Ghost Tours

THE TICKETS HAVE ALL VANISHED! Sorry, but all tours are full.
For over 30 years, Columbus Landmarks Foundation has featured the haunted and unusual stories of what lurks behind the city’s façade. This year’s line-up promises thrills and chills in varied historic neighborhoods of Columbus.

Tour capacity is limited – hurry for tickets before they vanish! Your ticket purchase supports the work of Columbus Landmarks as we advocate for historic preservation and quality new design, ensuring landmarks in the future! Columbus Landmarks Member tickets are on sale October 1. Non-Member tickets are available October 3. Don’t want to risk the wait? >>JOIN/RENEW today!

Town Street Haunted Lantern Tour
Tuesday, October 24  6:30-9pm
Tour begins at Topiary Park Gatehouse, 480 E. Town St.
$15 Members/$20 Non-Members
SOLD OUT – sorry, tickets vanished!

The crunch of autumn leaves beneath the feet, the vacant window eyes of Victorian houses watching passersby, the crisp fall air (or is it a spirit?) that chills the bones—yes, it is that time of year on Town Street, undoubtedly the most haunted street in Columbus and the place where our 30+ years of ghost-story enhanced architectural tours began!

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South High Street Haunted Lantern Tour
Wednesday, October 25  6:30-9pm
Tour begins at Greater Columbus Antique Mall, 1045 S. High St. 
$15 Members/$20 Non-Members
SOLD OUT – sorry, tickets vanished!

 

 

South High Street is deliciously close to the Scioto River’s dark and bloody past and to some of Columbus’s oldest ghost stories and deepest secrets. Join us for an atmospheric walking tour and hear how the river’s chilling influence has set the tone for ghost stories involving a funeral home, a bakery, a motel, and a juke box that plays itself.

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Haunted Spirits Tavern Tour
Thursday, October 26 6:30-9:30 pm
Thursday, November 2 6:30-9:30 pm
Tour begins at Blind Lady Tavern, 22 E. Mound St.
$20 Members/$25 Non-Members
SOLD OUT – sorry, tickets vanished!

A walking tour of Columbus’ most haunted taverns and the environs of Mound Street, long associated with the architecture and history of Columbus’s criminal past. We’ll stop at three taverns to share tales of the restless site of the old prison and gallows hills, the story of the canal warehouses and Columbus’ Bowery Street, the most “cultured” ghosts of Columbus, the 20th century unsolved murder in a parking garage on an ancient burial mound site, and the true story of Schwartz’s Castle.

There is time at each tavern for enjoying the atmosphere and a drink. Drinks are not included in the price of the tour, but bar bites at one stop, sparkling narration, historic gossip, and architectural knowledge of the taverns is cheerfully included. Tours are led by Doreen Uhas Sauer and/or Tom Betti, co-authors of Historic Columbus Taverns.

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Franklinton Haunted Lantern Tour
Friday, October 27 6:30-9pm
Tour begins at Strongwater Food & Spirits, 401 W Town St.
$15 Members/$20 Non-Members
SOLD OUT – sorry, tickets vanished!

 

As the oldest neighborhood in Columbus, Franklinton (founded 1797) has the oldest ghost stories and legends in the city. Things go bump in the night in the buildings that withstood the devastating 1913 flood, and early spirits roam “the Bottoms,” as it was known. No wonder Thurston the Magician was born on the West Side, and the apartment he bought for his family still stands. Since spirits are known to be disturbed when change occurs, who better to lead the tour than Jim Sweeney, Columbus Landmarks Foundation trustee and Franklinton storyteller who has lived, breathed, and helped oversee the changes. Head to Strongwater early for dinner before or plan to stop by for a night cap when the tour ends back there.

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Haunted Lantern Tour – Capitol Square
Saturday, October 28 6:30-9pm
Tour begins at Ringside Cafe, 19 N. Pearl St.
$15 Members/$20 Non-Members
SOLD OUT – sorry, tickets vanished!

 

 

Buildings surrounding the Statehouse share darker pasts than you might imagine. Business owners who never leave their workplaces; murders committed in fancy hotels; theatres with “ghost lights”; tunnels and more tunnels; ghosts of scorned women; telegraph signals that still transmit; secret gangster lairs; and the truth about the Statehouse—no fake news here, but legends and ghost stories galore. Tour begins inside Ringside so you may want to get there early for dinner or you can order a drink as the stories flow. The tour will head from there on an atmospheric walk around Statehouse square.