Colorado Springs: Guided Ghost Story and History Tour

Colorado Springs keeps some of its best stories below street level. On this 90-minute ghost walk, you hear about old morgues, Spanish Flu crematoriums, underground passages, railroad murders, apparitions, black mists, and objects that seem to move on their own. The history gives the spooky material a firm setting.

I like the mix of local history and paranormal tales, rather than a walk built only on jump scares. I also like that guides such as John and Ty or Tyson add humor, phone videos, and plenty of background about the buildings. The main caution is timing: although the tour is sold as 90 minutes, one large group finished after more than two hours.

Key points at a glance

• The Antlers is both the meeting point and the final stop, giving the evening a clear beginning and end.
• The Rabbit Hole occupies a former city morgue site, one of the tour’s most striking history-and-ghost-story connections.
• Spanish Flu stories add real historical weight, with temporary morgues and crematoriums tied to lingering underground legends.
• John and Ty or Tyson may lead the walk, and guides are known for humor, local detail, and visual evidence on their phones.
• The route covers several downtown sites, including La Burla Bee, the Cheyenne Building, the former YWCA, the Colorado Mining Exchange, and Peak Theatre.
• The $28 price is reasonable for a guided downtown walk, especially if you value storytelling more than equipment or theatrical effects.

Starting at The Antlers after dark

You meet in front of The Antlers, A Wyndham Hotel, by the Palmer arch along the sidewalk. This is a useful landmark in central Colorado Springs, and the route returns here at the end, so you do not need to arrange transport between the start and finish.

The hotel sets the right mood without needing much stagecraft. Your guide appears in full regalia and begins with stories connected to Judge Baldwin and other spirits associated with The Antlers. The opening works well because it places you in a real building with a long civic connection before the walk moves into downtown streets.

Your guide is the heart of the experience. John has led several of the tours, and his style combines local facts, ghost reports, humor, and videos shown on his phone. Another guide has been identified as Ty or Tyson. Names can vary by date, but the important point is that this is a guide-led storytelling walk, not an audio tour or a self-guided hunt for haunted addresses.

The tone is more curious than frightening. You can listen to a claim about a ghost or a strange event without accepting every detail as fact. That balance suits the tour. The stories are entertaining, but the buildings and past events give them something solid to rest on.

The Rabbit Hole and the city morgue connection

The Rabbit Hole is one of the route’s strongest stops. The restaurant occupies premises that once housed the city morgue in the early 1900s, a detail that turns an ordinary meal into a setting with a much darker past.

Here, your guide connects the building’s former use with reports of apparitions, odd sounds, and other unexplained activity. Stories about a former morgue naturally carry more weight than a vague tale attached to a modern storefront. You can picture the building in a different era, when death was handled in a more visible and less private way.

This stop also shows why the tour is worth taking even if you are not fully sold on ghosts. You get a short lesson in how downtown buildings change purpose over time. A restaurant, office, or theater may look familiar today, but its earlier use can alter the way you see it.

The drawback is that you mostly hear about the site from outside. This is a walking tour of downtown, not a private investigation inside every building. Access can depend on the business and the night, so you should book this for the stories and setting, not for guaranteed interior visits.

La Burla Bee and reports of several spirits

La Burla Bee is another stop tied to paranormal reports. The building is said to have several ghosts, and your guide explains the stories connected with the premises while you stand along the route.

This part of the walk works best when you enjoy comparing different kinds of ghost lore. One story may involve a visible apparition, while another concerns a dark mist or an object that appears to move without a clear cause. The range keeps the evening from feeling like a repeated version of the same tale.

The guide’s presentation matters here. A flat reading of old stories would make the stop forgettable. John’s humor and interaction with the group help keep the pace light, while the use of videos on his phone gives some of the stories a visual element. You are still free to decide what you believe.

La Burla Bee also sits within a route that includes the Cheyenne Building and other downtown sites. You are not simply taken to one supposedly haunted address. The walk builds a picture of several buildings, owners, events, and reports that have shaped Colorado Springs folklore.

Spanish Flu morgues, crematoriums, and underground stories

The Spanish Flu section gives the tour its most serious historical subject. In 1918, temporary morgues and crematoriums appeared as communities dealt with a deadly public health crisis. The tour connects those places and that period with stories of spirits that still wander beneath the city.

This material matters because it explains why underground spaces appear so often in local ghost stories. The tunnels are not presented as a fantasy setting detached from history. They are linked to older civic functions, difficult years, and the way a city handled death and illness.

You should expect stories rather than an underground exploration. The tour discusses tunnels leading toward the old City Auditorium, but the route described here remains a guided walk through Colorado Springs. Do not book it expecting to crawl through passageways or enter every subterranean space.

I especially like this portion for visitors who want more than a standard haunted-house performance. The Spanish Flu stories add context and a human scale. They remind you that the unsettling part of history is often not supernatural at all. The ghost lore comes afterward, attached to places that already carried painful memories.

The former YWCA and a difficult event

The former YWCA is tied to a tragic event that happened inside the building. Your guide explains what took place and how the site fits into the city’s darker stories.

The supplied details do not spell out the event, so you should expect the guide to provide the fuller account on the night. That is a useful reason to pay attention to the storytelling rather than rely on a quick stop and a photograph. The power of this part comes from the contrast between the building’s civic role and the tragedy associated with it.

This stop may appeal to you more than a simple ghost report because it connects social history with the built environment. At the same time, anyone traveling with young children or people sensitive to stories of death should keep the subject matter in mind. The tour deals with murders, morgues, illness, and tragic events, even though the mood also includes jokes and friendly conversation.

The Railroad, Colorado Mining Exchange, and Peak Theatre

The tour includes stories about gruesome murders connected to the Railroad. This is one of the darker subjects promised for the evening, and it adds a crime-history angle to the ghost stories.

Later, the route reaches the Colorado Mining Exchange and Peak Theatre. These stops help broaden the focus beyond restaurants and former medical sites. Mining, public entertainment, commerce, and transportation all form part of the city’s past, and each setting carries its own collection of legends.

You should not expect a long museum-style explanation at every building. A 90-minute route has to keep moving, and the guide must balance walking time with storytelling. The benefit is variety. You see several parts of downtown while hearing how different periods have left traces in the same streets.

The route ends back at The Antlers. That return is practical, especially if you are unfamiliar with Colorado Springs at night. It also gives the tour a tidy shape: hotel stories at the start, downtown sites in the middle, and a return to the original location.

How the guide affects the experience

The strongest praise has focused on the hosts. John is described as entertaining, passionate, and able to keep a group involved. His approach includes historical background, paranormal reports, humor, and video evidence connected with some landmarks.

That combination is important. A ghost walk lives or dies by its guide. The buildings do not change from one evening to the next, but the way the stories are told can make the same street feel either ordinary or strange. A guide who knows the area can also explain what you are looking at instead of simply naming a haunted address.

The group size may affect the pace. One small group of three had a quiet experience, while a larger group caused the evening to run beyond two hours. If you have dinner, a show, or another timed booking afterward, leave extra room. The advertised duration is 90 minutes, but the actual finish can stretch when the group is large or the guide has more stories to tell.

The tour is in English, and your guide is the only included equipment. An EMF detector is not provided. That is not a major flaw, but it tells you what kind of activity this is: a walking storytelling experience, not a gadget-based paranormal investigation.

Is $28 a fair price?

At $28 per person, this is a fair buy for a guided downtown walk with a clear theme. You are paying for 90 minutes of narration, local context, and a route connecting several notable sites. The price is especially reasonable if you enjoy learning about buildings and city events along with ghost stories.

The value depends on what you want. If you need elaborate effects, access to private interiors, or paranormal equipment, the price may not satisfy you. An EMF detector is not included, and the experience relies on the guide, the streets, and the stories.

For me, the history makes the cost easier to justify. The Rabbit Hole’s morgue connection, the Spanish Flu section, the former YWCA, and the Railroad murders give the tour more substance than a string of unconnected spooky claims. You leave with a better sense of old Colorado Springs, even if you remain skeptical about the ghosts.

Who should book this walk?

I would recommend it to adults, couples, families with older children, and anyone who likes local history with a supernatural edge. It also suits you if you have already seen the main sights and want a different way to look at downtown after dark.

The tour is wheelchair accessible, which makes it more practical for visitors who need an accessible activity. Still, it is a walking experience, so check the conditions that matter to you when booking.

You should be comfortable with stories involving murders, death, morgues, disease, and tragedy. The guide adds humor, but the subject matter is not light throughout. If you want a gentle folklore stroll with no grim material, choose a different evening activity.

The walk also suits repeat visitors to Colorado Springs. You may have passed The Antlers, the Cheyenne Building, or Peak Theatre without knowing the stories attached to them. This tour gives you a reason to slow down and look again.

Practical details before you go

The listed duration is 90 minutes, but allow more time if your schedule is tight. One tour continued for more than two hours, partly because the group was large, so do not place a fixed dinner reservation immediately afterward.

Meet at the Palmer arch by the sidewalk in front of The Antlers. Arriving a little early will help you find the exact meeting point and settle in before the guide begins.

The experience is conducted in English. It includes an experienced guide and storyteller in full regalia, but it does not include an EMF detector. If you want to record notes or save a detail from the stories, your own phone will be useful.

You can cancel up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund, and you can reserve now while paying later. Those terms help if your Colorado Springs plans are still shifting.

Should you book it?

Book this tour if you want history first, ghost stories second, with a guide who can make old buildings and difficult events feel immediate. The best parts are the former morgue at the Rabbit Hole, the Spanish Flu stories, the underground tunnel connections, and the guide-led presentation by hosts such as John and Ty.

Skip it if you want a short, tightly timed activity, a haunted interior tour, or hands-on paranormal equipment. The walk can run long, and much of the experience depends on your interest in listening to stories outside the buildings.

For $28, I think it is a sensible evening choice. Keep an open mind, leave room in your schedule, and expect a downtown history walk with a spooky accent rather than a theatrical scare show.

FAQ

How long is the Colorado Springs ghost tour?

The advertised duration is 90 minutes. One tour lasted more than two hours, so allow extra time, especially if the group is large.

Where does the tour meet?

Meet in front of The Antlers, A Wyndham Hotel, at the Palmer arch by the sidewalk.

Where does the tour finish?

The route returns to The Antlers hotel at the end of the evening.

What language is the tour in?

The live tour is conducted in English.

Who guides the tour?

The experience includes an experienced guide and storyteller in full regalia. Guides named in the tour information include John and Ty, or Tyson.

Is an EMF detector included?

No. An EMF detector is not included.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the activity is listed as wheelchair accessible.

What places are covered on the route?

The route includes The Antlers, the Rabbit Hole, the Cheyenne Building, La Burla Bee, the former YWCA, the Colorado Mining Exchange, and Peak Theatre, along with other downtown sites.

Does the tour discuss the Spanish Flu?

Yes. The guide discusses pop-up morgues and crematoriums connected with the Spanish Flu of 1918, along with underground ghost stories.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.