You’re visiting New York City (and the NY region) and would like to go on some truly scary ghost tours. In New York State, you won’t struggle to find historic buildings with ghosts. They even named New York City the most haunted city in the world.
Whether you’re in New York City or the state itself, there are many true-life stories about greed, murder, and insanity that fuel the hauntings here. Let’s take a look at the best ghost tours.
If you want to know the most haunted sites in America, you find my ghost-hunting bucket list in the article below.
Related article: Ghost Hunter’s Edition: Most Haunted Sites in America
1. The Rolling Hills Asylum
| Tour Duration | 4 hours |
| Maximum Guests | 10 |
| Type of Tour | Ghost hunts, historical tours |
| Location | East Bethany, New York |
| Estimated Price | $25 |
Dubbed the second most haunted place in America and the fourth most haunted location in the world, the Rolling Hills Asylum is where you go if you want a real ghost encounter. This site once housed some of the most tragic cases; many dark personalities were here.
It opened on January 1, 1827, as a poor farm in Genessee County. Over the years, it served as a tuberculosis hospital, an orphanage, an infirmary, and a nursing home. Guests visiting the site report doors slamming, disembodied voices, footsteps, and full-body apparitions.
Over the last two centuries, this site has hosted orphans, poor families, the elderly, widows, the mentally insane, the handicapped, and even criminals.
Tips on Tour
- Some areas, like the on-site graveyard, have over 1,700 unmarked graves and will send chills up your spine.
- Check out the “Shadow Hallway” on the Second Floor, East Wing section, to see shadow people.
If you want to learn more about shadow people, I invite you to read the article below.
Learn more: Can shadow people attack you? [Things you need to know]
2. The Merchant’s House Museum in Manhattan
| Tour Duration | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Maximum Guests | 25 |
| Type of Tour | Candlelight ghost tours |
| Location | New York, New York |
| Estimated Price | $11 – $45 (depending on the tour) |
Listed as the number one most haunted site in New York City, the Merchant’s House Museum lets you venture into the darkness of a home where eight family members perished between 1839 and 1933. They died inexplicably and in unsettling circumstances. You might visit this home as much for the history since it remains one of the few intact homes in New York City from the 1800s.
If you want to do the candlelight ghost tour, show up from 6 pm to 10:30 pm. There’s nothing like it on a visit to NYC, and it makes sense to give it a shot if you happen to be in the area. Some ghost investigators came here only to receive some of the clearest EVPs.
Tips on Tour
- Be sure to arrive on time for the full experience since tours only last an hour and a half.
- The site is struggling, so you can help the museum by supporting it with a donation.
3. The Shanley Hotel in Napanoch
| Tour Duration | 5 hours |
| Maximum Guests | 10 |
| Type of Tour | Self-guided, private ghost hunts (staff-led) |
| Location | Napanoch, New York |
| Estimated Price | n/a |
One of the most haunted hotels in New York State, the Shanley Hotel has several ghostly guests that you might encounter on tour.
This includes a mafia hitman, a ghost cat, and a bordello bodyguard. After spending a night here, this hotel has turned some people who didn’t believe in ghosts into believers. You can choose from the most haunted rooms to stay in as well.
They also share evidence in the form of videos and EVP recordings. You can go on a five-hour staff-led ghost investigation to see what you can uncover.
One of the cool things about this site is that it comes with ghost-hunting gear like K-II EMFs, temperature sensors, vibration balls, and frequency scanners. However, you can bring your own gear as well.
One of the cool things about this tour is that they don’t fake anything at the Shanley Hotel. They don’t need to! In some cases, that may mean that you go away without seeing anything, but it’s better that way than going on a fake ghost tour.
To put the history into perspective here, the Shanleys were known to have ties to the Irish mafia, and they were well-respected in New York City, which sits two hours to the south.
The Shanleys had three children, but none survived, and one of the boys, who’s five years old, is said to continue to haunt the place.
Tips on Tour
- Ask for the most haunted room for a real ghostly encounter.
- Leave the kids at home since they cannot stay overnight here.
4. The Morris-Jumel Mansion
| Tour Duration | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Maximum Guests | n/a |
| Type of Tour | Ghost tour, candlelight ghost tour |
| Location | New York, New York |
| Estimated Price | $35 |
The oldest house in Manhattan with a haunted past, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, was built in 1765. It even served as a war room for General George Washington in 1776. On a ghost tour, you get exclusive access to the attic. Some reports exist of people seeing a woman in white, but that’s only one of the occurrences.
Another time, guests saw a ghost run up the stairs. When they went to check the attic, it was revealed that no one was there! In another experience, people reported hearing whistling or footsteps in the mansion. There’s some pretty good ghostly evidence at this location.
Tips on Tour
- You must carefully plan a ghost tour here since they only host them twice a month.
- Check the website to see when it’s open on your visit.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this article highlights the great haunted places you can visit in New York and even go on a spooky ghost tour. New York has a fascinating colonial history, and the state has a surprising number of creepy places you can go touring, and these are real ghost tours that will leave you a little spooked.
If you want even more spooky tips and tricks on what ghost tours to indulge in, a great tip is to contact the Brooklyn Paranormal Society. They have different events and ghost tours you can join if you dare…
Related article: The Best Ghost Tours in London