Even before it was officially incorporated as a colony in 1630, the historical turmoil of the Boston region had already turned it into a prime location for ghost stories. The Salem witch trials and Revolutionary War events that followed only added to the quantity of fascinating but haunted places. With spirits seemingly lurking around every corner, Boston is the perfect destination for supernatural thrill-seekers.

Ghosts and Gravestones Tour

The Boston Ghosts and Gravestones tour is the best way to learn all you can about the numerous historical spirits haunting the city.

A haunted walking tour of the city is one of the best ways to start your search for haunted places in Boston. The Ghosts and Gravestones Boston tour is a 90-minute haunted walking tour that takes you through the historic and haunted streets in search of ghosts rumored to haunt “Beantown.” You'll hear captivating and chilling tales of Boston's most famous murderers and ghosts, as well as accounts of the area’s rich history. Your knowledgeable guide will tell you extraordinary and tragic tales from the founding of Colonial Boston right up to the present during one of the best Boston ghost tours.

The USS Salem in Quincy Harbor

The USS Salem in Quincy Harbor is said to be haunted by the spirits of disaster victims from the 1950s.

Featured on SyFy’s Ghost Hunters, the USS Salem is a perfectly preserved WWII heavy cruiser in Quincy Harbor that served as a hospital and morgue for disaster victims in the 1950s. Many visitors who dare to take a tour claim to witness apparitions and disembodied footsteps clunking around the empty hull, as well as the distant noises of a crew tirelessly working in the afterlife. The show’s investigators determined that high electromagnetic fields in the ship could be causing hallucinations. For a truly harrowing experience of one of the most haunted places in Boston, visit during the fall when the ship is transformed into Ghost Ship Harbor, Boston’s No. 1 haunted house attraction.

Fort Warren

The Civil War-era Fort Warren is said to be haunted by a “lady in black” who died there while trying to rescue her imprisoned husband.

Any ghost walk of the most haunted places in Boston should include Fort Warren, which was completed during the start of the Civil War. The fort served as a prison for Confederate officers during the war, and the ghost of the wife of one of those soldiers, the infamous “lady in black,” is believed to haunt its halls. She’s been said to tap fort visitors on the shoulder as a reminder not to enter the place where she and her prisoner husband were killed while trying to help him escape.

Kings Chapel Burying Ground

You may encounter the feeling of being watched if you visit Kings Chapel burial ground, the oldest cemetery in Boston.

Kings Chapel Burying Ground, the oldest cemetery in Boston, was founded in 1630 on the corner of Tremont and School Street. With its long history and numerous headstones, the cemetery is believed to be one of the most haunted places in Boston. Grave robbers looking for riches once rearranged a woman’s body to make her fit back into a small coffin. One grave supposedly contained the body of a man who was buried alive, and when it was excavated, one striking detail stood out: fingernail markings on the wood interior of the coffin. Headstones in the cemetery are said to have been moved multiple times, a reliable recipe for restless spirits. Take a ghost walk through the cemetery to see if you’d count yourself among the visitors who consistently report the sensation of being watched.

Haunted Areas Outside of Boston

Not far from Boston, the infamous town of Salem is a popular stop for those seeking witch museums and Halloween happenings.

Just an hour south of the city, in Fall River, you can hear the story of one of history’s most famous accused and acquitted murder suspects. The limerick is as infamous as the tale: “Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.” While the accuracy of the rhyme is unfounded, the gruesome nature of the 1892 crime and the presumptive innocence of Lizzie Borden captivated the country and still does to this day. The Lizzie Borden House, where the murders took place, has been turned into a museum and is a popular destination for tourists seeking the thrill of the macabre.

Also just outside Boston is the historic town of Salem, known for the tragic 17th-century Salem witch trials. More than 200 people were accused in hearings and trials that sentenced 14 women and five men to execution for suspicion of witchcraft. Today, the area is home to several witch museums that commemorate the events, as well as a memorial park dedicated to the innocent. October is the perfect time to visit if you want a glimpse into Salem's dark past mixed with present day fun. The annual Haunted Happenings Grand Parade kicks off the Halloween season. No matter the time of year, with Boston and New England steeped in so much dark colonial history, you won’t have to look far to find spooky but fun sights.

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