For people who like the spookiness of Halloween but also love to walk and learn about history, here are the best ghost tours and haunted trails in Austin:
This ghost tour in Austin takes place every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in October. Admission is $20 per person plus tax, and children ages six and under are free. Tours are 90 minutes long, and pets are welcome.
Thursday nights are all about Ghost Murder & Mayhem, and this particular tour includes the Old German Tour, the Old Red Light District, the Servant Girl Annihilator, and the Driskill Hotel.
On Friday nights, Shadows of the Capitol Historic Ghost Walk includes ghost stories of the capitol and tours the first hospital in Austin, the location of the old Travis County Jailhouse, the Capital Grounds, and the Driskill Hotel.
Then the Historic District Ghost Walk on Saturdays include haunted stories of Waller Creek, the Susannah Dickinson House, and the O’Heary House.
A family-friendly tour called The Arbor Trails Ghost walk is also on Fridays and Saturdays; regular admission is only $10, and children 11 and under are free.
A 4.5-acre Western-themed town, Ghost Town Austin hosts Scare for a Cure every Friday and Saturday in October, and admission is $20. Scare for a Cure raises money for local cancer-related charities, and this year's theme is "The Last Laugh." The Happy Time Magical Circus has returned to its winter home for its last shows of the year in October, so what could go wrong? A trip through the Boneyard Maze is also included in the ticket price. This ghost tour in Austin is recommended for children 13 and up.
This tour follows the footsteps of Austin’s very own Jack the Ripper as it goes down haunted canals and to haunted bars and buildings all the while guide retell of Austin’s most gruesome ghost stories. Tours are 2.5 hours long and are held on Fridays and Saturdays; tickets are $45 per person, and beverages are provided.
Save Austin’s Cemeteries hosts its 12th Annual Murder, Mayhem & Misadventure Walking Tour on Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with 45-minute tours every 10 to 15 minutes. This free ghost tour in Austin takes place at the Historic Oakwood Cemetery and is led by “residents” of the cemetery as they recount their chilling, untimely deaths.
Pioneer Trails’ Haunted Halloween Trails
The theme for this year’s haunted trails is Victorian Gothic Trails of Terror, and admission is $15 per person. The trail tours run every Friday and Saturday night in October from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Pioneer Trails offers three different tours for different age groups, so there's something for everyone. They have a G-rated trail for young children, a PG-rated trail for spooky surprises and mild scares, and a very scary PG-13 trail. The historic persona of Edgar Allan Poe will also be present for live readings of “The Raven.”
Enjoy a fun night out, learn something new, and get a scare or two this month by going on one of Austin's best ghost tours and haunted trails.
Find more Halloween events in Austin by registering on 512area, your free guide to everything going on in the Austin area.
Cover photo courtesy of Unsplash
