If you’re new to the blog, there’s one thing to know about me: I love ghost tours! I’ve gotten Rick to enjoy them so now when we travel we often look for either a ghost tour or food tour, or even better, when we can combine the two!

So, going to New York City, it was a tough choice between food tour and ghost tour.

Obviously you’ve read the title and saw that a ghost tour won out! Though we were able to pair some spirits with our hunting of NYC’s spirits!

We ended up booking the NYC Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl with NCY Ghosts. Here’s our review of the NYC Ghosts tour we booked.

New York City haunted pub crawl review

This was a haunted pub tour of the Village, so obviously LGBTQIA+ history was covered on this tour, as well as some haunted history. We stopped at two bars where we went in for drinks (which are not included in the ticket price) and then the tour ended at a final pub, but we opted to head back to our hotel instead of popping in for a drink.

I will say I’m not quite sure how this tour would work had there been more than 15 booked guests for it, as many of the bars were crowded and we could barely find room for the three of us to stand. It wasn’t quite like other haunted pub crawls where we had our own reserved space or pre-made drinks ready.

To be honest it made it a bit awkward, and then when we were at the bars I expected to hear a few ghost stories or more history of the neighborhood but we ended up just talking about other things. Not the usual experience I’ve had on ghost tours but we made it work.

I will say that this tour was obviously geared more towards those that want the pub crawl portion of the experience and not so much the haunted part. I would be curious to compare their regular ghost tour to this one and see if that would have been a better fit, but this was the option available for our free night in the city.

Highlights of the ghost tour:

• The Stonewall Inn: Though we didn’t hear any ghostly stories here we did hear about its history and enjoy a drink in the famous landmark.
• 12 Gay St.: From tapping sounds to a man’s screams, the mayor’s former speakeasy is haunted and serves as a home to several ghosts.
• The 86 speakeasy: Hear about the speakeasy that famous authors visited and the origins of the term eighty-sixed.
• One if by Land, Two if by Sea: Now it’s a fancy dinner spot, but it used to be stables and there seems to be a ghost who still hangs out there and plays little pranks on diners.

Our tour guide

Our tour guide was Jess and she was friendly and communicative, as there was a change in our meeting point and she made sure to text us plenty early so we could find the starting point.

She was a new tour guide and occasionally had to reference her script which was understandable and she did a good job. I think as she gets more comfortable with the script, making small talk, and leading guests through the city, she’ll become a great tour guide.

Group size

Funnily enough, Rick and I got a private New York City ghost tour as we were the only two booked guests for it! I think we saw on the website it was a maximum of 30 guests which isn’t uncommon for a ghost tour, but again, not sure how well that works when that many people need to get drinks and all hang out in one spot.

Booking information

• Duration: 2 hours
• Distance: Less than a mile, walking tour
• Days offered: Saturdays
• Times: Our tour started at 7:30 p.m.
• Price: $29 per adult
• Meeting point: The Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher St.)
• Tickets: Buy tickets online 

Tips for the NYC ghost tour

• Wear comfortable shoes: While you do stop for drinks, you might not be able to find seats at the bar and will be walking on this tour so wear comfortable shoes that you can walk and stand in.
• Dress for the weather: It was a bit chilly the night of our tour so dress accordingly – especially if you book in the fall or winter!
• Drink water: It is a pub crawl, but make sure you have some water with you so you remember hearing about the spirits between sipping on yours.
• Watch for traffic: Your guide will make sure to get you across streets safely but it is still NYC so watch out for traffic and others trying to walk on the same sidewalk as you and share the space.
• Tip your guide: As I say on every ghost tour blog, tip your guide if you had a great time!

Have you gone on a ghost tour in New York City? Tell me about your experience below!