I really like this tour. I went on it the first time in probably 2001, and I went again on Friday the 13th in August of 2010, plus one time in between, and I can say it has gotten better with age. My husband and I used to run the Round Rock Ghost Tour (but we don't anymore), so I had a good reference point of what I think a "good" tour is -- entertaining, creepy, and you get information about the history of the area. No, you are not "guaranteed" to see a ghost. Monica was our tour guide, and she was really good. Dressed in a period costume, she was funny and also detailed as she told stories, giving them a lot of credibility. She also shared some pictures related to the stories, which were really cool. She definitely knows her history and knows a ton of stories she doesn't have time to tell on the tour (though you could take her for a drink at the Driskill afterwards sometimes...). There were about 30 people when we went, and comfy shoes are definitely recommended -- we walked a lot. This is a really smart group that knows a lot about ghosts AND history, making the tour interesting for those who want to get creeped out AND those who are just interested in the history. As with any ghost tour, I wouldn't take a child younger than about 10 or 12 -- younger kids may get bored or tired. And Monica booked it - she walked fast, which I liked, because it meant we heard more stories rather than spending a lot of time walking. I've also been to tours in San Diego (really liked it), San Antonio (Martin Leal's tour is good), and Jefferson TX (the local woman there was just unorganized, wasn't a great storyteller, and it made for a lackluster tour, though Jefferson is an awesome little town, and one of the most haunted in TX). read more

This past weekend, I threw a 40th birthday party for my friend, and this tour was a feature at the party. Unfortunately for us, we didn't get our tickets on time and someone bought out the tour we were expecting. Jeannie, the owner, worked her tail off to make sure that we got a private tour that night, and Maverick, our tour guide, drove all the way from Houston to be with us. And we had an absolute blast! Maverick let us stop and ask questions about a lot of buildings that weren't on the tour and was very fun and flexible. We laughed and were spooked all night. I very highly recommend Austin Ghost Tours for a great night out with friends! read more

history nerds unite! I've been on the tour 4 times. 3 times, the guy was my tour guide and he's a great storyteller. The last time, the woman was my tour guide. She dresses up in old-timey clothes. Unfortunately, I really didn't enjoy her style of storytelling. My advice is to definitely go on the ghost tour but book it with the male tour guide if possible. I thought the difference in quality was quite dramatic. read more

I agree, it was a fun way to learn about some quirky aspects of Austin History but not really much of a ghost tour. We did the Capital Tour and what I found most disappointing was that we did not enter any buidings, with the exception of the Driskill Lobby; rather the guide walked us around the downtown area occasionally stopping in front of a building to tell ghost stories. Next time we'll try the Pub Crawl Ghost Tour so at least we will have guaranteed interaction with some spirits! read more

If there were a way to rate this "no stars," that's what I would give it. I'm ordinarily not a hater, but this has to be said... Cost - $25 a person for a walking tour that is overbooked and conducted outside and in noisy places (eg the driskill lobby) so that you can't even hear what's being said by the guides is frustrating. But it's not like you're missing anything bc... "Facts" - This tour was led by the worst story-tellers who knew little to nothing about whatever it was that they were trying to describe. Maybe it was just the guides we had, but at one point they were asking us tour-ees to fill in facts that had mysteriously escaped them... Maybe it was the work of ghosts??? No - it was lack of preparation and professionalism. I imagine there are excesses of amazing stories about Austin, downtown, etc that have to do with death and ghosts and scariness and whatnot. Instead of this "experience," I'd suggest getting a book and taking yourself on a walking tour of sixth street ...at least then you might be able to hear the stories over the voices in your head. Two big thumbs down :/ read more

As a fun Dad/daughter trip, we did friday nights ghost tour, and greeted a woman at the Omni Hotel, the start of the tour. I feel I must warn you, I saw and heard things that are un-explainable. Particularly how the guide, a person who gets paid to use words, had to put the letter 'a' after every sentence she spoke. 'Ghost-ah, ax-ah, murder-ah'..you get the picture. It became painful to the ears within the first five minutes. Each of these sentences were part of a larger story, a never-ending barrage of really bad writing and editing, redundancy and misinformation. It seemed like the 'ghost tours' was a day-old company, instead of, from what she said, a couple of decades. You'd figure a company thats been doing it would try to refine their dialogue, to see what works and what does not. Edit! Why make the stories long, boring and filled with unnecessary information? I was actually shocked it wasn't designed better. Any partially decent writer could have taken the source material and created interesting and fun dialogue- or at least true information on the historical parts of the tour, particularly the famous murders of Austin's history. The guide got a few details wrong, the first victim being found in a bed, not in the snow, how the murderer 'knocked them out with the sharp end' of the ax, which she related over again until I questioned her about how one gets 'knocked out' with a sharp end of the ax. She was not one to admit she didn't know anything, and told me some elaborate story that proved to be false. When the night finally ended, everyone disbanded and not one person tipped her, which she curtly mumbled under her breath about, 'not one of you are going to tip me?", which I thought was unprofessional. I tipped her anyway, because I felt sorry for her, and really, it felt like something I had to pay to get out of, and I was greatly relieved when I did. Never again. read more

Maverick is an awesome host and me, my cousin, aunt and uncle all loved it and would definitely go again

First off, I had no idea people on yelp didn't know what a historical haunted tour was. I suppose a lot of sour apples on here weren't aware that it is, yes, in a group, and yes, outside, and yes, walking. That's not just this company, but most of all haunted historical tours I've been to. So if you're planning on going, yes, that's what a haunted historical tour is, and it's well worth the twenty bucks, I promise. My tour guide was exceptionally kind, funny, and knowledgable. This company doesn't try to sell you the over dramatized and questionable paranormal experiences of the locations, but rather, the actual truth with the locations, which is refreshing. I would recommend grabbing a bite at the moonshine cafe, a drink, and going on with a little buzz. It makes the whole experience even better. Then more drinks after, either at the driskill or more from the moonshine. This is a superb date idea! Much better than the standby dinner-and-a-movie. Also, if you want to have even more fun, the ghost investigations from this company are even better than the tours. A bit of a smaller group, but yes, be aware, it's another group. But trust me, that's a good thing... read more

We were in Austin for a couple days and we're looking for something to do. I stumbled across the Austin ghost tour and we figured we give it a try. It was easy to sign up just a few buttons online made payment, and we were in. Austin ghost tours do not have a brick-and-mortar location, at least not that I saw. We initially had difficulty finding where the tour began. The meeting spot was in the lobby of a very large Hotel, and there were many people moving about. Eventually we saw a woman who was dressed rather uniquely and gathered that she was the ghost tour guide. The whole thing was completely "cheesy", and this isn't a bad thing, because it is kind of what we expected. Our tour guide, Monica, was very into her job and she told spirited stories and seemed to genuinely believe in Supernatural things. The tour is a walking one, and we walked through many parts of the city. We stopped at several places as our tour guide told us stories of the supernatural. The weather was nice that night, we had a nice walk, and we got to see many parts of downtown Austin. If you don't expect too much from this tour, you will not be disappointed. If you're expecting to see a ghost or have some type of Supernatural experience, this tour may fall short of your expectations. If you are looking for something to do in the early evening for an hour and a half or so, and the weather is nice, this is definitely something worth considering. read more

Our tour guide Maverick was authentic, funny and a great storyteller. The 90 minute tour was interesting and we enjoyed the stories, they weren't really scary but it has been a great experience. read more

I haven't been on a ghost tour before so I think my expectations may have been too high. I wanted it to be spookier but it was definitely family friendly. We walked a few blocks around the city and stopped at haunted landmarks to learn about the building and stories of ghost sightings or paranormal activity that happened there. I did like our tour guide who you could tell knew her stuff. She provided ghostly pictures taken by previous people who have gone on the tour and found ghostly sightings in pictures taken while walking around. She also provided her own share of audio recordings she has received from various places around town. The tour is only $20 so I think it's money well spent if you want to do something new around Austin. read more

We had the best time on our tour with Maverick last night! The tour was a mix of Austin's history, spooky historical stories, and real life ghost encounter anecdotes. Maverick was an excellent story teller, very engaging and knowledgeable about the city. Even with living here for the past decade, I learned so much about historical Austin. I would definitely recommend this tour to family and friends, even if you are an Austin local. read more

I recorded my first official EVPs (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) while interviewing Jeanine Plumer (Owner, AGT) for a Public Radio program back in October 2008. Astonishingly clear Class A-type responses on a Marantz PMD-760 Digital Audio Recorder. It only got better from there. I have been on a real ghost hunt with some members of the Austin Ghost Tours crew since and actually had a 'presence' run right through me in one very haunted location North of Austin (it felt like someone dumped a bucket of cold, electrically-charged(!) water over my entire body). An EVP captured shortly after that experience the same night was equally profound and provocative. This time a full four word sentence in clearly spoken English. I adore Austin Ghost Tours because they have cultivated in me what was once a mere curiosity into a full on obsession. Brace yourselves for their TV program, "Haunted Texas", airing sometime in 2010 on PBS... read more

I went on my first walking tour last week, and it was just the right balance of spooky and informative! (The balance is 70% informative, 30% spooky.) We stopped at six different sites, including the Museum of the Weird, The Austin Club, and the Driskill Hotel. Our guide, Maverick, was an excellent storyteller. He had jokes, he took questions, and he had very personal stories based on his own experiences, and second hand accounts from friends. Plus he was loud, which might be the most important thing. I'd recommend this tour for history buffs, Austin visitors or newcomers, but maybe not very young children. There were some pretty gory anecdotes. (Servant girl annihilator. Look it up.) read more

I have been on ghost tours in Charleston, Savanah, New Orleans, and across Europe - I love them, but have never been so disappointed by a ghost tour until this one. I was hopeful when Monica began talking, but then we broke into to groups and followed Stephanie for our tour. She was horrible. The stories were awful - more paranormal activity without narrative or substance than anything else. The way she spoke was overly dramatic and with intonation that was beyond annoying. She kept repeating the same phrases and couldn't remember facts. My friends wanted to leave after the first stop but I was hoping it would get better so we pressed on. It didn't get better and we abandoned the group at the Driskill. I brought up some interesting history on my phone about the hotel that Stephanie did not tell us and then we went to drink so we could forget how awful the tour was. read more

I'm not going to say it was good or bad. I will say that we were trying to figure out if we should give it a * or ** we decided to go with 1 star. read more

Austin Ghost Tours - Walking Tours Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The most haunting aspect of our tour of the warehouse district will be the fact that we dropped $40 doing it. Our tour took us to such spooky locales as the outside of the chase bank building and the deck of the old Rio Grande across the street from Max's wine dive. The suppossed "highlight" was standing at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the bar in the Driskill. We would of been better off putting the cost of the tour towards spirits at the bar instead! Austin Ghost Tours provides a cool overview of some obscure facts and bits of History. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and passionate, but the content just wasn't there. read more

Boring... The owner was very nice but the tour guide was oh so boring. read more

We had a great tour last night with Monica! I loved that she provided the historical context to the hauntings. Monica was very knowledgeable and did a great job. I would definitely recommend AGT as a fun way to learn something new about our great city! read more

My niece and I went on a ghost tour this past weekend and we really enjoyed it. Yes, it's a walking tour and no, you do not get to enter the buildings that are presumed to be haunted. (With the exception of The Driskill Hotel, where you are able to visit the lobby area) However, I have been on multiple tours in various locations, and this is common practice, as the buildings are usually businesses or homes that are private and/or closed during the evening hours. We really enjoyed the tour guide, Monica. I do not feel that she pushed her book (as previous yelpers have stated). I actually bought the book and found it to be a very entertaining and interesting read! Overall, I loved the experience. Our tour guide was incredibly passionate about the subject matter and I felt that I learned a lot about the history of this great city! read more

This was my first ghost tour, so I have nothing to compare it to, but anyway, I really enjoyed it! I like ghost shows and ghost stories. There are some comments about boring tour guides on here, but my tour guide was AWESOME. I think her name was Kristen. She was kind and funny and spoke loudly. I found the stories interesting and painted the picture of what Austin was like at different points throughout history. There was kids on the tour, who did not seem too scared. The tour is outside, where there are lots of people around, so it didn't get too creepy. I had a great time, and this has inspired me to go on ghost tours in other cities. read more

I haven't been so disappointed in an event for as long as I can remember. My boyfriend and I wanted to do something interesting for Halloween, rather than go to some party or get wasted- so we thought it would be neat to take the Austin Ghost Tour. We arrived on time, but a large group that was supposed to be on our tour did not. We waited around about an extra ten minutes for them, then finally got started. Our tour guide was terrible, she did not speak very loudly and seemed bored or disinterested with her presentation, which made her seem superficial and very fake! Our first stop was on 5th street, where we stopped ACROSS THE STREET from a building that used to be a morgue. The process of embalming was explained to us in great detail, and then we were told about funeral practices of the time. OK- but what about the GHOSTS? Furthermore, why were not permitted to go INTO the building? Standing across the street and handing around some old photos doesn't seem like something most people would choose to pay for. This was the first stop, and my first impression- definitely not good. My boyfriend shot me a couple of looks during the first stop, but we decided to give the next one a shot. We were actually taken into the building this time, told a semi-interesting story about the goings on, and then ONE female from the tour group was sent to check out the alleged haunted spot. After another very boring, flat explanation by our tour guide, my boyfriend and I decided to leave so we could get some dinner. I love all things spooky, and consider myself a believer in ghosts. I was open minded about this tour, and was really looking forward to it! I could not have been more disappointed. I am out $40 for the two tickets we bought, and I will not recommend this tour to any of my friends or family, which is a shame, because had some true effort been put into this tour, it could have been GREAT! I also know a lot of people that are "into this stuff"- and will have to tell them not to go if they ask!! Do not waste your money on this event. It will do nothing but disappoint you, and you can read all the stories online, on your own time, without a bored tour guide reciting them to you. read more

Our tour guide was adorable. With that said, instead of spending $20 on this tour, google haunted buildings in Austin, rent a B-cycle for $8.00, ride around with friends and look at the buildings. For shits and giggles, take a video recording of you standing in front of the building asking the ghost a question and have a friend add weird sounds effects later. read more

My husband and I have been on many ghost tours and the best ones focus on historical events in the city with tour guides who are thoughtful, passionate and respectful speakers. Our tours have helped us have a richer experiences in Honolulu, Hawaii; St. Augustine, Florida; Seattle, Washington; Tacoma, Washington, Victoria, B.C. and Port Gamble, Washington. On 10/28/2016, we purchased tickets to the 8:15 PM Austin Ghost Tour and our guide was Chad. The tour started out reasonably enough although I did note that the amount of people on the tour was probably the biggest I've ever been a part of (the tour group was about 25-30 people). We met in the lobby of the Omni Hotel on San Jacinto. We checked in and waited for our tour time to be called. Once that happened, our tour guide introduced himself as Chad and then we walked "at his pace" quickly towards the doors we would be exiting from. He told a corny joke about a "ghost" that may have flung himself out of hotel room and then we headed towards the Driskill Hotel. We were told over and over how the Driskill Hotel would no longer allow their ghost tour into the hotel and with the amount of times Chad told us this, it made me feel as though he wanted us to blame the Driskill Hotel if we had anything other than a great tour. Then Chad began to tell us some of the history of the hotel and during this, his tone was rude, irreverent, sarcastic, brash and dismissive. He also yelled at the group for moving too far ahead in the photo slide show on his tablet, which made him lose his place. In general, he acted as though he was forced to do this job and tell these stories that were dumb to begin with and we were going to suffer for it. As we walked to the next location, just on the other side of the Driskill, my husband and I talked about giving him one more chance. The minute he began to talk in the same disrespectful "this is stupid" tone about the Driskill and then the story he began to tell, we knew we couldn't put up with this anymore and we walked off the tour. We have never been so disappointed with a tour before, much less a ghost tour, that we felt the need to walk away. Sure, there are better speakers than others but never have we had a tour guide who so clearly seemed to dislike every part of his job. Please keep in mind that this was our first trip to Austin so we did not really know anything about the Driskill (past or present) but Chad's point-of-view seemed just unreasonable. We were only in Austin for just a couple of days so there was no chance to try the tour again but with a different guide. My hope is that the tour is actually good and we just had the misfortune of having Chad as our guide. If you pay for the tour and see that Chad is your guide, ask to go to a different tour. read more

Our tour guide was Maverick. You walked around downtown Austin and stopped for a few minutes in a couple places to be told a story, which was the interesting part. Halfway through, we stopped at a pub. However, you only stop for 15 min, you are encouraged to order a drink, but can't bring it with you. By the time you get your drink, you have to down it or you get left behind. Also, during the tour you get walked through downtown Austin, but it is not a loop. At the end of the tour, you are about an hour away from where you started. I went with my mom and I and we weren't worried because we figured the tour guide would let us know how to get back. He simply said go down the street and goodnight! He hurried off, and it took us about 3 hours to find our car. We were so completely disappointed in the fact our guide just took off and left us in the middle of downtown Austin at 9PM. Even though the tour was good and he was nice, he left us stranded in a place we didn't know and we were very upset at the lack of care he showed at the end of the night. If you go just make sure you remember the path you take, because the tour guide won't help you. read more

Maverick was an amazing tour guide! I would absolutely recommend the Ghosts, Murder, and Mayhem tour for anyone who wants to learn about the history of Austin and hear some amazing ghost stories! read more

I've been on two Austin Ghost Tours and enjoyed both of them...on both of the tours, my group went inside most of the haunted buildings as well as viewing them from the outside. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about Austin history as well as the super-natural. She was also very dramatic and funny...which added a lot to the tours. Not everyone has the gift to be able to see or hear ghosts...I know I don't. But I still was able to enjoy the tours and learned a lot about history. Particularly interesting was the story about the "Servant Girl Murders". Additionally, I got to see some beautiful old architecture from the 1800's and early 1900's. A time when buildings were designed for beauty as well as function. I also found some cool places that will be great to bring out-of-town guests to when they visit. Recommended! read more

Definitely a fun thing to do to get out of the hotel. Very family friendly while still delivering the spook you expect. My tour guide Sarah was AMAZING and truly made the trip - very outgoing and personable, effectively read the room/our group, and definitely had my skin crawling from her stories. read more

Boring. You don't go into any buildings and half the stories don't relate to the tours location. Colossal waste of time and money. Being forced to watch the Kardashian marathon on TV would be much scarier. read more

Me and my wife went on this and didn't know what to expect. We were afraid it might be cheesy stories or cheesy scares but it was actually really cool and actually explained a lot of history in Austin which I thought was really cool! Our tour guide Monica knew her stuff and had a really quirky sense of humor which made the tour more enjoyable. She had alot of pictures and audio clips to back up the stories she told which really were pretty cool. I wish we could have explored the locations more but I can understand they were places of business. If your looking for something unique to do in Austin I'd highly recommend this! read more

Really cool guy hosting and was really interesting! Also was hilarious and somehow relaxing after a day in the city

Painfully painfully boring. Don't waste your money! Guide was trying too hard to be theatrical.

I did the Neil-Cochran House investigation back in September with some friends. I was a bit skeptical that we'd actually experience anything but a few of my buddies and I decided the atmosphere would be worth the money. That being said, it definitely was. It was totally awsome and terrifying at the same time. While we didn't "see" any ghosts, my friend sure did catch a few on camera...I feel a bit uneasy about it still to this day. But to be honest, what could we expect when we went in saying that we we're more than curious. I'm going to try to attach the picture, so you can see the faces in the lower right had corner. Chilling. The people who put on the investigation were nice. Very laxed, letting us kind of do our own thing too with this cool app that they suggested downloading. We mixed that with a few of their tools and had some super eerie coincidences....or contacts. Some other weird things happened, like smelling roses in certain locations when clearly there were not flowers. Plus having the app say "flowers" every time I smelt it was creepy too. There were also brand new camera batteries dying in certain rooms for no reason. As well as a utterly terrifying scream during a phone experiment session thing...that no one could explain. I would for sure do it again, just maybe not at the Neil-Cochran house...a bit spooked by the place, but hey wasn't that kind of the point of going?! Well worth the money and I am hoping to discover some new investigations next time I visit their site!!! I highly recommend the ghost investigations!!! read more

We had an excellent time on our tour tonight! We've gone on ghost tours in other cities, and this was one of the better ones. Ghost tours are a great way to see the city in a different way, and hear some interesting history along with a couple of gruesome tales. If you're upset you didn't see any ghosts or photograph some orbs, all I can say is that's not really how it works. So go, learn something cool about this historic city, and have fun scaring the crap out of each other for the rest of the night! read more

Monica was our tour guide on the Historic District tour, and she was wonderful! She's an amazing storyteller, and I loved learning the history of these old buildings in Austin. She's also very involved with and dedicated to experiencing the paranormal and collecting stories regarding others' experiences in town. The stories she told and the pictures she showed were very interesting, to say the least! Whether or not you're a believer, I would highly recommend this tour. read more

Not at all worth $20. Nothing against our tour guide, she was really cool but this was not creepy or fun at all. Terribly boring, and all the info could be found out on your own..just google instead of wasting money and time. read more

Took a tour with Rachel and she was amazing. loved the tour and learned so much. My favorite part of my visit to austin!!!!

My daughter (15yrs old) and I did the Austin Ghost Tour for the first time. We were looking for something fun to celebrate Halloween time. This is perfect for families and couples that would like to learn more about Austin's history & have some great stories told! read more

If you can get a hold of a coupon and the people in your party are 13 and under than maybe, possibly consider this as a last resort. Like others have mentioned the tour is done on the street and you just stand in front of a "haunted" building. The ghost stories told are just stories the tour guide had heard from random employees that work at the establishment or patrons who claim to have had a ghost experience. Stories are weak and not scary at all, and the tour guide tries to over compensate with exaggerated facial expressions and pathetic jokes. While leaving a room in the Driskill, the tour guide looked up at the ceiling and "talked" to a ghost and told it that she saw it flicker the lights. This absolutely did not happen, and was enough for every one in my party to look at one another, roll our eyes, and decided there were better ways to spend our time. We didn't even bother finishing the tour and had a much better time just going across the street to get a drink. read more

We had a wonderful time on our ghost tour last night with Maverick. He was extremely entertaining, knowledgeable and friendly throughout the tour. We learnt about the history of Austin along with its extensive paranormal activity as well as highly recommended places to visit in our own time. We will definitely be coming back for his other tours and also recommend buying his book too! Fantastic customer service Maverick! See you again soon. read more