Covers the towns that sell their ghosts: the Deep South, the old Florida coast, Salem and Gettysburg.
Updated
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Charleston does ghost walks well. Really well. Ten of them clear our bar, and the top four are separated by less than a point of Night Score.
The thing to know before you book: the old churchyards close in the afternoon. St. Philip's says its graveyards are normally open during church office hours, which end at 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 1 p.m. on Friday. The Unitarian Church on Archdale Street opens its churchyard 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Monday to Saturday. So when a guide stands you in front of a wrought-iron gate at 9 p.m. and tells you about the woman in white, the gate stays shut. Only three tours on this page actually get you in after dark, and I've flagged each one.
Everything else is storytelling on the street. That's fine. The streets south of Broad are narrow, the gas lamps are real, and on a weeknight in November there's hardly anyone around.
At a glance
Best overall
Haunted Booze and Boos ghost pub walk (21+), Night Score 7.6
Best for families
Real Hauntings of Charleston, capped small groups from the Old Exchange
Cheapest good one
Dark History and Ghost Tour with Adam, $25 (€22) for 80 minutes
Gets you inside a graveyard
Ghosts of Charleston, ending in the Unitarian Church graveyard
Skip
The Haunted Pub Crawl rated 3.8, below our bar
When it gets dark
7:12 p.m. in October, 5:42 p.m. in December
On this page
The 10 best night tours in Charleston, ranked
Every tour we scored in Charleston that cleared our bar (rated 4.4 or more from 50+ reviews), in Night Score order. Night Score = 30% rating, 10% review count, 20% price per hour, 40% how much the night is the point. How we score
Charleston Haunted Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour
Pub crawls and bar tours
7.6/10Night Score
From $39 (€35)
2 hours 30 minutes
Starts: Evening
Small group, 21+
4.9 (1,635 reviews)
It tops the list on numbers, not on spookiness: 4.9 from 1,635 reviews and about $15.80 (€14.10) an hour for a two-and-a-half-hour night, tied for the best value score here. Nightly Spirits runs it with a costumed guide, checking in outside Henry's at 54 N Market Street and ending on Vendue Range. It's 21 and up with ID and capped at 14. The catch is the drinks. The listing shows them under inclusions, but the overview says cocktails are on you, so budget for a round at every stop.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.5
Review countData · 10%8.3
Price per hourData · 20%8.9
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A 2.5-hour costumed-guide ghost walk with bar stops by Nightly Spirits, checking in outside Henry's, 54 N Market Street.
Good to know: 21 and up with ID; maximum 14. Gratuities included; the overview says cocktails are at your own expense even though drinks appear in the inclusions.
After dark: A night of ghost stories between historic bars, ending on Vendue Range.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Real Hauntings of Charleston! (Small Group Ghost Tour)
Ghost tours
7.2/10Night Score
From $32 (€28) sale
1 hour 30 minutes
Starts: Evening
Small group
4.9 (1,028 reviews)
The best one you can bring a kid on. Holy City Walks starts at the oak-tree square on the north side of the Old Exchange, 122 E Bay Street, and keeps it to 90 minutes, so you lose less of the evening. Rating and review count are both strong (4.9, 1,028). It was $32 (€28) on sale today, down from $35 (€31), and the sale note said it ended October 25, so expect the full price. The cap is 12, though the host admits groups run to 13 or 14.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%8.2
Review countData · 10%7.6
Price per hourData · 20%7.8
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A 90-minute small-group ghost walk by Holy City Walks from the oak-tree square on the north side of the Old Exchange, 122 E Bay Street.
Good to know: Sale price $31.50 (was $35, 10% off). Bottled water included, tips optional. Capped at 12, though the host says groups run 13 to 14.
After dark: A capped small-group night walk from the Old Exchange through the oldest streets, which feel closest after dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Charleston's Pleasing Terrors Night-Time Walking Ghost Tour
Ghost tours
6.9/10Night Score
From $29 (€26)
1 hour 30 minutes
Starts: Night
Small group
4.8 (1,417 reviews)
A straight night walk, night only, from the George Washington statue in Washington Square at 80 Broad Street up to St. Philip's Church. Mike Brown of Old Charleston Tours leads it. It has 1,417 reviews and a lower rating than the two above (4.8), which is what holds it at third. At $29 (€26) it's one of the cheaper ones. Groups go up to 20, there are youth rates, and you get bottled water in summer. The Library Society stop is outside only.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.8
Review countData · 10%8.1
Price per hourData · 20%8.1
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A 90-minute night ghost walk by Old Charleston Tours, led by Mike Brown, from the George Washington statue in Washington Square, 80 Broad Street.
Good to know: Bottled water in summer; youth rates; up to 20. The Library Society stop is viewed from outside.
After dark: A night-only walk from Washington Square to St. Philip's Church through the oldest streets.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The graveyard walk that doesn't go into a graveyard, and says so. 108 Elemental Tours loops from the corner of Cumberland and Church Streets, past St. Philip's and the churchyards, telling the stories at the locked gates. Reviewers mention an 8 p.m. start, though the operator doesn't publish times. It ties on score with Pleasing Terrors (6.9) and loses the tie on reviews: 634 of them against 1,417. The tip isn't included at $35 (€31), so add a few dollars.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%7.7
Review countData · 10%6.9
Price per hourData · 20%7.4
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A 90-minute ghost walk by 108 Elemental Tours from the corner of Cumberland and Church Streets and back.
Good to know: Gratuity not included; youth rates; up to 20. Graveyards are not entered.
After dark: A night walk past St. Philip's and the churchyards, which are locked at dusk, so the stories are told at the gates.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Cheapest of the good ones at $25 (€22), and that's why it's here. You meet opposite the Circular Church at 151 Meeting Street and finish at St. Philip's, 80 minutes later. Adam runs it himself and caps it at 15. It's sold as family-friendly. The review count is the weak spot (359), which pulls the score down next to tours with three or four times as many. Hibernian Hall is a pass-by. If you want one short walk before a late dinner, this is the one I'd book.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.9
Review countData · 10%6.0
Price per hourData · 20%8.2
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: An 80-minute dark history and ghost walk led by Adam (Tour Charleston With Adam) from opposite the Circular Church, 151 Meeting Street.
Good to know: Maximum 15; family-friendly. Hibernian Hall is passed, not entered.
After dark: A family-friendly night walk from the Circular Church to St. Philip's, the cheapest well-reviewed ghost walk in town.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Ghosts of Charleston Walking Tour + Unitarian Church Graveyard
Ghost tours
6.6/10Night Score
From $36 (€32)
1 hour 30 minutes
Starts: Early or late evening
Small group
4.6 (2,908 reviews)
The one people come for. Tour Charleston walks you from Buxton Books at 160 King Street and finishes inside the 1772 Unitarian Church graveyard after hours, when the public can't get in. That's the highest after-dark score on the page. So why sixth? Its rating is 4.6, near the bottom of this list, even across 2,908 reviews (the most here). Price is $36 (€32) with gratuities included. No public restroom on the route and it isn't wheelchair accessible. There's also a one-hour graveyard-only version.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.5
Review countData · 10%9.2
Price per hourData · 20%7.3
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 90-minute ghost walk by Tour Charleston from Buxton Books, 160 King Street, finishing inside the Unitarian Church graveyard.
Good to know: Gratuities included; youth and senior rates; up to 20. A one-hour graveyard-only option exists. No public restroom; not wheelchair accessible.
After dark: It ends with exclusive after-hours entry to the 1772 Unitarian Church graveyard, closed to the public at night.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The Charleston Boo Hag and Brews Ghost and Bar Tour
Pub crawls and bar tours
6.5/10Night Score
From $32 (€28) sale
2 hours
Starts: Evening
Small group, 21+
4.9 (211 reviews)
A smaller, cheaper drinking ghost tour than the top pick. Charleston Historic Tours starts and ends at Tommy Condon's Irish Pub, 160 Church Street, and works Gullah boo hag lore in between two bars. Maximum ten people, 21 and up with photo ID. It was $32 (€28) on sale today, down from $35 (€31). It lists snacks and alcoholic drinks as included but never says how many, so don't plan on it being an open bar. Only 211 reviews, which is what sinks it to seventh.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%6.1
Review countData · 10%5.2
Price per hourData · 20%8.9
After darkEditors · 40%6.0
What it is: A two-hour ghost and bar tour by Charleston Historic Tours starting and ending at Tommy Condon's Irish Pub, 160 Church Street.
Good to know: Sale price $31.50 (was $35). Snacks and alcoholic drinks are listed as included, amounts not stated; 21 and up with photo ID; maximum 10.
After dark: Gullah boo hag lore and ghost stories over drinks at two bars, a night-out format.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
The bus option, and the second way into a cemetery at night. Historic Tours of America picks you up at the Charleston Visitor Center, 375 Meeting Street, and the 90 minutes include a 30-minute stop inside Bethany Cemetery after dark. That's real. It's also the priciest walk-or-ride here at $46 (€41), about $30 (€27) an hour, and under-13s aren't allowed. Groups go to 23. Check in 20 minutes early. If you have a teenager who wants an actual graveyard, this is the honest pick.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%4.3
Review countData · 10%4.4
Price per hourData · 20%6.4
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 90-minute narrated night bus tour by Historic Tours of America from the Charleston Visitor Center, 375 Meeting Street.
Good to know: Children under 13 are not permitted; check in 20 minutes early; up to 23. Food, drinks and gratuities are extra.
After dark: A night bus tour with a 30-minute stop inside Bethany Cemetery after dark.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Charleston Ghost & Graveyard Night-Time Guided Walking Tour
Ghost tours
5.9/10Night Score
From $40 (€36)
1 hour 30 minutes
Starts: Night
Small group
4.5 (1,167 reviews)
Bulldog Tours sells after-dark access to one of the city's oldest burial grounds, which is the third way in. The page won't name which one; the itinerary starts at the Circular Congregational Church, and the walk runs from 18 Anson Street to Market Street. It ranks ninth because its 4.5 rating is the lowest on the page, across 1,167 reviews. $40 (€36), kid rates, up to 20, and it needs four people to run. It goes in any weather. Parking is on you.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%1.8
Review countData · 10%7.8
Price per hourData · 20%6.8
After darkEditors · 40%8.0
What it is: A 90-minute night ghost walk by Bulldog Tours from 18 Anson Street to Market Street, with after-dark graveyard access.
Good to know: Needs 4 to run, up to 20; kid rates. The page does not name the burial ground (the itinerary starts at the Circular Congregational Church). Runs in all weather; parking is extra.
After dark: After-dark entry to one of Charleston's oldest burial grounds, which you cannot visit at night otherwise.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Narrated Haunted Ghost Cruise of Charleston Harbor
Night cruises
5.7/10Night Score
From $45 (€40)
1 hour 30 minutes
Starts: Evening
Shared boat
4.6 (457 reviews)
The only night cruise that cleared our bar, and it scrapes in last. Sandlapper Water Tours sails 90 minutes from the Charleston Maritime Center at 10 Wharfside Street, with ghost stories told on the water and the lit Battery behind you. $45 (€40) with taxes and fees in, drinks sold on board. Boats take up to 49, which is a lot of strangers. No children under 3. Check in at the blue and white booth 30 minutes early. Book it for the harbor, not the ghosts.
How the score breaks down, and the fine print
Rated by travelersData · 30%3.2
Review countData · 10%6.4
Price per hourData · 20%6.4
After darkEditors · 40%7.0
What it is: A 90-minute narrated haunted cruise of Charleston Harbor by Sandlapper Water Tours from the Charleston Maritime Center, 10 Wharfside Street.
Good to know: Taxes and fees included; drinks sold on board; up to 49. Children under 3 not permitted; check in at the blue and white booth 30 minutes early.
After dark: Haunted harbor stories told on the water after dark, with the lit waterfront and Battery behind you.
Rating, review count and from-price as shown on Viator on October 26, 2026. The price changes with the date.
Reserve links go to GetYourGuide or Viator. Booking through them can earn us a commission at no cost to you; it never changes a score or a rank. How we make money
What Charleston is like after dark
Two different towns. Upper King Street fills up on weekend nights with bars and restaurants; the city bans street parking on King between Spring and John from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Thursday to Saturday, which tells you how busy it gets. Below Broad Street it's the opposite. Houses, gardens, gas lamps and very little traffic.
Most ghost walks work the middle: the Old Exchange on East Bay, Washington Square on Broad, Church Street up to St. Philip's, the City Market area. They're short. Ninety minutes is normal, and none of the walks here runs longer than two and a half hours.
The churches are the big set pieces, and they're closed. You'll hear about the churchyards, look through the railings and move on. Some people find that a letdown. I think it's the whole mood of the place, honestly, but go in knowing it.
How to pick: walk, bar walk, bus or boat
Walk. Charleston's old town is a few blocks across and the stories are tied to specific doorways, so a walk beats anything with wheels or a hull.
If you're over 21 and want a night out, the two bar walks do the job: Booze and Boos for a longer evening with a bigger operator, Boo Hag and Brews for a group of ten or fewer. Bring money for drinks on both.
With kids, Real Hauntings or Adam's tour. Both are family-friendly and short. With a teenager who wants a real cemetery at night, Ghosts and Gravestones is the only non-bar tour with a minimum age (13) and the only one that parks you inside Bethany Cemetery for half an hour.
The harbor cruise is for people who want to be on the water at night and don't mind sharing the boat with up to 48 others. It's a fine evening. It's just not a ghost tour in the way the walks are.
The free version: a self-guided night walk
You can do a decent version of this yourself. Start at the Old Exchange on East Bay Street, where Real Hauntings meets. Walk south along East Bay past Rainbow Row to the Battery and White Point Garden, then come back up Church Street. You'll pass Tommy Condon's, then St. Philip's on the bend, then cut over to Archdale Street to see the Unitarian churchyard gate in the dark.
Waterfront Park is worth the detour on the way back for the harbor at night.
What you miss without a guide is the stories, which is most of it. That's why I'd still book one walk. Do the free loop on your other night.
Getting back and parking late
On the peninsula you'll mostly walk home. CARTA's DASH routes are free (Orange, Green and Purple lines), and the Green Line runs the Meeting Street and King Street corridor. CARTA doesn't publish DASH hours on its route page and points riders to the Transit app, so check the last trip there before you count on it.
Driving in? City meters only charge Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., so an evening tour on the street costs nothing at the meter. The city garages charge $1 (€0.90) per 20 minutes up to $24 (€21) a day, and four of them have flat evening rates: $5 (€4.50) after 5 p.m. at 93 Queen Street, the Visitor's Center garage at 63 Mary Street, East Bay/Prioleau and the Majestic on King Street. The Queen Street and Visitor's Center garages also do $7 (€6.30) after 3 p.m. Those evening rates end at 3 a.m.
The Bulldog walk tells you plainly that parking is extra. They all are.
When to go: dark times, heat and the holidays
Late fall is the sweet spot. In October it's dark by 7:12 p.m. and nights average around 63°F (17°C); by November dark comes at 5:45 p.m. and nights drop to about 53°F (12°C), so an early tour is already a night tour.
Summer is a different deal. It isn't fully dark until about 9:30 p.m. in June and July, lows sit in the mid-70s °F (around 24°C), and August averages close to 20 rainy days. A 9 p.m. walk in July is warm, sticky and often wet. Bring water. Bulldog and Sandlapper both run in the rain.
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. Book ahead.
December has the Holiday Festival of Lights at James Island County Park, every night from November 13 to December 31, 2026, 5:30 to 10 p.m. It's a drive-through, priced per vehicle (Charleston County Parks hadn't posted 2026 car prices when we checked; gift passes are $25 (€22) each). A ghost walk downtown and the lights on the same night is very doable in December, since dark comes at 5:42 p.m.
What to skip
The Haunted Pub Crawl. It's rated 3.8, which is well below our bar, and the two bar walks ranked above do the same thing better. Same for the Ghost and Dungeon tour at 4.2 and Death and Depravity at 4.3.
The Old City Jail night tour is the one interior in town that isn't a graveyard, and people do love the building. It scored 4.8 on our scale, so it didn't make the ranking. The haunted evening carriage ride scored 5.6. Pleasant. Slow. Not much night in it.
And don't pay extra for a walk just because the name says graveyard. Ask whether you go in. Most don't.
When it gets dark in Charleston
Times are for the 15th of each month in 2027, local time with daylight saving, computed with NOAA’s solar equations for Charleston. Dark is the end of civil twilight, when streetlights and floodlights take over; fully dark is the end of nautical twilight. Night lows are 2016–2025 averages from the Open-Meteo historical archive. Every city side by side
Month
Sunset
Dark
Fully dark
Night low
January
5:35 p.m.
6:01 p.m.
6:32 p.m.
44°F (6°C)
February
6:04 p.m.
6:29 p.m.
6:58 p.m.
49°F (9°C)
March
7:27 p.m.
7:51 p.m.
8:20 p.m.
53°F (12°C)
April
7:49 p.m.
8:14 p.m.
8:44 p.m.
59°F (15°C)
May
8:10 p.m.
8:37 p.m.
9:10 p.m.
67°F (20°C)
June
8:28 p.m.
8:57 p.m.
9:32 p.m.
74°F (23°C)
July
8:29 p.m.
8:56 p.m.
9:31 p.m.
77°F (25°C)
August
8:06 p.m.
8:32 p.m.
9:03 p.m.
76°F (24°C)
September
7:26 p.m.
7:51 p.m.
8:20 p.m.
71°F (22°C)
October
6:47 p.m.
7:12 p.m.
7:40 p.m.
63°F (17°C)
November
5:19 p.m.
5:45 p.m.
6:15 p.m.
53°F (12°C)
December
5:15 p.m.
5:42 p.m.
6:13 p.m.
47°F (9°C)
Also scored in Charleston
These cleared our bar too, but scored below the ten above. Same score, same data, no write-up.
Which Charleston ghost tours go inside a graveyard at night?
Three on our list. Ghosts of Charleston by Tour Charleston ends inside the Unitarian Church graveyard. Bulldog's Ghost and Graveyard walk enters an old burial ground it doesn't name. Ghosts and Gravestones stops for 30 minutes inside Bethany Cemetery. Every other walk tells its graveyard stories from the gate.
Are Charleston ghost tours OK for kids?
Most are. Real Hauntings, Pleasing Terrors, City of the Dead, Adam's tour, Ghosts of Charleston and the Bulldog walk are family-friendly, and several have youth rates. The two bar walks are 21 and up, and Ghosts and Gravestones doesn't take children under 13.
How much is a ghost tour in Charleston?
Between $25 (€22) and $46 (€41) per person on our list. Adam's 80-minute walk is the cheapest; the Ghosts and Gravestones bus is the priciest. The harbor cruise is $45 (€40).
Can you visit Charleston's churchyards at night on your own?
No. St. Philip's says its graveyards are normally open during church office hours, which end at 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 1 p.m. Friday. The Unitarian Church churchyard opens Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. After that you're looking through the railings.
Do drinks come with the Charleston ghost pub tours?
Don't count on it. Booze and Boos lists drinks under inclusions but its overview says cocktails are at your own expense. Boo Hag and Brews lists snacks and drinks as included without saying how much. Bring money for a drink at each stop.
Further reading
Official sources
St. Philip's Church: Plan your visit– Cemetery and graveyard hours (church office hours, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday, to 1 p.m. Friday), checked October 26, 2026
Unitarian Church in Charleston– Churchyard hours Monday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 4 Archdale Street, checked October 26, 2026
City of Charleston: Where to park– Garage rates and daily maximum, evening flat rates to 3 a.m., King Street night parking ban, checked October 26, 2026
CARTA: DASH– Free DASH routes 210, 211 and 213; no hours on the page, checked October 26, 2026
Charleston County Parks: Holiday Festival of Lights– November 13 to December 31, 2026, 5:30 to 10 p.m., James Island County Park; per-vehicle pricing and gift pass prices on the tickets page, checked October 26, 2026
