It’s the time of year when the macabre and spooky are at their best—including in the City of Brotherly Love.
"Philadelphia's history is filled with tales of untimely deaths, making us one of the most haunted cities in America," says the team at Founding Footsteps.
To take a peek into that dark past, the company is inviting thrill-seekers and history buffs aboard two Halloween-themed BYOB trolley tours. Fresh off being named the No. 1 History Tour in the United States by USA Today, Founding Footsteps regularly brings Philadelphia’s history to life through expert-led treks of local landmarks, including Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross House. Now, it’s turning its storytelling format toward the city’s more twisted tales and darker corners.
For one, 'The Philly True Crime Tour' offers a deep dive into some of “the most heinous murders in Philadelphia’s past”. Newly available to the public, the 21-and-over tour runs Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., beginning this weekend (Oct. 15).
Once on board, expert guides will recount the city’s most disturbing real-life cases, while live musical performances from local artists will add an extra layer to the ride. The company warns: the stories are “graphic, gruesome, and strictly for adult audiences”.
If ghosts are more your speed, the 'Spirits of Philadelphia: A BYOB Trolley Tour Through Philly’s Haunted Past' trades criminal tales for supernatural stories.
Running weekly at 7 p.m., this two-hour, interactive ghost-hunting adventure winds through some of the city’s spookiest historic sites. The journey begins at the final resting place of Philadelphia’s most famous Founding Father (Christ Church Burial Ground) before traveling to a stop at Washington Square Park, a landmark with a past as a mass burial ground dating to the Revolutionary War era.
Anyone 21+ can carry on any additional spirits they would like to bring on board as well.
The meeting point for 'The Philly True Crime Tour 'will be at 901 N Delaware Ave. Tickets ($55+) are available online. The meeting point for the 'Spirits of Philadelphia: A BYOB Trolley Tour' will be at 239 Arch St. Tickets ($45+) are available online as well. For more information, visit foundingfootsteps.com
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Founding Footsteps offers two Halloween-themed BYOB trolley tours: The Philly True Crime Tour, which explores real-life murders and disturbing cases, and Spirits of Philadelphia, an interactive ghost tour focused on the city’s haunted history.
The Philly True Crime Tour runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. The tour is open to adults ages 21 and older and features expert guides, gruesome true-crime stories and live musical performances by local artists.
The two-hour interactive tour explores Philadelphia’s supernatural past, with stops at historic sites including Christ Church Burial Ground and Washington Square Park, a former mass burial ground dating to the Revolutionary War era. The tour runs weekly at 7 p.m.
Tickets for the Philly True Crime Tour start at $55, with the meeting point at 901 N. Delaware Ave. Tickets for Spirits of Philadelphia start at $45, with the meeting point at 239 Arch St. Both tours are BYOB and require participants to be at least 21. Tickets are available through Founding Footsteps.
