Richmond has ghosts. This crawl turns that idea into a 2-hour walk with real places and real stories. I like the mix of history and legend told by guides like Bob and Mars, and I like that the route keeps you moving through distinctive stops instead of sitting in one dark bar. One possible drawback: it’s not a long, heavy-drinking party, and in some cases access or timing at a listed stop can feel limited, so set expectations for a story-first evening.

You start at McCormack’s Irish Pub at 6:00 pm, then you’ll hop between historic buildings tied to church lore, Masonic-era walls, Poe sightings, and Civil War suffering. Expect a small group (up to 15) and a brisk pace, including some walking on Richmond’s steep streets. The vibe is fun for spooky season, but you’ll get the most out of it if you’re happy trading extra time with a drink for the satisfaction of a guided route that makes the city feel alive.

Quick Hits Before You Go

• Two hours, one focused loop starting and ending at McCormack’s Irish Pub
• Guides who steer the stories well, including Bob and Mars (both come up repeatedly in feedback)
• Historic stops with free admission time at the points on the route
• Drink breaks you can order yourself, since food and drink aren’t included
• A small group size (15 max), which helps you actually hear the guide
• Legends that connect the dots, from Poe to the old Masonic lodge and Civil War hospital sites

A 2-Hour Ghost Crawl That Starts at McCormack’s

This is a compact night out. The tour runs about 2 hours, priced at $37 per person, and it’s scheduled for 6:00 pm. That timing matters: you’ll hit a sweet spot where the streets feel lively, the buildings look their best in evening light, and you’re not stuck wandering late-night fog for hours.

Your meeting point is easy and specific: McCormack’s Irish Pub, 12 N 18th St, Richmond, VA 23223. The activity ends back at the meeting point, so you’re not left figuring out transportation or a second destination.

What makes this tour feel worth it is its structure. You’re not just told ghost stories in passing—you’re brought to places where the details make sense. You’ll learn why a building’s past sounds creepy before you even get to the scary part. And since the tour is offered in English with a mobile ticket, it’s also low friction once you arrive.

My main practical tip: wear comfortable shoes. Richmond isn’t flat. You’ll be walking, and some roads are steep enough to make a quick pace feel like a workout.

Rosie Connolly’s Pub: YMCA Walls and Ghost-Helped Pours

The first stop is Rosie Connolly’s Pub Restaurant. This pub sits in a historic structure that previously housed the Railroad YMCA, and the area around it used to be known as the city’s old red light district. That combination gives your guide a lot to work with: social history meets darker rumor, then you get the ghost angle.

The tour framing is simple. You’ll be encouraged to grab a drink, and you’ll be told to expect that the pour may come with extra hands—because the story here is that something lingers. Even if you’re skeptical, it’s a good opener. Starting with a lively pub helps you loosen up and listen, and the building’s layered past makes the spooky talk land more naturally.

What to keep in mind: this is still part of a crawl. You typically get around 20 minutes here, so don’t plan on settling in for a long night. Order something you can enjoy while the guide keeps the group moving.

JewFro and the Rumor of Daniel Denoon

Next is JewFro, set in Richmond’s oldest commercial building. The building’s history comes with a certain kind of failure: businesses have apparently come and gone after moving in here, and that pattern has sparked the curse rumors.

Your guide connects that rumor to a specific name: Daniel Denoon, the person said to haunt the structure. If you like ghost stories that feel attached to a real person and a particular building, this stop is designed for you.

There’s also a tasting angle built into the experience. Smith and Foundry, located in the building, offers African wines for tasting, so you may get a chance to sample something while the guide tells you what supposedly happened here long ago.

A fair consideration: if you were hoping for a full-on bar-and-brewery crawl with lots of time inside each location, the brief stop length here may feel short. The value comes from learning the stories and moving on, not from lingering.

The Masonic Lodge, the War of 1812, and a Hospital-Era Chill

After JewFro, the route focuses on a key landmark: a structure that’s described as one of the world’s oldest Masonic lodges still in operation. It also ties into the War of 1812, when it was used as a hospital.

This is where the tour leans into atmosphere. A hospital past is heavy even without ghosts. Add in the legend—especially for buildings that have held onto their original identity for generations—and the story becomes more than campfire talk. If you’re the type who likes your hauntings to feel grounded in real use and real suffering, you’re going to appreciate this stop.

You’ll also hear the idea that even doubters have been persuaded by what people claim to experience in this building. You don’t need to believe to enjoy the mechanics of the story: the guide shows you why the rumor sticks to the walls.

Poe Museum Stop: Why Edgar Allan Poe’s Ghost Gets Around

Then comes one of the most instantly recognizable parts of the evening: the Edgar Allan Poe Museum. The museum honors Poe’s time in Richmond and is located close to where he lived and worked. That proximity is part of the point. Poe isn’t treated like a distant author for a book shelf—he’s treated like a real person who walked these streets.

The tour also highlights the reason the ghost sightings show up in multiple places in the house. Poe is reportedly seen in numerous locations around the museum, and the explanation given ties to his attachment to some of his personal items.

If you’ve done other ghost tours, you’ll notice the difference here. The Poe stop is more than a character shout-out. It’s built around a tangible place and a reason the story travels room to room. That’s the kind of detail that makes a short tour feel more satisfying.

One practical note: museums can mean you stand, look, and listen. Bring your best attention span. This is a story stop where your listening does the heavy lifting.

Richbrau Brewing: US Beer Origins Plus a Taste Break

The evening shifts to beer at Richbrau Brewing. This is one of those stops where the tour’s structure makes sense: a history lesson, then a real-time break. The guide talks about the background of beer in the US, then you get a chance to try the house brew.

A specific highlight that shows up in feedback is the 14th Street Horribles sour ale. If you like sour beers or want something with character, that’s a great direction to ask the staff about when you order.

Here’s the value question to ask yourself: is a beer stop included with the price? The tour price covers the guide and the experience, but food and drink are not included. So you’re likely paying for your own beverage. The win is that you get guided context for what you’re drinking, not just a random sip between stops.

One caution from the real world: access and timing can be imperfect. There’s at least one account where the Richbrau stop didn’t happen as expected. I’d go in with a flexible mindset and focus on the rest of the route if plans change.

Old Church and the Cemetery Ghosts: When the Stories Turn Specific

Next is an old church described as the first one built in Richmond. The tour connects the building’s age with a long list of catastrophes that happened over time, then pivots to the cemetery.

Here, the ghost stories get focused: you’ll hear about four ghosts alleged to prowl the cemetery and church. That’s helpful because it gives you names and themes to track as you look at the setting. It’s not vague spooky mood. It’s pointed legend.

This stop can be especially good for people who prefer their hauntings to have a narrative shape. The church gives you structure—walls, grounds, and a place to imagine what people feared during different eras.

Civil War Hospital and Tobacco Store Walls

One of the most sobering stops on the route is a facility where over 300 troops died. The building served as a hospital during the Civil War and was formerly a tobacco store.

This is where the tour earns its seriousness. You can feel the shift from playful fear to earned unease. Even if you don’t buy ghost stories as literal, you can still sense why legends grow in places that held pain and labor.

The tour includes discussion of ghosts that people believe remain in the site. In a well-run tour, these stories don’t replace the facts; they build on them. Here the historical weight makes the haunting claims more believable as folklore, even for people who don’t expect anything supernatural to happen in front of them.

Patrick Henry’s Pub & Grille: Farmhouse Cider and a Final Ghosty Warning

The last pub stop is Patrick Henry’s Pub & Grille. Here the focus is on a Farmhouse Dry Cider, with a prompt to think about what colonists consumed every day.

That cider framing is smart. It takes you from ghosts back into daily life long enough to make the night feel connected, not just spooky for spooky’s sake. Then the guide adds one more ghost-tinted warning: watch what you see out of the corner of your eye.

Like Rosie Connolly’s, this is a shorter stop—about 20 minutes—so you’ll want to order quickly if you’re planning to drink. Since food and drink aren’t included, you’ll cover your own tab.

Price and Logistics: Is $37 Good Value?

At $37, this is priced like a guided walk with entertainment built in. That’s not cheap, but it’s also not trying to sell you a full meal or an all-you-can-drink party. In a good way, it’s a middle path: you’re paying for the guide, for the researched stories, and for the structure that gets you to multiple sites in a couple hours.

What makes the price feel fair is the guide component. Multiple guides have earned strong praise, especially Mars and Bob, with comments that they were friendly, engaging, and able to make Richmond feel real. When a guide can steer the group and land the story beats, you feel like you’re getting a night out plus a mini-history lesson.

The value calculation depends on what you want from a ghost tour:

• If you want many stops and a guided narrative, the price makes sense for a short evening.
• If you want lots of drinking time inside bars, you may wish it were longer or more drink-focused.
• If you’re sensitive to disappointment when access changes, keep your expectations flexible.

Also: the pace is part of the package. You’ll be moving, and you’ll want moderate physical fitness for the walking. Bring water if you can, and plan to be on your feet.

Who This Tour Fits Best (And Who Might Want a Different Night)

This crawl is a good match if you like:

• Ghost stories tied to specific buildings (not just street-corner spook talk)
• Poe-related stops and other famous local threads
• Small group energy (up to 15) where you can hear the guide
• A guided evening that ends where it began

It may be less ideal if you:

• Want a long, sit-down pub crawl with slow drinking time
• Expect every listed stop to be guaranteed with equal time inside each place
• Want heavy ghost emphasis at every single moment (some people found the pacing awkward or too history-skewed)

One last practical point: the tour is not for anyone under 21. So it’s built for adults who want a spooky evening and a drink break, not a family-friendly daytime history outing.

Should You Book This Ghosts, Boos and Booze Pub Crawl?

I’d book it if you’re visiting Richmond and want an easy way to connect the city’s historic sites with the legends that cling to them. The best versions of this tour sound like a fun group night plus real storytelling, especially when you get a guide like Mars or Bob—people often mention that the guide made Richmond feel alive and that the group turned friendly quickly.

I’d also book it with a realistic mindset. This is a 2-hour experience, so you’re buying momentum and narrative clarity, not an all-night bar binge. And because there have been reports of rules about drinking or of a stop not going exactly as hoped, it’s smart to come ready to enjoy the tour even if the drink part is smaller than your imagination.

If you want a guided walk that makes haunted rumors feel connected to place, this one is a strong pick for spooky season.

FAQ

How much does the Richmond Ghosts Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl cost?

It costs $37.00 per person.

How long is the tour?

The duration is about 2 hours (approx.).

Where do I meet for the tour?

The tour starts at McCormack’s Irish Pub, 12 N 18th St, Richmond, VA 23223.

What time does the tour start?

It starts at 6:00 pm.

Is food and drink included?

No. Food and drink are not included.

Is transportation included?

No. Transportation is not included.

What are the age requirements?

The tour is not for travelers under the age of 21.

Is there a limit on group size?

Yes. There is a maximum of 15 travelers.

What’s included in the tour price?

You get a professional tour guide, thoroughly researched and accurate history, and authentic local legends and ghost stories, plus a mobile ticket for the experience.