7 scary NJ ghost tours that will make your hair stand up

I haven’t done this often, but a ghost tour can be an amazing experience. For the believers, it can confirm a lot of their feelings on the matter. For the non-believers, if nothing else, there’s usually some very cool local history you hear about, and if you chalk the rest up to an entertaining story, it’s still worthwhile.

I did a ghost tour in Savannah, Georgia, and also in New Orleans. The latter had fantastic historic value, and part of it was touring a famous cemetery there. Also thrown in was some voodoo and hocus pocus with tales of Voodoo queen Marie Laveau and how using her own lookalike daughter had people convinced she could appear in two places at once.

The former had a tour guide who was genuinely afraid to approach a certain Savannah home and remained across the street, while you were welcome to go near it. If these stories were fiction, he didn’t think so. His fear was palpable and genuine.

It’s the spooky season in the Garden State, and there are more ghost tours that take place here than you would imagine. Here are just seven that might be worth checking out.

Read More: What Makes Clinton Road The World's Most Haunted Road?

Asbury Park Ghosts

This tour is nightly and meets in front of the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel. It’s a one-hour walking tour about one mile in length, and during it, you’ll stop at many places, such as the Paramount Theater. Legend has it that there are “ghosts of two playful little girls who never left the balcony of the city’s most haunted theater.”

Flemington Ghost Walk

You get your money’s worth here. This creepy walking tour covers a mile and a half and lasts nearly two hours. You’ll stop at 15 haunted places with guides who are actual paranormal investigators. Upcoming dates are Oct. 17 and 31, and Nov. 1.

Princeton Ghost Tour

This tour, scheduled for Oct. 24, takes you to many haunts, including a cemetery. It’s guided by paranormal investigators, and they’ll even let you handle equipment like dowsing rods and thermometers. However, this is not recommended for young children as things can get too graphic.

Haunted Cape May Tour

On this lantern-lit walk through the historic district of Cape May, hear stories of pale apparitions, unexplained sounds in the night, and strange paranormal activity. You’ll also get the history of each building along the way. A number of October dates are still open as I’m writing this.

Ghosts by the Coast

This is a 90-minute one-and-a-half-mile ghost walk that explores the darker side of this family-friendly town. You meet at Mark Soifer Park after dark, and several dates are open between now and Nov. 9.

Moorestown’s Ghost Tour

You have several tours from which to choose. Check the website for dates. Hear stories of Hessian soldiers, slain on retreat from Philadelphia in 177,8, and maybe hear their ghostly footsteps. And the tale of the railroad brakeman who is still signaling for trains that no longer come.

Mount Holly Haunted History Tour

Several October dates are still available for you to hear the stories of Mount Holly's paranormal activity and ghostly happenings as you explore the dark and mysterious nooks and crannies of historic Mount Holly. Check the website for info.