American Halloween fans love to say that the start of the Halloween season is now July 5th. Once the last Fourth of July firework goes off, people are eager to break out their decorations and their fall outfits.
The thing is, certain spooky activities, such as scare houses and trick-or-treating, can only be done in the autumn months. However, one activity that is available year-round is US Ghost Adventures’ Ghost Tours.
In July 2025, I got my ghost hunting fix with US Ghost Adventures’ Phantoms of the Pig Iron Past tour in Cincinnati. This historical walking tour focuses on the paranormal stories of six of the city’s most haunted locations.
Below I chronicle my experiences exploring the paranormal history of this famous Ohio town.
You can also purchase your own tickets here, and use my promo code LAURA to get a discount on your ticket purchase.
Note: This post contains affiliate links, and I will earn a commission on any sales. All links will open in a new tab.
The city of Cincinnati
This was my first visit to Cincinnati, which is about a four-and-a-half-hour drive from me. I’ve found myself exploring more of Ohio recently, and it was nice to be able to cross another US town off of my list.
I spent the day exploring the town, and I stayed right in the heart of the city, just a 15-minute walk from our meeting place. GPS got me to each destination no problem, and there are plenty of parking garages if you’re driving in from outside of the area.
Cincinnati is a small city which is very flat and walkable with well-kept sidewalks and crosswalks at even the busiest intersections. Traffic was very light, even in the evening.
There’s a streetcar that runs through the main roads, and there were several pedal wagon groups that passed by. As we were waiting to begin our tour, one pedal tour guide pointed our group at as they passed by and yelled, “I see dead people!” which created a bit of a friendly banter between the two tour groups.
Later, four firefighters passed by on bicycles and interrupted the tour, intrigued by what we were doing. There was a friendliness to the town, and it felt like we were being welcomed in by the locals.
Meeting up
Our tour group met in front of Memorial Hall on Elm Street across from Washington Park. The tour begins each night at 8:00 pm, but they suggest that everyone arrive by 7:45 pm. We had no trouble finding the building, and about a third of our 30-person tour group had arrived by 7:40 pm.
A torrential downpour had occurred minutes earlier, and I was afraid that it was going to delay, or even cancel, the tour. Luckily, the weather cleared, and it was just cloudy for the rest of the evening. We even got a nice purple and pink sunset as the tour wrapped up a little after 9:10 pm.
Our tour guide
Our tour guide’s name was Matilda. She wore a US Ghost Adventures t-shirt and a lantern necklace. She also carried a red umbrella which she held up as we walked from one site to another in order to lead the way.
Matilda didn’t use a microphone of any kind, but she was able to project her voice above all of the city noise which ranged from a large picnic occurring in the park to a Reds game underway near two of our locations. She paused to let traffic or other loud noises pass through, and she was undeterred through all of it. She also stopped to offer a bathroom break as we passed by the public restrooms in the park, which multiple tour members took her up on.
Like I said, Cincinnati is a very flat and walkable city. So, there should be no issues with anyone who is able to walk short distances and stand in place for an extended period of time. There is occasionally a wall or set of steps to sit on at certain locations, but count on being mobile, or at least standing, throughout most of the tour.
As with any type of tour, comfortable shoes are a must. Most of the people in our group wore tennis shoes or flipflops. The style of dress ranged from casual t-shirts and jeans to blouses and rompers worn by the group of young women who were having a girls’ night out.
The tone of the tour
We had a very nice group who remained engaged and quiet throughout the tour except to ask questions, which Matilda left room for after each stop. You could feel everyone’s respectful enthusiasm throughout the night. As different members of the tour grew more comfortable with the atmosphere, they began to ask genuine questions about the history of the landmarks and the city itself.
As for the scare factor, this isn’t a ghost hunt. It’s more of a part historical, part ghost story tour. EMF reader rentals are available for an extra fee, and a handful of members of our group did rent them and were very invested in scanning each location. A few others also bought a ghost plush to take home as a souvenir.
There is also an upgrade for an extended tour which takes you to three additional locations and lasts approximately 30 minutes. My tickets were just for the general tour. So, if you’re interested in seeing more locations than what I have listed below, make sure you sign up for that extended tour option when you order your tickets.
Stop 1 – Memorial Hall
Our meeting place was at Memorial Hall on Elm Street across from Washington Park. The hall is a concert venue that was built in 1908. It’s constructed of a light stone and is lined with columns in the front with very decorative doors. “Hamilton County Memorial Building” is carved on the front.
Despite its intricate carvings, I found it funny that the word “toward” in the quote on the top right side of the building is hyphenated so that the phrase “With Malice To-ward None With Charity For All” can fit onto the three lines in the box that has been designated for it. I also find it creepy that the windows above each of the three doors are barred as if trapping all of its energy inside, both musical and spiritual.
Elm Street itself is a cobblestone road with streetcar tracks running through it. So, it has a very genuine, historical surrounding.
This building is said to contain spiritual activity both inside and out, including on the front steps where we met. Cincinnati is known for its Civil War history, but this building reportedly has a World War II vet who haunts the steps. Inside, the apparition of a little boy has been seen in the hallways, and he’s good about moving the staff’s items around rooms. So, while you’re in Cincinnati, try to catch a show there and look and listen for the spiritual activity.
Stop 2 – Washington Park
Washington Park is Cincinnati’s big green space. It’s a long, green space full of pathways, statues, playgrounds, fountains, and picnic areas. It all centers around a large gazebo, and there’s also a concert venue in the front.
I did some exploring of this park prior to the tour, and I found some tributes to some notable historic figures. There’s also a cannon that points right at the gazebo which gives it an eerie feel.
It was still light outside during this stop, and the large picnic that I had mentioned earlier was in full swing. It’s also small enough that you can see from one end to the other without any trouble. Still, it’s not the kind of place you want to be running through at night due to the trees and other obstacles that can camouflage nefarious beings who may be up to no good.
Incidentally, it’s those who have been brave enough to venture into the park at night who have come across the spirits who haunt this park, including our guide. Matilda herself spoke of seeing apparitions behind a tree near the border with Elm Street at night. She also mentioned a jogger’s ghostly encounter with an extra tall ghost who chased her after an admittedly brave stare down.
So, what’s the reason for all of this ghostly activity? Probably the fact that this area was built over land that previously held warehouses, an orphanage, and, of course, a cemetery. Many of the remains were relocated to Spring Grove Cemetery, which I incidentally had visited earlier that day. However, not all remains were exhumed, and, prior to pouring concrete around a large portion of the park, dogs were known to dig up human remains.
Stop 3 – Mellotone Beer Project
Our next stop was down the street at the corner of 15th and Race Streets at the Mellotone Beer Project. This brewery was formerly Taft’s Ale House, but, as you can tell from the architecture, it was originally the site of St. Pauls’ Evangelical Church.
This building tends to house some shy spirits. For instance, we heard a chilling story about a man who ordered a beer for a new acquaintance who he had just spent the past 30 minutes chatting with only to learn from the bartender that he had essentially been talking to himself that entire time. Another likes to create cold spots in the women’s restroom whenever a patron comes in to freshen their makeup.
The exterior lights on the front of the brewery were just starting to come on as the sun set. However, it was clear that no amount of lighting was going to decrease the creep factor on this looming brick building. I especially love the steeple that seems to stand proud as this 1850s, giving it a very confident and very historical energy that makes it a perfect spot to stop and listen to scary stories.
Stop 4 – The Symphony Hotel
Our next stop was to the Symphony Hotel on 14th Street. This street is residential, and it felt like a very classic, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn type of city block. People were sitting out on their balconies watching the sun set or listening to the crowd roar from nearby TQL Stadium while the Reds worked hard to beat the Rockies during one of their home games.
The Symphony Hotel at first appeared to be just another one of these apartment buildings. Instead, this hotel has been around since 1870 and is the location of a former brothel. There, the apparition of a murdered madam named Monica is known to haunt the guests.
We were also told to pay attention to the rightmost window on the second floor as that is one of the hot spots for spiritual activity. Unfortunately, all I could make out was a bronze statue in the window, as did the camera that took the photos featured in this post.
On one hand, I kind of wish I had booked the Symphony to stay in overnight. The more I think about it, though, I’m kind of glad I was able to get a good night’s sleep at the Hilton down the street without being awakened by any paranormal entities.
Stop 5 – Wooden Nickel Architectural Antiques
Around the corner from the hotel on Central Parkway was a three-story tan brick building with intricate carvings framing the first floor called Wooden Nickel Architectural Antiques. Having just been to the American Sign Museum earlier that day, the painted sign stretching across the front of the building labeling the building with its long name really caught my attention. It looked like a sign above an old wild west saloon.
The store was closed when we arrived. However, there was a cool, old carousel horse in the window, and their website and Facebook page show a ton of old furniture that I would have loved to have browsed through.
From what we were told, it’s not the building that’s haunted so much as some of the merchandise comes through there to sell. We heard stories ranging from a haunted doll collection to a garden hoe that has a tendency to levitate at times.
If the stories that came out of the Annabelle doll tour have taught us anything, it’s that negative energy can follow any inanimate object. So, it’s no surprise that this building has had its share of creepy items come through it. So, as much as I would have loved to have gone in there during business hours, I was fine with being kept outside after hours.
Stop 6 – Music Hall
Cincinnati Music Hall, which you’ll often find is just called Music Hall, was the last stop on our tour, located just a few doors down from Memorial Hall on Elm Street where we first started. As a first time visitor, it was a relief to have ended up in familiar territory.
I had passed this building earlier in the evening prior to the tour and thought that it was a huge church. Instead, it’s the home of the symphony orchestra, and unfortunately, it was built on top of a potter’s field.
Like Memorial Hall, there has been both indoor and outdoor activity on the property. Everything from a spectral horse and carriage to ghosts in the basement and even in the audience during performances have been known to make an appearance.
It was here that the group’s EMF readers began to go crazy, and members of our tour group began to scan the front steps like Ghostbusters. The sun had officially set by then too, and the building was perfectly illuminated from the inside out, making it the perfect place to end our tour.
Final thoughts on the Cincinnati Ghost Tour
The end of the tour left me really pondering the way that cities are laid out and the histories that unfold as soon as their pasts are brought to light. Cincinnati is an old city in terms of U.S. History. So, the definition of “ghost” is very broad ranging from paranormal activity to the remains of these properties’ former uses and the storytelling traditions that these ghost tours keep alive.
If you live in or plan to visit the Cincinnati area, I highly recommend the US Ghost Adventures Cincinnati Ghost Tour – Phantoms of the Pig Iron Past. Tours run nightly, and all you have to do is give your name to the guide at the start of the tour, and they will mark you off of their list. Then, just get ready to walk, learn, and, hopefully, meet some ghosts!
Buy it!
Use my coupon code LAURA to get a discount on your tickets for the Cincinnati Ghost Tour.
Or check out their Lizzie Borden Ghost Tours Cincinnati Tour here!
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