6 Spookiest Chattanooga Ghost Tours

Chattanooga, Tennessee may seem like a quiet city, but it has a hidden dark past. Uncover the most haunted spots on one of these top Chattanooga ghost tours.

With a past marked by the Trail of Tears, bloody battles, and untimely deaths, it’s no wonder Chattanooga is filled with ghostly legends and unexplained phenomena. A bride found murdered in her honeymoon suite, bodies unearthed from a pauper’s cemetery, and restless spirits roaming old Civil War battlefields are just a few of the tales you’ll hear on a haunted tour in Chattanooga.

When I joined a Chattanooga ghost tour myself, I was surprised at just how eerie the city feels after dark, especially standing outside the haunted Read House, knowing the tragic stories that lay within. So I’ve rounded up the spookiest ghost tours in Chattanooga, from haunted walking tours to experiences that dive deeper into the city’s darker history.

Best Ghost Tours in Chattanooga

1. Murder & Mayhem Haunted History Walking Tour

Tour length: 1 hour 35 minutes | Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars | Check rates & availability

Discover the dark side of Chattanooga on this popular Murder & Mayhem Haunted History Walking Tour. This tour by Chattanooga Ghost Tours, the city’s original and only award-winning ghost tour company, will take you to Chattanooga’s best haunted locations.

On this tour, a local and professional guide takes you on a chilling tour that’s both haunting and historical. You’ll hear stories of lurking spirits, and make several stops for photo opportunities.

This is my favorite Chattanooga ghost tour! The tour guides are a lot of fun, and we learned a ton of history as well. During our tour, we were able to go into the Read House, which made the stories feel more real.

This 1 hour 35 minute walking tour has been called one of the scariest haunted history tours in the city. Your local guide will enthrall you with stories and point out the best spots for ghost pics.

My verdict: I’d pick this tour for a first-time ghost tour in Chattanooga because it gives you the best balance of spooky stories and actual city history. I’d choose this over the other standard walking tours if you only have time for one.

2. 1.5-Hour Cemetery Ghost Hunt in Chattanooga

Tour length: 1.5 hours | Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars | Check rates & availability

If standing in a cemetery at night holding paranormal equipment sounds better than simply hearing ghost stories, pick this Cemetery Ghost Hunt in Chattanooga where you get to use high-tech equipment to communicate with restless spirits.

This ghost hunting tour teaches you how to use tools like the parascope, laser grid light, and temperature guns to increase your chances of contacting spirits. The tour covers locations like Patten Chapel, haunted spots on the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga campus, and Citizens Cemetery.

My favorite part of this tour is being able to use the ghost hunting equipment! It’s a lot of fun to walk around the UTC campus with EMF detectors. And I’m also just a big fan of traipsing through a cemetery, so it’s a win-win for me.

This 1.5 hour ghost hunting tour includes a professional guide and the use of high-tech ghost hunting equipment. This tour is not suitable for children.

My verdict: This tour is my choice if you want to do some ghost hunting rather than simply listen to ghost stories. The cemetery setting and equipment make this a better choice if you want the paranormal investigation, but you’re giving up some of that classic haunted-city walking-tour experience.

3. Cursed in Chattanooga Haunted Walking Tour

Tour length: 1.5 hours | Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars | Check rates & availability

Leave the kids at home for an evening of spooky adult fun on this adults-only Cursed in Chattanooga Haunted Walking Tour!

This tour covers it all: tales of demons, monsters, blood-soaked grounds, and a centuries-old curse. You get to visit haunted spots like the Read House hotel, the old Mountain City Club, and Cherry Street Tavern.

I love that this tour is adults-only so that you can hear about the hauntings and curses in-depth and with no filter. The stories are a great mix blending the spooky with complex history. Plus, they limit the group size so it’s a smaller, more intimate tour.

This 1.5 hour walking tour includes a fun local guide who will take you to 7 haunted spots in Chattanooga.

My verdict: I’d choose this tour for adults who want their ghost stories darker, less filtered, and delivered in a smaller group. Skip it if you’re traveling with kids.

4. Family-Friendly Ghost Tour in Chattanooga

Tour length: 1.5 hours | Rating: 5 out of 5 stars | Check rates & availability

You can bring the kids along on this Family-Friendly Ghost Tour of Chattanooga to uncover the city’s spooky past. All of the stories are told in a manner that’s suitable for families with small children.

You’ll listen to stories of the Civil War, murders, and the paranormal. Stops on this tour include the Hunter Museum of American Art, May’s Urban Mansion, strolling along the river, and walking along Cherry Street.

I love that this tour is able to make the stories family-friendly and amusing, plus the tour goes at an easy pace. The stories are intentionally adapted for younger audiences, so you don’t have to worry about the content being too intense for kids.

On this 1.5 hour family-friendly walking tour, you’ll have a local guide to lead you through Chattanooga’s haunted sights.

My verdict: This tour is my top pick for families with children because you don’t have to gamble on whether the stories will become too graphic or frightening halfway through. You’re trading some of the darker details for a lighter, easier-paced experience.

5. Chattanooga Crypts and Chills Ghost Tour

Tour length: 1 hour | Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars | Check rates & availability

This Chattanooga Crypts and Chills Ghost Tour takes you to some of the most haunted places in the city.

This tour features stories that have been painstakingly researched and backed by credible sources and local accounts. You’ll visit 5 historic Chattanooga sights and hear the gruesome history from the Trail of Tears to vengeful spirits.

The main reason I’d choose this tour is its emphasis on researched history and local accounts rather than scare-first storytelling. The tour guides are so knowledgeable and really make the tour worth taking.

This 1 hour walking tour gives you riveting stories backed by historic fact and delivered by a knowledgeable guide.

My verdict: I’d pick this tour if you want the ghost stories tied closely to researched local history rather than just told for maximum scare factor. It’s also the shortest option on this list, which makes it easy to fit into a busy Chattanooga itinerary.

6. Ghost Hunt Chattanooga

Tour length: 1.5 hours | Rating: 3.6 out of 5 stars | Check rates & availability

This Ghost Hunt Chattanooga gives you a glimpse at Chattanooga’s spooky side, along with the use of EMF meters and dowsing rods.

During this ghost tour, you’ll get a nice mix of history and hauntings for a fun and educational tour. You’ll learn how fires, floods, disease, and war made Chattanooga a prime place for ghosts.

My favorite part of this tour is getting to use the EMF meters and dowsing rods so that you’re on a paranormal investigation as well as a ghost tour. I know gimmicks like EMF and dowsing rods can feel a little hokey, but I like the variety of a hands-on experience that sets this tour apart from the standard ghost tour.

This 1.5 hour walking tour includes a knowledgeable local guide and a bunch of haunted stops around Downtown Chattanooga. This tour is recommended for kids and adults.

My verdict: I’d pick this tour if you can’t decide between a history-heavy ghost walk and a paranormal investigation. You get more hands-on ghost-hunting elements than the traditional walking tours.

Which Chattanooga Ghost Tour Should You Choose?

If you’re still deciding which Chattanooga ghost tour to book, here’s the easiest way to narrow it down:

• Best overall: Murder & Mayhem Haunted History Walking Tour — my top pick for first-time visitors because it balances spooky stories with Chattanooga history and gives you a classic ghost-tour experience.
• Best for paranormal enthusiasts: 1.5-Hour Cemetery Ghost Hunt — top choice if using ghost-hunting equipment and trying to detect paranormal activity sounds more exciting than simply hearing haunted stories.
• Best for adults: Cursed in Chattanooga Haunted Walking Tour — my pick if you want darker stories, fewer filters, and an adults-only atmosphere.
• Best for families: Family-Friendly Ghost Tour in Chattanooga — best if you’re traveling with kids and want the spooky fun without worrying that the stories will become too graphic or intense.
• Best for history lovers: Chattanooga Crypts and Chills Ghost Tour — better choice if you care most about researched local history and want the hauntings tied closely to real Chattanooga events.
• Best mix of history and hands-on ghost hunting: Ghost Hunt Chattanooga — perfect if you want some paranormal equipment without committing to a full cemetery-focused ghost hunt.

If I were booking just one, I’d still choose the Murder & Mayhem Haunted History Walking Tour. It gives you the strongest all-around introduction to haunted Chattanooga, especially if this is your first ghost tour in the city.

Check rates and availability for the Murder & Mayhem Haunted History Walking Tour.

Haunted Hotels in Chattanooga

Once you’ve picked your tour, you can keep the spooky theme going with one of Chattanooga’s haunted hotels.

With all the haunted spots in Chattanooga, it’s kind of surprising that there aren’t more haunted hotels! But there are only 2 haunted hotels in Chattanooga that I know of (who knows, maybe more are haunted but they keep it a secret because they don’t want the publicity?).

• The Read House — The whole 3rd floor is said to be haunted, but no room more than Room 311. A murdered prostitute is said to haunt Room 311. And yes, you can rent it out.
• The Chattanooga Choo Choo — This old train terminal is haunted by a few benevolent ghosts. You can stay here in a historic train car room or the MacArthur Building.

And if you’re looking for a potentially non-haunted place to stay, check out the recommendations below.

Haunted Chattanooga FAQ

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Ready to visit Chattanooga, Tennessee? Plan your trip with these tips.

• Book Your Flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
• Find Accommodation: You can find top hotels in Chattanooga using Hotels.com.
• Start Packing: Make sure you’ve packed everything you need with my packing list resources.

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Cheers!

Paige

Have you taken any of these ghost tours in Chattanooga, Tennessee? Which was your favorite? Let me know in the comments!