Williamsburg Ghost Tour
Are you visiting Williamsburg and wish you could learn more about its history before you leave? Or perhaps you live in the city and have always wondered what some of the oldest buildings in the square were – now you can find out with Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours! We offer hauntingly fun historical tours in over 33 cities in America, Williamsburg included! Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours's Williamsburg ghost tour is ranked as one of the Top 10 Ghost Tours in America by US City Traveler and the Best Tour Operator Award in Williamsburg!
Get TicketsWhy You Need to Take Our Williamsburg Ghost Tour
Our tours are unlike any other, with knowledgeable local guides ready to show you the spookiest spots around town. If you’re looking for amusement park thrills, look elsewhere. Our tours are relaxed and focused on local history and lore – they’re even appropriate for kids! We offer an authentic experience that allows questions to be asked about some of your city’s most unexplainable happenings.
Vince was a wonderful guide; friendly and knowledgeable. We did a black history walk through Colonial Williamsburgwith him and learned a lot. This wa...
Why is Williamsburg So Haunted?
Williamsburg was one of America’s first planned cities. Laid out in 1699 under the supervision of Governor Francis Nicholson, it was to be a “new and well-ordered city” suitable for the capital of the largest and most populous of the British colonies in America. A succession of beautiful capitol buildings became home to the oldest legislative assembly in the New World. The young city proliferated into the center of Virginia’s political, religious, economic, and social life.
Williamsburg ceased to be the capital of the new Commonwealth of Virginia in 1780 and declined, although not to the degree Jamestown had. Another factor was travel: 18th- and early 19th-century transportation in the colony was mainly by canals and navigable rivers. As it had been built on “high ground,” Williamsburg was not sited on a major water route, unlike many early US communities. The railroads that were being built in the 1830s also did not yet come through the city.
With its cobblestone streets and historically preserved homes, Williamsburg is steeped in history, some of it a little unexplained and just a bit spooky. One of those questionable locations is the public hospital in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was the first asylum in North America dedicated solely to the treatment of the mentally ill. Established in 1773, the building included 24 patient isolation cells and high walls surrounding the grounds. As the years went on, the building grew into a compound, able to house up to 300 patients.
When the institution was opened in 1773, the treatment of mentally ill patients was nothing if not crude and misinformed. It was assumed that patients were “choosing irrational behavior,” and treatments included electroshock, isolation, bleeding, potent drugs, and more. The mistreatment of patients in its early years of operation is the cause of the unusual events that have occurred throughout its history, from strange fires to ghostly visitations.
So, if you’re looking for a unique tour, a hauntingly fun date night idea, or a spooky day trip with the kids, Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours’s Williamsburg ghost tour is the plan for you!
FAQs
Please see your booking details for meeting location. There are neighboring parking garages and street parking that are available in the area.
Group size varies based on time of year and demand. We can keep everyone in your party in the same group. We’ve been doing this for years, and manage group size to ensure guests have a great experience. In the event you can’t hear your tour guide, let them know, or move closer to them.
Pets are welcome as long as they do not disrupt or distract from the tour
The arrival time will be listed on your confirmation email and in the available tour times when you click the book button
Please do not call us, the best way to reach us is by email using the contact form on this website
An extended tour takes you to a few additional locations when the regular tour ends. This adds about four new places and 30 minutes to your tour- highly recommended
Book a tour and check the +1 box for each person in your group where it says “Extended Tour” at checkout to add an extended Ghost tour.
Please contact us directly for pricing and availability. We do not do private tours under 30 persons. If you have a group under 30, please order directly from the website’s book now option.
Tours are held rain or shine. We will contact you if the tour is cancelled.
Please only attend the tour for the day and time you are booked, as another day or time may not be available. If you need to reschedule, please contact us by email first. There is a $10 per order (not person) rebooking fee for each schedule change.
As it is unfair to other guests, we do not wait for late or no show parties. Please remember to arrive to the correct location on time! We do not grant refunds to guests who fail to arrive to the appointed place on time and miss their tour.
No, but some of the locations you can visit during the day for free. We simply wouldn’t have the time to focus on as many stories as we do if we were to enter each one, and we wish to focus on the stories, and leave the exploring up to you!
15 minutes before the start of your tour
No.
No, this is a walking tour.
Most of the tour is not stroller or wheelchair accessible.
Yes, you are welcome to take photos of the locations we visit!
No, videos are not allowed
No, there is no smoking allowed on the tour
We do not allow intoxicated guests or drinking on the tour- we will promptly ask those in violation to leave
Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours
America’s most infamously haunted house delivers the most terrifying scares from all across the nation. We’ve compiled an extensive list of notoriously haunted locations and packaged them into spooky, entertaining tours available throughout the nation. Discover the true, unfiltered stories that created these hair-raising scares in only the unique and engaging way our expert guides can bring them to you. From the ghosts of unsolved murders and tragic accidents to disturbed spirits unable to find peace, there’s no limit to what we expose on our authentic ghost tours. Join us as we take you on an unforgettable, chilling journey through your city’s dark past and uncover the sinister secrets that put these places on the otherworldly map.
The Lizzie Borden House is home to the infamous murders that captivated the nation and made Lizzie Borden a macabre household name. Guests can explore the house via a variety of tours and, for those brave enough, stay in this notoriously haunted home. We aim to provide you with a memorable experience as well as deliver the best ghost tours, haunted pub crawls, and a variety of other experiences in over 100 cities.
Blogs
Fake News in Fall River
The murders of Fall River's Andrew and Abby Borden were front-page news in the autumn of 1892. How could a young woman such as Lizzie have allegedly committed such heinous acts? The crime enveloped the town that year, drawing in speculation and myst ... Read More
Posted 11.15.2021
Methodists and Millgirls – Fall River’s First Unsolved Murder
The main stretch of Fall River. Source: Wikimedia Commons Fall River and Lizzie Borden go together hand-in-hand. Even if you’re not a Fall River native, just hearing the town’s name is enough to send chills down your spine. But the Lizzi ... Read More
Posted 11.15.2021
Oak Grove Cemetery
All cemeteries have some haunting, and there's no exception for the Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River, Massachusetts. This cemetery, however, has good reason to be haunted. And haunted, it most certainly is. History of Oak Grove Cemete ... Read More
Posted 09.29.2021
Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft Mansion
Lizzie Borden's Maplecroft Mansion was home to the alleged axe murderer for nearly 35 years after being acquitted for murdering her parents. It's believed that her spirit hangs on in her beloved home, as well as the home she lived across town whe ... Read More
Posted 09.21.2021
