Hop on the Ghosts & Gravestones Ride
A spooky bus tour brings you to famous graveyards and secret burial grounds.
By: Hannah Eaton
If you’re ever traveling in the North End on an autumn night, you are sure to come across big groups of people—families, couples, friends—walking in a cluster, following a leader with a microphone set and a steampunk costume. Though seemingly a tourist trap, the Ghosts & Gravestones tours are a fun way to spend the witching hour in any company.
This tour is half-walking and half-bus ride, including visits to infamous burial grounds across Boston with short trips in between, where more ghost stories can be told.
By day, these tour buses act as Old Town Trolleys, but by night, they are "Halloween-ified," playing classic horror movie soundtracks and operated by costumed employees.
On my tour, we visited Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, Granary Burying Ground (home to the body of Paul Revere), and the Boston Common.
“You’re probably wondering,” the tour guide, a man wearing a long Jacob Marley-esque coat with black makeup surrounding his eyes, said, “Why are we at the Boston Common right now?”
The group laughed, looking around at the park in all of its dark glory.
“Well,” the tour guide continued, “The Boston Common is home to thousands of unmarked graves right below your feet.”
The group reacted swiftly, looking down at their shoes as if they were stepping on exposed skeletons. Before they had time to grapple with this thought, it was off to the next stop.
This is the kind of historical knowledge offered by the Ghosts & Gravestones tour that is sure to make you rethink where you step.
Also featured in the Ghosts & Gravestones tour are haunted stories, featuring the Omni Parker Hotel and the story of Boston’s most infamous serial killer—the Boston Strangler.
The highlight of the tour is the immense source of historical knowledge that the tour guides possess. This tour, while aimed at Halloween lovers, is a testament to the rich history of Boston, where nearly everything is described as “the oldest in the country.”
If you’re thinking about taking a Ghosts & Gravestones tour, I recommend opting for the latest tour you can (9 p.m. or 9:30 p.m.) and dressing up in costumes with friends to make it really special. I promise you’ll have a ghostly time!
Tickets can be purchased on their website: https://www.ghostsandgravestones.com/boston/tickets