Location: Starts at 3051 M St. NW
Readers’ pick: City Segway Tours
Standing on the uneven brick driveway of Old Stone House in Georgetown, I waited for my tour to begin. As it commenced, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was lurking behind me.
D.C. by Foot’s ghost tours offer a spine-chilling take on D.C. history. They offer three tours in Northwest D.C., taking guests on walks through D.C. neighborhoods and showcasing hauntings in Georgetown, Dupont Circle and the White House.
When I went on one of the tours, I was spooked by the legend of George, the ghost who is thought to haunt Old Stone House and is known to choke and punish visitors, according to a secondhand account from the D.C. by Foot’s Ghosts of Georgetown tour guide.
The walking tours stop at locations that are known to be haunted, Kailey Adametz, a tour guide at D.C. By Foot, said. Some stops include Jackie Kennedy’s old manor at 116 Kennedy St. NW and the famed “Exorcist Stairs” in Georgetown.
“Our ghost tours are neighborhood strolls that aim to explain the lesser-known or darker side of the neighborhood,” Adametz said. “Our stories originate from either historical record or local legend.”
All three neighborhood tours are given by one of 15 professional tour guides, who usually have bachelor’s or master’s degrees in history, museum studies or education.
“We are not ghost hunters and we don’t make up stories to scare you. What we tell you is the truth or at least the truth to the person who was there,” Canden Arciniega, a company manager, said.
Although guides do not guarantee a ghost sighting, they sometimes encounter the ghosts they discuss. Arciniega said her repeated encounters with Albert Clemens, who is said to haunt Halcyon House in Georgetown, have caused her to stop leading ghost tours.
In addition to the standard ghost tours, adult-only tours are offered for those looking for a no-holds-barred experience where guides go into detail about the murders and haunting encounters within the neighborhoods featured on the tours.
The tours take place throughout the day and are offered all year long, but peak season is March through April. Reservations can be made online with booking ranging from $10 to $20 a person.
Keep up with the tour guide and don’t fall behind the rest of the pack for this ghoulish walk.
