Forgotten Dark Histories of Lower Manhattan

THE perfect Tour for history lovers with a curiosity for the macabre

Lower Manhattan is the oldest part of New York City, and at night it feels as though you could slip through time, as if the past is palpable in its crooked, shadowy streets. Let Boroughs of the Dead guide you beyond the glass and steel of the Financial District, and through a wealth of histories ghastly, grim, and stranger-than-fiction on “Forgotten Dark Histories,” a haunted walking tour of Lower Manhattan. 

The tales told on this tour range from the heart-wrenching and horrific to the ghoulishly funny to the flat-out frightening. Our guides lead you through 400 years of legends and history, across burial grounds, ghostly places, and sites of rebellion and revolution, that haunt us still today.

Tour Highlights

On the walking tour, you will see

• Bowling Green: the city’s oldest park, whose verdant tranquility hides a horrifying secret history 
• Fraunces Tavern: a very haunted historic tavern whose ghosts are not what you may expect 
• Stadt Huys: 17th century remnant of New Amsterdam and the surprising location of Manhattan’s only witch trial
• Federal Hall and Wall Street: the location of crimes, trials, and imprisonment
• City Hall Park: ruins and remnants of prisons and almshouses
• Trinity Church and St. Paul’s churchyards and other burial sites and sacred spaces, including forgotten potter’s fields hidden in plain sight
• And more! Our tours are unscripted and we keep group sizes small, so every experience is unique.

Part historical tour, part ghost tour, this spirited stroll is perfect for history lovers with a curiosity for the macabre, and for fans of all things paranormal, creepy, and strange.

Why Choose Boroughs of the Dead?

Boroughs of the Dead storytellers aren’t just tour guides: we’re published authors, editors, artists, and museum professionals, and all of our tours are firmly grounded in historic research to accurately contextualize each dark and spooky tale. 

Content warning: We always leaven our stories with humor, but some on this tour may be disturbing. Learn more at the BotD FAQ page.

What Guests Are Saying 

“I’ve lived in NYC for 16 years and the Forgotten Dark Histories of Lower Manhattan is hands down the best walking tour I’ve ever gone on in the city. Our tour guide tailored the tour to the group. We learned so much about places we pass all the time just walking around downtown. I left with a list of books and podcasts recommendations to dive even further into stories and figures I found particularly interesting.” – Paula R., Yelp review 

“One of the best tours I’ve ever been on! The perfect blend of history and hauntings, with a guide who clearly loves what she does. The eerie tales and hidden secrets of Lower Manhattan were brought to life in such an engaging way.” – Janet T.., Yelp review 

“By the time we ended the tour, it was a night of reflection on what we learned. We recommend [the Lower Manhattan ghost tour] to learn about the darker side of the beginnings of New York, which can be bathed in violence, blood, greed and loss. Our guide told the stories in a respectful way that allowed us to imagine that time and place.” – D. T., Yelp review 

Book now! We keep our group sizes small to ensure a unique and exceptional tour experience for all our guests. Our small-group tours sell out quickly, especially around Halloween.

18th Century, Cemeteries, colonial history, Dark history, death and burial, Local Legends