Founded by NYC: Historic Haunts of Lower Manhattan Walking Tour
Discover amazing history and hear spooky tales on a walk through Lower Manhattan
Join Founded by NYC and Bowery Boys Walks for an unforgettable tour through New York’s haunted history! The 1.5-mile walking tour includes sites from the city’s founding 400 years ago to its Civil War legacy. With colorful stories, historic images, and a bit of humor, this tour combines detailed history of the city with ghostly tales of old New York.
Tour Highlights
On the walking tour, get ready to see…
- Bowling Green: site of the city’s founding, oldest park, and spectral visitors
- Fraunces Tavern: where spirits are served…and regularly encountered
- Trinity Churchyard: burial plot of more than 100,000 bodies, including legendary New Yorkers
- St. Paul’s Chapel: haunt of one of NYC’s most flamboyant ghosts
- Tweed Courthouse: where Boss Tweed’s spirit still holds court
- City Hall Park: site of a Revolutionary War-era prison with a ghastly history
- Blood Manor: former studio of photographer Mathew Brady and the terrifying spirits he summoned
Sponsor
This tour is sponsored by FOUNDED BY NYC, celebrating New York City’s 400th anniversary in 2025 and the 250th anniversary of the United States in 2026. Read about all the exciting events and world-class institutions commemorating the five boroughs’ legacy of groundbreaking achievements, and find ways to celebrate the city that’s always making history. foundedbynyc.com
Praise for the tour:
“Went on the Historic Haunts of Lower Manhattan Walking Tour and loved it. Super interesting facts and very entertaining! Such a nice guide. Will definitely look for other ones. Love their podcasts too, that’s how I found the tour.”
–Google
“Awesome tour of lower Manhattan. I have lived in NYC for over a decade and did not know any of the stories. Our guide was really knowledgeable and friendly. Great group of random strangers – we were almost all listeners of the podcast! (But you definitely do not need to be a listener)”
–Google
Duration
Tour: 1 hour and 45 minutes; 1.5 miles of walking
This tour starts at Bowling Green in Lower Manhattan, right in front of The National Museum of the American Indian (also known as the Alexander Hamilton Customs House), and ends at Broadway and Franklin Streets in Tribeca.
Rates
$40 per person
(Best suited for ages 16+)
Jeff Dobbins is a tour guide and writer. Jeff has a decades-long career in New York’s theater industry, working as a performer, writer, press representative for Broadway shows, and manager of a Broadway Theater. He helped launch Bowery Boys Walks with his Broadway Tour in the fall of 2018.
Get into a spooky mood by listening to Bowery Boys podcasts about ghosts in New York City. Listen here!