Ghost Tours of Asheville

There are many legends about ghosts haunting various places in and around Asheville, including the Grove Park Inn, the Battery Park Hotel, the Basilica of Saint Lawrence, and other locations. Visitors will find an abundant number of ghost tours to take during the Halloween season, and other times of the year as well.

The advent of the digital age has also been a boon for ghost busters. With digital cameras and special audio recording equipment, many believe they can provide evidence of ghosts by capturing sounds and images of their activities. Because of Asheville's reputation as a spiritual center, ghost hunters have visited the town and even made films about some of the things they've seen.

It doesn't matter whether you believe in ghosts or not. Have fun and learn new things about Asheville's supernatural past by taking a ghost tour. If you do not have time for a tour, but want to satisfy your curiosity about the ghosts of Asheville, visit the Asheville Mystery Museum (inside the Masonic Temple) to learn more about the legends the ghost hunters who explored them further.

Walking Ghost Tours in Downtown Asheville

Haunted Asheville (HauntedAsheville.com)

This tour is created by Joshua P. Warren, a native of Western North Carolina and author of 10 books on the paranormal. Warren's love for ghost hunting has also been featured on the Travel Channel, The History Channel, and other top media. Choose between a Walking Tour, Trolley Tour, Pub Tours Crawl, Biltmore Village Mystery Tour or the Vampire and Occult Tour. Except for the trolley tour, which boards at the Renaissance Hotel, tours meet at Asheville's Masonic Temple at 80 Broadway, Thursday through Sunday nights and cost $20. Participants will go inside the Masonic Temple and see the Asheville Mystery Museum. Here they will learn more about Asheville's paranormal history and have the chance to use the ghost hunting equipment Joshua used in Ghost Adventures.

Haunted Ghost Tours (Asheville Tours)

This ninety-minute tour promises to spook visitors while they walk around Downtown Asheville and explore some of the places said to be haunted. Places visited include the site of the old county jail and a building downtown where a murder victim still haunts the halls. Participants have the opportunity view digital photos of ghosts and poltergeist orbs taken on this tour. Tours run from March through October, seven nights per week. From November through December tours mostly occur on Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 for Adults and $10 for children from 8-14 years old. Kids 7 and under get in free.

Ghost Tour (Better Tours of Asheville)

This ghost tour doesn't seem to have any gimmicks. Guides deliver the stories about Asheville's supernatural past in a matter-of-fact tone. Some highlights of the journey around downtown include the story about corpses beneath Church Street, Nazi ghosts at a downtown pub, the murder at Battery Park Hotel, and a ghost that haunts the Basilica of Saint Lawrence. Ghost tours occur Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 9 p.m. and adult tickets are $20.

Children are $10.

Ghost Tours on the Trolley

The advantage of taking a ghost tour on a trolley is a larger area can be covered. Many of these tours go through Downtown Asheville but also visit other parts of the city, such as Montford, The Grove Park Inn, West Asheville, The River Arts District, and other areas.

Ghost Tour (Gray Line Trolley)

Better Tours of Asheville teams up with the Gray Line Trolley to offer a unique ghost tour that lasts one hour and fifteen minutes and is conducted on the red trolleys seen around town. This tour includes hauntings of the old hospital, Al Capone's bootlegging in the mountains surrounding Asheville and a look at the White Gate Inn, where spirits are said to haunt the establishment. Other favorite stories about Asheville's haunts include: Battery Park, the Grove Park Inn, the Basilica of Saint Lawrence, and more. This ghost trolley tour costs $21 for adults and $10 for children. The trolley leaves from Pack Tavern Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at 7 p.m.

Asheville's Haunted Trolley Tours (AshevilleTrolleyTours.com)

This haunted trolley tour of Asheville was also created by Joshua P. Warren, the creator of Haunted Asheville Tours and a cable television personality who has been seen on numerous 'ghost buster' shows. Many of the same sites are covered in this trolley tour that are seen in Haunted Asheville's tours such as Battery Park, the Basilica of Saint Lawrence, Church Street and more. The difference is it is a trolley tour, not a walking tour. Tickets are $20 for adults and $12 for children. May through October, visitors can attend Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. From March through October, tours are only on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tours depart from the Asheville Chamber of Commerce, across the Montford Bridge from Downtown Asheville.

La Zoom Bus Tours

Affectionately known as Asheville's comedy bus tour, La Zoom's haunted Halloween themed tour is ribald enough to be an adult only tour. Passengers must be 17 years old. Expect theatrics in the streets and on the bus. Characters planted around town approach the bus in full costume, making everyone laugh, scream or hide. LaZoom bus currently boards at the Thirsty Monk Pub, 92 Patton Avenue in Downtown Asheville. Adults are $20, young adults, $15 and 'Ashevillans' are $20.

Asheville is a great place to take a haunted ghost tour. The Gothic style architecture contrasts well with the mountains. ominous clouds and fog -- the perfect setting for a ghost story.

For those interested in tracking the paranormal with digital cameras and audio devices, there are tours that fit the bill. Others may simply want to learn more about the town and its history and hear some of the legends afoot about spirits, ghosts and ghouls that haunt the streets Asheville. Take a ghost tour and indulge your curiosities about the 'other side' of Asheville.