There are several ghost tours available in the Williamsburg area, but we decided to go with the official tour run through Colonial Williamsburg. They have exclusive access to the buildings and restricted outdoor spaces, and their storytellers are costumed, adding an authentic period feel to their stories. Their tour is also kid friendly for ages 8 and up.
Two tours are offered nightly, one at 7pm and one at 8:30pm. Tickets cost $19 for adults and $12 for kids. Since our kids are older, we went with the later time, hoping the darkness would add to the spooky ambiance. We met at about 8:15 outside the Play House Stage on Palace Green. There were A LOT of people there. I was actually really surprised at how many tickets they had sold. But they had several guides and broke everybody up into groups of about 15 and each headed off in different directions so it didn’t seemed crowded once we got started.
Our guide gathered us in the grass on the Palace Green and gave us some background before heading out to our first of 5 stops, the Robert Carter house. Our guide stood on the back porch and told us stories of the residents (both living and not). In non-covid times, the tour would have gone in the house but in summer 2021 we stuck to the outside of all the buildings. I think walking around inside the old houses in the dark would have added to the spookiness of the tour but such is life in pandemic times. We (gratefully) take what travel experiences we can get.
From there we headed to the Governor’s Palace Garden for more creepy tales. And… is it just me or is our guide see-through in this picture? I can see the back fence clear through her face. Perhaps this is the only ghost tour in Williamsburg led by actual ghosts???
Up next was the Everard House, where we saw etchings of ships in the window, followed by stops outside the George Wythe House and the Peyton Randolph House. Perhaps the most engaging (and creepy) ghost story shared with us was one that did not even take place in Williamsburg. The story of Elizabeth Throckmorton is a tale borrowed by Williamsburg from nearby Gloucester. Forbidden to marry the love of her life, Elizabeth died of a broken heart. Or did she? Apparently accidentally buried alive, she was jolted back to consciousness when grave robbers cut off three of her fingers to take her rings. She screamed, they ran off, and she dragged herself back home, where she ultimately died (for real this time!) and continues to haunt the family home.
All in all, this was an enjoyable tour that was equal parts history and scary stories. The guide was engaging and animated and really brought the stories “to life” if you will. And I felt awful when my son and I were whispering apparently loudly enough to distract and make her stop her storytelling to ask if everything was ok. I apologized profusely after the tour and showed her what had been the topic of our whispering. Check out the apparition in front of her in the picture below!
