Ghost Tours
1–2 hours
Free cancellation
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from
$25
per adult
Scary DC
Scary DC
4.5
Full view
About
Scary DC is the premier ghost tour in Washington DC. Scary DC focuses on historically accurate, engaging, and scary tours. Popular haunts include the Capital Hill Ghost Tour and The Haunted White House.
Tours and Tickets by Scary DC
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
200 reviews
Excellent
138
Very good
30
Average
9
Poor
9
Terrible
14
hauntedone2020
1 contribution
Sep 2020
My friend and I loved the tour overall. The tour guide was well informed and had great stories! The one downside is that wish masks I couldn't hear the guide well. I wish he had some sort of amp system. Another downside is that some people who joined the tour had the audacity to not wear a mask despite being explicitly asked to do so. People going on the guide also were not socially distancing (6 feet apart) which was very frustrating. I wish the guide was more strict about the policy to keep everyone safe. It was really annoying being with super spreaders bragging about their extensive traveling and refusal to wear masks. I would definitely do it again but probably a private tour with friends after everyone gets tested.
Written September 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elizabeth
1 contribution
Oct 2020 • Friends
We had a wonderful time and learned a lot about our city! Our guide, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Chase was a fantastic storyteller and very knowledgable. We really liked how relevant he made the history. The October evening atmosphere also lent a lot to this fun and eerie experience.
We certainly recommend it and would go again!
We certainly recommend it and would go again!
Written October 30, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Leah B
2 contributions
Apr 2023 • Friends
Had so much fun on this tour! I’m a huge fan of ghost walking tours and I brought three friends along who had never been on one —> everyone had such a terrific time (even in the rain)! Our tour guide was the daughter of Mary Surratt. She was absolutely fantastic, knowledgeable and had a wonderful sense of humor. She stayed in character the entire night. We were delighted!
Written April 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amy J
1 contribution
Jul 2021 • Family
My son and I very much enjoyed the stories on the Scary DC walk. The speaker was very engaging with lots of details and interesting information! I do wish we had been able to venture on to the Capitol grounds but we were a week early from the removal of the barricades. This was a fun tour with some cool stories!
Written July 12, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kate R
7 contributions
Nov 2020
I went on his tour two years ago and actually remembered this tour guide. He is fantastic! I took my friend on another tour with him a week ago, and I’m probably going to do his 18 + tour soon. If you are looking at other tours and debating, stop debating, trust me on this, and go on Samuel’s tour!
Written November 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Duffer1936
Altadena, CA2 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
Our family loves history, and we really enjoyed this tour. Our guide kept the kids, parents, and grandparents engaged. Capitol Hill is also very beautiful when it's lit up at night, and much cooler than during the day. Highly recommend.
Written July 11, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
290karenw
Bowie, Maryland, United States3 contributions
Nov 2013 • Solo
I bought a ticket for the tour through Groupon - $12. I was running late and knew I won't make the start time but figured I'd give it a shot and try and call the company to see if they could tell me where group was at to meetup. I called when I got to the subway to head to DC. They answered the phone (wow - straight to a live person!) and said to call when I got off at my stop. Called back and again a live person answered. I was just expecting him to tell me the general area where the group should be. Not only did he tell me where the group should be at he stayed on the phone until I caught up with the group! He said he wanted to make sure I made it! That's customer service especially with a 50% off Groupon ticket.
The tour guide was great and very animated and in character. They limit the size of the group which is nice because everyone could keep up and hear the guide. While I didn't see any ghosts :) I enjoyed the tour. I would highly recommend this tour company!
The tour guide was great and very animated and in character. They limit the size of the group which is nice because everyone could keep up and hear the guide. While I didn't see any ghosts :) I enjoyed the tour. I would highly recommend this tour company!
Written November 2, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer S
Waldorf, MD2 contributions
Jun 2014 • Couples
If you are looking for a good scare then this is not the tour for you. However, if you are looking for a great history lesson on supernatural activity in the nation's capital this is the perfect tour for you. Our tour was given by Samuel Chase (1741-1811) or at least a fantastic actor dressed up as Samuel Chase. He stayed in character and looked the part. It was well worth the $12 tickets we picked up on Groupon.
Written June 8, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pamela
New York30 contributions
Sep 2012 • Couples
NOT TO BE CONFUSED with DC Ghost Tours. There are many ghost walking tours in DC. I decided to go with SCARY DC Ghost Tours.
Bottom line: Find another company, almost any other company or even any random stranger on a street corner will give you more value for your money than these people. I’ve done many walking tours in different cities, including DC. This is by far the worst walking tour company I’ve ever experienced.
1) The tour guide showed up late and when he did, looked utterly disoriented and about as excited as someone on their way to get a root canal.
2) Barely audible. Could hardly tell if he was directing himself to the audience or having a conversation with himself.
3) Borderline arrogant. Asked the audience if we knew who James Madison was. Audience member said: “He was a US President”. Tour guide said: “Actually, no. He was not.”
All this arrogance and 10 minute shpeel about James Madison, only to tell us at the next stop on the tour, that he meant Benjamin Franklin all along, and NOT Madison, followed by a “It’s been a really long day.” and then added that Madison HAD indeed been a US President.
Really? You don't say!
Audience: 1
Tour Guide: 0
4) Read his tour notes in between stops like a college kid cramming the night before a test. Couldn’t have been more obvious he was wing-it and was barely into it.
5) Monotone voice. No story telling skills. Never engaged the audience. As a matter of fact, the tour was significantly smaller by the time the tour was over. Many people left the tour before it was over and I probably should have done the same except I kept thinking that the guide was still warming up. Nope. An atrocity from beginning to end.
6) Emailed the company to tell them exactly what I’m saying here. I even went as far as to request they follow up with me, not even for a refund (even though I probably should have requested one), but I just wanted someone, ANYONE, to tell what in the world had happened in that tour! No one ever replied. EXTREMELY LACKING in the CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT.
In conclusion fellow TripAdvisors: Recommend this tour to your worst enemy, and your worst enemy only. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.
Bottom line: Find another company, almost any other company or even any random stranger on a street corner will give you more value for your money than these people. I’ve done many walking tours in different cities, including DC. This is by far the worst walking tour company I’ve ever experienced.
1) The tour guide showed up late and when he did, looked utterly disoriented and about as excited as someone on their way to get a root canal.
2) Barely audible. Could hardly tell if he was directing himself to the audience or having a conversation with himself.
3) Borderline arrogant. Asked the audience if we knew who James Madison was. Audience member said: “He was a US President”. Tour guide said: “Actually, no. He was not.”
All this arrogance and 10 minute shpeel about James Madison, only to tell us at the next stop on the tour, that he meant Benjamin Franklin all along, and NOT Madison, followed by a “It’s been a really long day.” and then added that Madison HAD indeed been a US President.
Really? You don't say!
Audience: 1
Tour Guide: 0
4) Read his tour notes in between stops like a college kid cramming the night before a test. Couldn’t have been more obvious he was wing-it and was barely into it.
5) Monotone voice. No story telling skills. Never engaged the audience. As a matter of fact, the tour was significantly smaller by the time the tour was over. Many people left the tour before it was over and I probably should have done the same except I kept thinking that the guide was still warming up. Nope. An atrocity from beginning to end.
6) Emailed the company to tell them exactly what I’m saying here. I even went as far as to request they follow up with me, not even for a refund (even though I probably should have requested one), but I just wanted someone, ANYONE, to tell what in the world had happened in that tour! No one ever replied. EXTREMELY LACKING in the CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT.
In conclusion fellow TripAdvisors: Recommend this tour to your worst enemy, and your worst enemy only. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.
Written September 19, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chwakeman
Austin, TX3 contributions
Jun 2018 • Family
I imagine this tour has a different tour guide depending on the night and we sure got the dud and I can't for the life of me remember his name! He led the tour on Friday 06-08-18 and basically the tour was super painful where no one laughed at his jokes to the point where I just felt bad for the guy. The historical aspect wasn't interesting because it was a bunch of no names that we assume were made up for the tour. Lots of the kids were disengaged and on their phones. Everyone was dragging and sitting every chance we got as the 90 minutes of tour was walking 15 or so steps and hearing what sounded like another made up story. Lastly, our tour guide knew he had bombed because when we ended at the supreme court and he wrapped up his final tale, he literally ran away. I imagine he works for tips and if he was charming and good at his job he would have circulated to ensure everyone had a good tour and ensured he got the tips he deserved but this guy knew those weren't coming and he booked it.
I can't believe the other reviews on here so this must be hit or miss. Good luck if you book with these guys.
I can't believe the other reviews on here so this must be hit or miss. Good luck if you book with these guys.
Written June 11, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.