Philadelphia Haunted Old City Self Guided Ghost Tour Game

1 hour 30 minutes (approximately)
Offered in: English

This is a self-guided exploration game where you'll be wandering the streets of Philadelphia and solving a paranormal case and hunting for ghosts. The file has been open since 1954. You, with your detective and observational skills, and a little help from the Questo app, will try to close it in 2 hours.

The route starts at Benjamin Franklin's grave and takes you through 13 of Old City's darkest addresses. Your job is to find out what each ghost is still owed, and settle it.

You'll discover dark stories like the first bank robbery in America, the surgeon who had bodies delivered in barrels after midnight, and the lunchtime park where 1,300 fever victims were buried in one year.

Each location involves inspecting a real-world object and solving a challenge.

Best after dark with your phone torch on. About 1.7 miles of walking, with unlimited breaks.

Hints and 24/7 support if you get stuck.

Perfect for Halloween or any night you're in the mood for creepy ghost stories.

What's Included

Full availability: Every day of the year.
Flexibility: start, take a break and continue at your own pace.
Access to the self-guided city exploration game in the Questo app
Live game master or physical guide
Private transportation
Meals

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point
Christ Church Burial Ground

The game starts at Christ Church Burial Ground. After booking, we'll message you a code and activation link. Activate with your own email, then log in to the Questo app with that email. No message? Open the Questo app, tap "Bought a quest somewhere else?" and enter your booking reference number.

End point
Washington Square

The game ends in Washington Square, at 6th and Walnut Street.

Itinerary

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes (approximately)
  • 1
    Christ Church Burial Ground

    You'll start at the gate of Christ Church Burial Ground on Arch Street, where the app opens your case file and introduces the agent running it. Your first task will be to investigate the inscription above the gate and find a password. Once you solve it, you learn why people still throw pennies on Benjamin Franklin's grave, and what he thinks about it.

    8 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 2
    Arch Street Meeting House

    You'll walk down Arch Street to the Quaker meeting house and solve another challenge. You'll learn how many people lie under its neat lawn without a single headstone.

    7 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 3
    Betsy Ross House

    You'll stop at the flag house at 239 Arch Street and search for a sign to help you solve the next challenge. You'll learn how many times Betsy Ross has been moved, and why nobody can say whose bones are under her stone.

    7 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 4
    Elfreth's Alley

    You'll turn into Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continuously lived-in street in the country, and read what's hidden on its historical marker. You'll learn why it survived three hundred years and the story of the spy who was hanged there.

    7 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 5
    Christ Church

    You'll walk to Christ Church on 2nd Street and investigate the iron sign. You'll learn about the people in the vaults under the floor where Sunday services are still held.

    6 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 6
    Franklin Court

    You'll head to Franklin Court on Market Street and solve a riddle about the object on the wall above the post office's red gate. You'll learn why Franklin's fire company refused houses with trees in front, and who took those customers.

    7 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 7
    Carpenters' Hall

    You'll stop at Carpenters' Hall on Chestnut Street and complete a torn note from the text by the gate. You'll learn about the first bank robbery in American history, $160,000 taken from this very building.

    7 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 8
    First Bank of the United States

    You'll cross to the marble portico of the First Bank, unscramble a message and look up at the building to answer it. You'll learn how the robber got caught putting the money back into this bank under his own name.

    7 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 9
    Powel House

    You'll walk into Society Hill to Powel House and use a sign on site to name two of its famous guests. You'll learn about Peggy Shippen, who danced here at eighteen and insists she was no bystander to Benedict Arnold's treason.

    7 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 10
    St. Peter's Episcopal Church

    You'll stop at St Peter's, where almost nothing has changed since 1761, and find what's missing from your photo of its carved stone. You'll learn whose names are kept in a burial register that has survived 260 years.

    6 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 11
    Physick House

    You'll walk to the Hill-Physick House and use a punchcard on the text of its bronze plaque to find your answer. You'll learn what the Father of American surgery had delivered to his back yard after midnight, and why his wife left him.

    7 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 12
    Old St. Mary's Church

    You'll solve a challenge someone buried in Old St Mary's churchyard. You'll learn why every respectable burial ground in the city turned people away, and where they ended up instead.

    6 minutes • Admission ticket free
  • 13
    Washington Square

    You'll finish in Washington Square, where you'll turn the fragments you've collected into the word that leads to the last clue. You'll learn what this lunchtime park was for 88 years, and who kept watch over it with a lantern.

    8 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • A charged smartphone with internet is required to play the game in the Questo app
  • Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
Supplied by Questo

Tags

Private and Luxury
Private Sightseeing Tours
Historical Tours
Walking Tours
Night Tours
Ghost Tours
Short term availability

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

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