Ghosts Tours of Harpers Ferry

Fantastic tour! It’s equal part history lesson and session of ghost stories. What truly makes it great is that Richard (the usual tour guide) seems very interested in the subjects that he talks about as well as the fact that he is excellent at spinning yarns in terms of bringing enthusiasm and great timing to all of his ta. Also, I have to admit, I learned more details about John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry than I did from an entire afternoon of touring various exhibits in the official national park offerings earlier in the day. If you visit Harper’s Ferry, you have to experience this tour!

My sister and I did a day trip to Harper’s Ferry specifically to do the ghost tour at night. There are two tour guides — a man and his wife (I can’t remember their names!) We took the tour with the wife and she was very informative and knowledgeable about the ghosts of Harper’s Ferry. She even debunked a story that the old tour guide used to tell people, so she’s very honest! I highly recommend this ghost tour if you’re in Harpers Ferry and you want to learn the history of the town… and who still lurks there.

This was not a ghost tour but a lecture about a few ghost stories of Harpers Ferry. Standing in front of a house listening to Rick tell 3 long stories about the same house was boring. Really, why would anyone pay to visit 3 houses and listen to the historian crack jokes while standing on a street, hearing him talk nonstop for 20 minutes at a time? I wanted to see the town, visit important homes, hear scary stories, take pictures, not be forced to listen to lectures of a self-​important egomaniac. I could have instead read a book or watch a movie about Harpers Ferry. Tours are about sightseeing… that’s why historians should not be tour guides.

This was a great tour even if you think these tours are mostly fake; I can see why it is so highly rated. The tour guide is mostly a civil war historian which makes this tour that much better. He proclaims he has never seen a ghost but tells the story, along with the history, very honestly with no tall tales if he can help it. Most ghost tours try to over play the stories and end up boring you. This tour keeps it honest and at a realist tone. He takes you to key areas and tells you where to point the camera where funny things can happen. Hog alley is the best story and yes, including that night, we did see something after the tour was over… but that is left to your opinion.

Our whole family enjoyed this ghost tour! We’ve been on several throughout the U.S. and found this one to be most enjoyable. Rick skillfully wove his ghost stories into civil war history, which was a real treat. I highly recommend this ghost tour to anyone visiting the area. For me personally, if I were to come back, I would call up Rick for a pub crawl… it would be an experience!

A very captivating and educational tour of Harper’s Ferry history and mysteries and its role in Americana. As period-​costumed tour guide, Mr. Garland’s extensive historic knowledge and personality bring to life stories of the past. Highly recommended as a must-​do activity in the area!

We found this ghost tour on the Internet during our trip planning to Harpers Ferry. Rick’s knowledge of the town, the ghost stories, and the historical background of 19^th century life and the Civil War battles was amazing. We really felt connected to the stories told in the tour and Harpers Ferry is really neat at night in the dark. This is a definite must for ghost tour fanatics as well as history buffs. Highly recommended.

It was a dark and stormy night … Really! We brought our friends out to Harper’s Ferry for the ghost tour, and at the stroke of 8 p.m. the skies cleared. Now that’s creepy! Rick Garland laces history with humor on a tour that gives a different look at this popular Civil War town. As a resident of Northern Virginia I’ve been to Harper’s Ferry many times before, but never have I felt as connected to the town and its previous inhabitants. So in this respect, Rick really did channel the spirits. I’ll be back every time I have visitors. I wish I had included this in my book (Carpe Weekend: 52 Day Trips and Adventures near Washington, DC). It’ll be in the next one!

Great tour! Historian Rick Garland has an infectious appreciation for Harpers Ferry history and is very knowledgeable about the town, its history and legends. I expected a disaster when I showed up and the tour group was over a hundred people, but Mr. Garland handled the situation very professionally and efficiently, and made certain everyone could hear him. Definitely worth the $ 12.

My husband and I, with our 11 & 14 year old kids in tow, went to Harper’s Ferry for the ghost tour on a Monday night. Save for what we read on Trip Advisor, we didn’t really know what to expect and, while the ratings were quite positive, I tend to take reviews with a grain of salt. That said, the tour was worth it. We spent the afternoon walking Harper’s Ferry to get a bit of history on the place and when we arrived that evening for the tour, I felt like the overall visit to Harper’s Ferry was enhanced, thanks to Rick Garland and his very engaging way of telling all these «ghost» stories that made the experience so enjoyable. The town has such an incredible story to tell, from both a historical and even paranormal standpoint. With a knowledgeable «living» historian leading the way, even skeptics may find themselves questioning their beliefs especially after Rick recounts some of the park rangers’ experiences. I always say… never say «never»…
On a side note, the hubby and I went to Gettysburg the following day and wish we had the opportunity sign up with Rick on a tour because I’d bet money that he would be just as enlightening on that historical «town» tour as he had been on this one. Also, the «lower town» of Harper’s Ferry pretty much closes shop between 5 and 6 except for the Secret Six restaurant that stays open a little later. The nearest public restroom is across from the national park visitor center at the lower end of this hilly town. You’ll want to pay it a visit before heading out on your tour. The Harper’s Ferry train station is still active with commuter trains coming and going quite frequently so the tour will get occasionally disrupted but hey-it’s part of the charm! And the best meal you’ll find is not at the restaurants (they all seem rather expensive) but at the ice cream shops to help cool you off on a humid summer day. As for the views, I dare you to complain.
And for those who thought this tour was lame, I think you missed the point. You should have gone to a carnival haunted house instead.

The best ghost tour in America?! Are you kidding me Trip Advisor? I’ve been on several ghost tours up and down the east coast and, I’m no expert, but I found Harper’s Ferry ghost tour to be just OK. With all the history and traumatic events that happened there including war and catastrophic floods, you would expect a lot more to be going on, but the stories were kind of lame. From what I’ve read, this tour used to get preachy and religious and it was turning people off. I didn’t encounter any of that, but they seemed to lean heavily on the showing compassion for the dead aspect of it. C’mon! It’s a ghost tour! I want to be scared!
The worst part about this tour is that the guide talks in this very… dramatic…voice that was totally distracting. I don’t know if they all do, but ours sure did. It was like really bad community theater. Harper’s Ferry is just so cool on its own. We visit every couple months or so, bike regularly on the C&O Canal and go tubing in the river. It’s fun during the day, but it’s a ghost town (haha) after 5:00. You’ll be hard pressed to find any place to eat or have a beer before or after your tour, so plan accordingly.

Excellent ghost tour of the Harpers Ferry area! While it is not SOO scary, it is definitely entertaining! The tour guide is extremely professional and well informed and wears period pieces to complete the effect. Her voice is very theatrical for the stories and really adds to the entertainment. I would say its a must see, especially for the price! (which was $ 5 per person last I went?)

We had done some research before coming to Harper’s Ferry and this seemed to be the tour to take. The guide was dressed in historical clothing with a lantern which was a nice touch. He walked us around to about six different locations. The stories included history with some freak occurrences of noises, flying ketchup bottles, sightings, and other items. It lasted about 90 minutes. Overall, a good experience thou I was expected a little scarier discussions. We had a large group so it was probably not quite as good as if it were smaller, but the guide was still good.
Warning: there are some stories about people being killed and eaten by animals as part of the tour