Haunted Pub Crawl

Charleston likes to say it is the most haunted city in America, and a haunted pub crawl is the liveliest way to test the claim. Instead of a quiet lantern walk, this evening tour links a guide's ghost stories and local legends with stops at historic bars, taverns and cocktail rooms in the downtown district. The route winds through the narrow streets near the old waterfront, past graveyards, former jails and alleyways with grim histories, and into rooms where the tradition of the drinking house in Charleston stretches back to the colonial era. Between the stories, you have time to enjoy a drink, chat with the group and take in the atmosphere of the city after dark. It is aimed at adults and works especially well for groups of friends, bachelor and bachelorette parties and couples who want a fun night.

The structure is simple. The group meets at a starting point, usually in or near the historic district, and the guide leads you from stop to stop on foot, delivering stories along the way. Tales range from pirates hanged at the waterfront to jailhouse legends, duels, plagues and fires, and good guides separate documented history from folklore, with a wink.

At each pub the group typically has time to order a drink, and the guide may share further stories or local trivia. Whether drinks are included varies by tour, so read the description when you book, and plan to buy your own if they are not.

Charleston has a long tradition of public houses, and several of the buildings on the route date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The city's compact layout makes the walk easy, and you will rarely go more than a few blocks between stops. Expect the tour to take about two hours, and wear comfortable shoes, since the sidewalks are brick and the streets are cobbled in places. Evening temperatures in summer remain warm, so dress lightly, while winter evenings call for a coat.

A few sensible notes apply. You must be of legal drinking age and carry identification. Pace yourself and eat beforehand, since the evening involves several stops, and arrange a ride or walk back to your hotel rather than driving. The tour is not designed for children and the content can include adult humor.

If you would prefer a quieter, family-friendly ghost walk without alcohol, choose a conventional walking tour instead, and if you want a full historical treatment, the evening ghost tours that include entry to a dungeon or jail go deeper into the sites themselves.

For a lively social night in one of the country's most atmospheric cities, however, the pub crawl is hard to beat, and it doubles as a handy introduction to the downtown bar scene, so you can return later to the places you liked best.