new heads.
Visit the ironically named Tower Life Building, the 31-story gothic structure that is home to several businesses is also a place that has a horrid history of individuals who are down on their luck committing suicide beginning with Jim Smith, one of the original developers. The lives claimed by the star-crossed building are now forever tied to it, recreating their disturbing deaths for anyone unlucky enough to witness them.
Vengeful Spirits Come For Unfinished Business
Learn the grim story behind one of San Antonio’s most popular and laid-back establishments, the Cadillac Bar. It may be a desired hot spot for parties and events, but this famous attraction sits on a burial ground and is known for its unexplained activity and sightings of various apparitions such as the man with the white handlebar mustache and Beatrice, a former prostitute with a violent temper.
The eerie happenings at the Cadillac Bar, however, are rivaled by those of the Alamo Street Theater. Built in 1912, the building originally served as the Alamo Methodist Church until 1968 and has seen its fair share of businesses come and go. The abundance of activity and spirit sightings that occur not only earned Alamo Street Theater the “Officially Haunted” Award by the South Texas Ghost Hunters Alliance but is said to be the reason businesses are unable to keep their doors open.
Murders, Mystery, and Malevolence
Discover the San Fernando Cathedral and learn why this building which was thought of as a symbol of peace has such a dark and troubling existence. Hear the true tales of the bodies that were buried underneath the sanctuary railing of the church, and how the unearthing of their remains disturbed their final resting place and made the Cathedral one of the most haunted sites in Texas.
The area’s grisly history also features its fair share of unsolved murders. River City Ghosts Tour takes you to the Briscoe Western Art Museum also known as the former home of businessman John McMullen where his lifeless and bloody body was discovered with no trace of his attacker, and where visitors and staff report seeing a dark figure roaming the building.
What’s So Special About the River City Ghosts Tour?
See a Ghastly Side to The Fiesta-Filled Alamo City
Behind the beauty and riverboat tours are a plethora of horrific tales of countless deaths that continue to accumulate to this day. Its deep, dark history has made this one of the most haunted locations in San Antonio. Reports of creepy unexplained shadows and disembodied voices are just some of the accounts you’ll hear with River City Ghosts.
Discover why the war-torn ghosts and the souls of the unavenged continue to roam the streets, reliving their ill-fated pasts and dastardly deaths.
Become Part of a Like-Minded Ghostly Community
There are some locations that are brooding with such paranormal activity that they’ve become magnets for ghost hunters of the professional and novice kind. One such location that’s become a beacon for believers is the Menger Hotel, the oldest hotel in San Antonio. Visit this incredible landmark that hosts more than just tourists and ghost hunters from all over the country.
Experience the chills that witnesses have felt when met with the remnants of this troubled building of grandeur. Learn about the various sightings that continue to spook the visitors of the Menger Hotel, including Sallie White, a former chambermaid of the Menger Hotel who was murdered by her husband in the 1800s. At minimum, there are 32 documented entities that inhabit the building, all ready to make an appearance for anyone who dares seek them out.
Enjoy a Unique and Unforgettable Tour of Downtown San Antonio
With the amount of death, devastation, and tragedy that downtown San Antonio has seen, it’s easy to see why the city remains one of the most haunted locations in America. Rich in history and culture, the city also holds a disturbing past that includes everything from war to executions, to murder, and everything in between.
Every location features a fantastic yet sordid story, none that you will ever forget. Join our expert guides as they take you on an adrenaline-pumping adventure through the history of some of the most significant events to ever happen, the buildings that are a product of those events, and the people whose souls aren’t ready to let them go.
* This is a walking tour and we do not enter privately-owned buildings or private property *
