Founding Phantoms: Philadelphia's Haunted History

Discover the dark and macabre history of early Philadelphia on the Founding Phantoms Ghost Tour. Explore haunted locations and delve into the darker side of human nature. Ages 16+. Book now!

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Pennsylvania Hospital - This hospital, whose purpose was to treat mental illness, was home to many inhumane experiments in an attempt to drive out the evil spirits once believed to be the cause of mental illness. Join us on a journey through the past as we discuss the evils that took place and the vengeful spirits that remain as a result
What's Included
  • All applicable fees and taxes included
  • Professional and experienced guides
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
Additional Information

The Founding Phantoms Ghost Tour is an enlightening excursion digging into the creepy and chilling tales of Philadelphia’s early life. Delve into the shady aspect of humanity - you might depart the tour questioning your own existence. This tour caters to individuals aged 16 and above, and broaches adult themes and speech not appropriate for youngsters.

For groups of 10 or more, please contact the private & group sales coordinator at Ghost City Tours.

Location
850 Walnut St
Walnut Street
You will meet your spooktacular tour guide at Starman in the Ancient Garden. It's directly across the street from Walnut Street Theatre and beside a medical building.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.5
(90 Ratings)
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39wilbertv
Sep 2, 2024
Wow! Philly has an extremely bizarre but interesting history and characters - She was very knowledgeable and seemed genuinely into her tour. Asked us questions, involved us as tools in the tour. We were very tired and literally running on a schedule and she made it interesting enough to keep us tuned in.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
B645lual
Aug 29, 2024
History comes alive - The tour was about a dozen stops and took over 2 hours to complete. We were lucky - our group was very active asking questions and contributing personal stories. The guide went over standard presentation (of course), but seeing our interest, she also expanded on the details at every stop. You don't have to believe in supernatural; frankly, I'm not sold that the blue orbs we captured on camera were manifestations. But your personal attitude on the topic does not detract in any way from the quality of the tour. What you'll learn is history behind events. Just one example to illustrate... You may not believe that a widow was hosting parties on urging of her late husband, but it's unquestionable that she believed that. And hosting these parties led to making connections that had influence on the American history. Does this mean husband's ghost is/was real? Maybe, maybe not - you decide. But the point is that based on her belief in supernatural the widow remarried and made very real influence on the history of the country. The tour is full of these tidbits, the stories behind the people and events. Our guide was absolutely phenomenal storyteller.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jerry_b
Jul 6, 2024
Fun at night. - Fun option to see Philly at night. Very interesting tour and some of my tour companions may have captured a ghostly photographic image.
Review provided by Viator
G2830znmariam
Jul 4, 2024
Fantastic Tour! - Josh was a fantastic guide! He was so knowledgeable about the city and its history that we were able to ask lots of questions and learn even more than expected. He was funny, personable, and smart, and the tour flew past. Thank you for a great first night in Philadelphia - this exceeded our expectations!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rdc72
Jul 1, 2024
Josh is the BEST tour guide! - This tour was so much fun, and we learned a LOT about Philadelphia history! Josh was an outstanding tour guide and storyteller. He went out of his way to make sure we had the best experience possible, and gave us some great tips for navigating the city during our stay. We are definitely spreading the word about this excellent tour with the many people who are part of the conference we're attending. Thanks, Josh!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mustangnoe67
Jun 20, 2024
A Great Experience! - Josh was a great guide - we got a lot of history along with our ghosties. I also really enjoyed the adults only aspect, as on previous ghost tours, I have had guides need to censor the material due to little ears on the tour. Good information, given at good pace, with lots of interesting stories!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Traveler63913249781
Sep 23, 2024
Didn't even get the chance to be disappointed - I called ahead before booking tonight's tour, to make sure it wasn't going to be cancelled due to the rain this afternoon, and was told it would not be. But it was. Thirty minutes later. And it was no longer raining by the time the tour would have started. This is the only night in town I had available to do a ghost tour and now I won't be able to, and that was going to be a highlight of my trip, as it was one of the activities I was MOST looking forward to while in Philly. It really sucks because another tour I had planned to go on previously was also cancelled prematurely due to rain, which is why I decided to book this tour, despite the two most recent bad reviews. I was texted the booking confirmation for this tour, but for some reason was only contacted via email about the cancelation, so I didn't see it until after I stood around waiting for my tour guide, and rushed through dinner to make sure I didn't miss my time slot.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cpbasset
Sep 22, 2024
Wasn't a ghost tour and was a huge disappointment. - I was on the same tour as Christine and I can concur with everything she has written. My friend was SOO excited to take a ghost tour and this was a huge disappointment for her. The young guide was nice enough, but she did not seem to know anything about the area, nor the history of the sites visited. There was no real "ghost stories" and the tour description led us to believe we would be able to ENTER one house which did not happen. I hate to be harsh, but this was the worst tour I have ever taken.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
E2502lbchristinel
Sep 18, 2024
Very disappointing - I typically really enjoy these tours, both the historical and spooky aspects. Unfortunately, our guide shared virtually no ghost stories throughout the tour. She was a young guide and historical facts offered were those that were written on or near each site - most were attributed to movies she had seen. She seemed very uncomfortable speaking in front of our small group of 4, often facing away from us while speaking, and did not talk at all during long stretches of walking. Two people in the group (half of the people) were suffering with bad knees and she walked very quickly, making it difficult to keep up and never checking to see the group was with her. Overall, I'm disappointed to say that we had an incredibly poor experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sarah_h
Aug 20, 2024
Never got a chance to go - Just a few hours before the tour they canceled without any explanation. When I asked for a refund they referred me to a website. No assistance with the refund whatsoever. Offered to rebook us the next night but we were leaving town the next day. Unreliable.
Review provided by Viator
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