There are over 340 years of triumph and tragedy that refuse to stay buried beneath Philadelphia’s cobblestone streets.
On this chilling self-guided walking tour, you’ll explore the haunted corners of Old City and Society Hill. It’s a place where America’s founding fathers still linger, revolutionary soldiers still march, and centuries of restless spirits make their presence known through cold spots, phantom footsteps, and unexplained phenomena.
This tour starts at Benjamin Franklin’s grave outside Christ Church Burial Ground, where visitors often report seeing a tall figure in 18th-century clothes pacing the fence line. You’ll weave through the historic streets of Old City, passing the Betsy Ross House where staff report ice-cold air in warm rooms and footsteps pacing empty floors. You’ll explore Elfreth’s Alley, America’s oldest continuously inhabited residential street, where British soldiers are still said to patrol and children’s laughter echoes across empty cobblestones.
This tour starts at Benjamin Franklin Gravesite, Arch St, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA. Before arrival, please install the mobile app and use the code provided on your confirmation ticket. Detailed starting point instructions are available after downloading.
The tour ends at Independence Hall.
We’ll visit Benjamin Franklin’s resting place in the shadow of Christ Church Burial Ground. Coins glint atop his stone, but some who linger swear the air crackles with static—as if the great inventor’s curiosity never stopped sparking.
We’ll visit the Betsy Ross House, a quaint colonial home where America’s most famous flag maker once lived and worked. But after dark, visitors report the flutter of unseen fabric, the scent of candle wax, and the soft weeping of a woman forever stitching beneath the glow of ghostly light.
We’ll walk along Elfreth’s Alley, the oldest continuously inhabited street in America, lined with colonial brick homes. Locals whisper that the spirits of blacksmiths and merchants still peer from candlelit windows, watching strangers tread their cobblestones.
We’ll see Christ Church, where the city’s elite once worshiped beneath its soaring steeple. After dusk, faint organ notes and murmured hymns are said to echo through the empty pews—sung by a congregation that never quite went home.
We’ll pass by City Tavern, where revolutionaries once raised toasts to freedom. But sometimes, the clatter of ghostly tankards and rowdy laughter still echo from within—as if the revelers refuse to let the night end.
We’ll see the elegant Powel House, once the grandest home in colonial Philadelphia. Yet servants’ footsteps and the laughter of long-dead party guests have been heard drifting from rooms that have stood empty for centuries.
We’ll pass the Hill-Physick House, home to the “Father of American Surgery.” Though the tools are long gone, visitors report a faint metallic clink in the halls and the sickly scent of ether trailing through the dark.
We’ll see Carpenter’s Hall, the stately Georgian building where the First Continental Congress once gathered in secret. Some say those meetings never truly ended—after nightfall, whispers of debate still drift through the halls, and the scent of old tobacco clings to the air as if the delegates never left.
We’ll see before the imposing First Bank, its marble facade glowing pale under the lamplight. Guards on night patrol have seen figures in powdered wigs pacing the steps, still burdened by fortunes—and secrets—they can’t take with them.
We’ll see Independence Hall, the iconic red-brick building where America declared its independence and drafted its Constitution. As you stand beneath its clock tower, listen closely—many claim to hear the faint echoes of quills scratching, doors creaking, and the restless footsteps of long-departed founders still guarding their fragile dream.
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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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