Ghosts & Gravestones

A multi-city evening ghost tour brand

Ghosts & Gravestones is a brand of evening ghost tours in American cities, run under Historic Tours of America. The city selector on the homepage lists Boston, Key West, Charleston, Savannah, St. Augustine and San Diego, and each city has its own tour. The tour page opens with "Do You Dare Board the Trolley of the DOOMED?" and says "Old Town Trolley Tours invites you to explore our premier 'frightseeing' tour, Ghosts & Gravestones." The footer states that the site is "Presented by Historic Tours of America® Inc." and that Ghosts & Gravestones, Old Town Trolley Tours, Ghost Town Trolley and Ghost Hunters of Savannah are its registered trademarks. The tours are the company's own products, each led by what the site calls a "Ghost Host," and they mix a ride through the city with walking stops, including night visits to cemeteries.

The pitch across all cities is the same: "Prepare yourself for an evening of fun, scares, and ghost stories as you are guided through some of America's most haunted cities." The menu on the homepage also carries content sections on ghosts (Life After Death, Types of Ghosts, How to Hunt) alongside practical pages.

What each city tour covers

Boston. The tour passes the Omni Parker House, which the site calls "Boston's most haunted hotel," and covers "the gruesome saga of the Boston Strangler," with a stop where "his final victim breathed her last." The site says the tour "includes exclusive nighttime access into two of Boston's oldest burying grounds," and adds "We've been thrilling our audiences for more than a decade." The homepage describes the guides here as "gravedigger guides."

Charleston. The tour "leads guests into the city's haunted past with exclusive nighttime access to Bethany Cemetery." Guests ride from the Charleston Visitor Center with "Live narration from your costumed Ghost Host," then walk through the burial ground, where "Lanterns are provided," and ride back through "some of the most haunted areas of Charleston." The homepage points out that "Most ghost tours in Charleston move only on foot, but this tour includes a comfortable air-conditioned or heated ride through the city."

Key West. The Key West tour covers "tales of murder, superstitions, a mischievous doll named Robert and a tragic love story with grave robbing," and travels "past burial grounds, haunted homes and the stories of Key West's most tragic inhabitants." The overview says the Ghost Host guides guests "through the narrow streets" of the island to discover its "forgotten secrets." The homepage adds that the tour exposes "the stories that center upon our most famous and infamous residents" and promises "Hear all about Robert the Doll."

San Diego. The San Diego tour is "built on stories of history, mystery and legends of San Diego's past & DARKER SIDE!" It mentions Grant Elementary School and then moves to Old Town, "walking through El Campo Santo Cemetery and on to the Whaley House, both sites of many reported paranormal occurrences."

Savannah. Here the site calls the city "America's Most Ghostly City!" and says guests get "EXCLUSIVE nighttime entry into River Street's Perkins and Sons Ship Chandlery." The homepage describes it as "The only tour featuring exclusive nighttime entry" to that building, and invites guests to "Take a ride to a different dimension."

St. Augustine. The tour explores "the darker side of the Nation's Oldest City" and covers the Tolomato Cemetery, "the apparition seen playing on the sacred grounds after dark," and an EVP voice recording from a paranormal investigation that the site links to "the well-known hangings carried out on the site." The page opens with the conductor's call of "all aboard!", recommends bringing a camera or camera phone for photos through the building's windows, and asks guests to "Plan to arrive at least 20 minutes early to make time to visit Cromwell's Parlour of Paranormal Curiosities." The homepage adds "accounts of long gone residents who can still be seen in numerous locations around the city."

How the tours work

The overview describes a narrated ride in several cities (the heading asks guests to board "the Trolley of the DOOMED") plus walking segments at key sites, and in several cities entry after dark to a place that is normally closed, such as the Boston burying grounds, Bethany Cemetery in Charleston and the Perkins and Sons Ship Chandlery in Savannah. Each city section links to its own city page for booking and details. The homepage and the tour overview give no meeting points, start times or durations. The only timing advice is for St. Augustine, where guests should arrive 20 minutes early. The site also recruits performers through a "Join Our Cast" section, asking whether readers want to "make the transition from Working Stiff into Stiffly Working," a fair sign of the tone the guides are hired for.

Booking and terms

The site shows a "100% Satisfaction Guarantee" badge with a link to find out why, and the homepage menu lists separate pages for Our Guarantee, FAQs and Refunds. Guests can sign up for "Scary Offers" by email. Contact for guest relations is by mail to Historic Tours of America, Attn: Guest Relations, 108 Sea Grove Main Street, St. Augustine, FL 32080, or through an email link. The footer states that the website meets WCAG 2.0/2.1 AA standards and links to an ADA Accessibility Policy.

What the site leaves open, and who it suits

The homepage and the tour overview do not publish ticket prices, tour lengths, age guidance, group sizes or the terms behind the satisfaction guarantee and refunds. It does not say how much walking each tour involves or whether the vehicles and cemetery paths suit wheelchair users. Those answers have to come from the individual city pages or from the FAQs and Refunds pages before booking.

What the site does settle is the character of each tour: specific stops, named buildings and cemeteries, and an evening format that combines a ride with walking stops and after-hours access. It suits visitors in any of these cities who want a theatrical ghost tour that pairs a ride with walking stops, and repeat travelers who liked the format in one city and want it in another. Anyone after a quiet, history-only walk may find the "frightseeing" style more show than lecture.