Taking A Mystic Ghost Tour with U.S. Ghost Adventures
This content may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our disclaimer.
Last night, I took a tour with U.S. Ghost Adventures (not to be confused with the TV show Ghost Adventures with Zach Bagans lol). They offered me complimentary tickets in exchange for an honest review about the tour. They have tours in over 250 cities across the United States. I decided to sign up for their Mystic Mysteries, Murder, and Malice Ghost Tour in Mystic, Connecticut since it was close to home. While I was given complimentary tickets, all opinions here are my own based on my own experience.
About U.S. Ghost Adventures
U.S. Ghost Adventures is a country-wide company here in the United States that offers paranormal ghost tours, haunted pub crawls, history walks, and food tours across the country. They also offer haunted overnight stays at famous locations including The Lizzie Borden House, The Villisca Axe Murder House, and The Welty House. I’m not sure you could pay me to stay in any of those places overnight because I’m kind of a baby. I wouldn’t even stay in the Henry Derby House when my friend rented it for her Bachelorette Party in Salem, Massachusetts. I did go inside it though!
U.S. Ghost Adventures has ghost tours in over 250 cities. In Connecticut specifically, they offer tours in Mystic, New Haven, and Hartford. I considered doing the New Haven one because I haven’t really explored as much of New Haven as I’d like, but they weren’t doing tours in the winter months. The Mystic location does tours year-round, so that’s what I went for! It worked out though, because it was really close to home for me.
Dinner Before The Tour
Since we were going to be spending time in downtown Mystic for the tour, we decided to grab a bite to dinner. We like to try new places, so we went to Cucina Al Pantheon, which has only been open since August of 2025. This spot is conveniently located a short walk from the Mystic & Noank Library where the ghost tour starts.
Since this post is about the ghost tour, you can read more about our dining experience here.
The Ghost Tour
We met on the Library Street side of the Mystic & Noank Library. Our tour guide was easy to spot because they had a lantern! It was just my boyfriend and I on the tour, but this was totally okay with me. I prefer it this way honestly. I’m guessing we were the only ones because it was a random Wednesday night in March.
I asked our tour guide how many people they typically have on a tour. They told me that they usually have groups of 20, but they’ve had as many as 30 people (but that was an entire book club). I’ll be honest, I cannot imagine walking through downtown Mystic in a group that large. So, if you hate crowds like me, I highly recommend doing this tour during the off-season like I did.
Stop 1: Mystic & Noank Library
Since this is where we met, it shouldn’t be that shocking that this was the first stop. Here, you’ll learn all about the animal spirit that is said to haunt this spot.
And for anyone interested in the history of the building, the library was built between 1892 and 1894. The library was built by Captain Elihu Spicer. The library was built across the street from his summer home, which is actually stop number two on the ghost tour. However, he passed away months before the library was complete. The building’s details reflect his interests in the many places and things that he had seen on his many voyages as a sailor.
Stop 2: Captain’s Mansion
Right across the street from the library is the former residence of Captain Elihu Spicer, which is also said to be haunted. You’ll learn about the tragic history of the family that lived there and about some of the family members who haven’t left.
Today, the mansion is a boutique inn that you can actually stay in. The mansion is a great place to stay that offers modern conveniences, while also providing historic charm. The mansion was built in 1853 with stained-glass windows, hand-carved wood finishes, and gold painted murals. Many of those details are still there today.
The mansion is a short walk to downtown Mystic where you’ll find great shopping and dining. It’s a great spot to be close to the action, without being in the busy downtown area. And who knows, if you stay here, you might even encounter a ghost. Guests have reported hearing footsteps in during their stays.
Stop 3: Mystic Pizza
The next stop was Mystic Pizza. I’ll be honest, I was actually shocked to find out that this was on the tour. Mystic Pizza is well-known due to the movie Mystic Pizza with Julia Roberts, which was based off of the restaurant. However, the movie was not actually filmed here. But, the movie was filmed at local spots.
During this stop, you’ll learn about a ghost who is connected with the pizza shop that was in this building before Mystic Pizza.
Stop 4: Cucina Al Pantheon
Stop number four was the restaurant we actually dined at before our ghost tour. It’s hilarious because while we were at dinner, I said to my boyfriend “This place isn’t haunted, it used to be a bank. Who would haunt a bank?” Imagine my surprise when we went here on the tour.
Here, you’ll learn a dramatic story about a man who did something he shouldn’t have and how he eventually came to pass inside this building. This story was probably one of my favorites on the tour.
While we were here, something interesting happened, but it wasn’t paranormal. A woman came up to us and asked our tour guide what we were doing. Then she went on a rant because she knew it wasn’t the other ghost tour in Mystic and how she personally knew the owner of the other Mystic ghost tour. It was really uncomfortable, but our tour guide handled it well.
Honestly, it was not a good look for the original Mystic ghost tour company because the woman was extremely rude to someone just doing their job. The woman turned to my boyfriend and I and urged us to do the original Mystic ghost tour. I had been wanting to do the original ghost tour for years, and unfortunately, that woman turned me off to the idea a bit. Her little outburst had the opposite effect she wanted. I understand wanting people to support the local tour companies over bigger companies, but there’s a right and wrong way to go about that.
Stop 5: Port of Call
Port of Call was the next stop on our tour. I had definitely heard about this spot being haunted before, but for some reason I never actually knew where this building was (despite having driven by it countless times). It’s right next to the Oyster Club, which typically catches my eye when I go through this area.
The story attached to this building is also pretty interesting, but probably one of the saddest stories. The time period is around the Civil War and you’ll learn about people who were left behind.
Stop 6: The Captain Daniel Packer Inne
This is arguably one of the most well-known haunted locations in Mystic. I’d heard of this spot before and I included it in my Haunted Spots You Can Visit Around Connecticut blog post. I dined here once, and I’ve been meaning to go back for years.
The Captain Daniel Packer Inne was built by Captain Daniel Packer across the street from the Mystic River in 1756. Today, it is a cozy restaurant and pub. This spot is said to be haunted by Captain Daniel Packer himself and his great-niece Ada who died in the inn. On the tour, you’ll learn what mischief they get up to in present day.
On the tour, we only saw the backside of the building. It’s not well lit over there, so it wasn’t a great view. Thankfully, I was familiar enough with the location where I didn’t really care that much. You might be able to ask your guide to get a different view of it?
Oh, and this was the oldest building on the tour. However, it’s not the oldest location. That would technically be Mystic River Park. But, that’s because land is obviously going to be older than a building.
Stop 7: Mystic River Bascule Bridge
At the Mystic River Bascule Bridge, we learned about the Pig Man. This is a more modern story than the others on the tour. I’d heard about the Pig Man before, but this was the first time I’d actually heard the story.
Stop 8: Mystic River Park
Mystic River Park was the site of a massacre of many members of the Pequot Tribe by colonists in 1636. The English colonists burned down the Pequot village, killing hundreds of Pequots.
The ghost story here was very detailed, almost to the point where I was unsure whether or not I believed it. Either way, it was quite the story. It’s also said that the land might be cursed.
Bonus Stop: Haley Mansion
I didn’t know what the bonus stop would be, but I was a little shocked to find out it was Haley Mansion. I’m very familiar with Mystic, and I knew the mansion was not exactly close. It’s outside of the downtown area and there’s no great way to get there. From Mystic River Park, we walked down Washington Street. We viewed the mansion at the end of Washington Street by Taquerio.
We could have walked all the way to the mansion, but when I tell you it was a long walk, I truly mean it. It’s not that I wasn’t capable, but I know what the building looks like (from afar because I’ve driven by it more times than I can count). I didn’t see any point in making the trek on a cool March night.
The story for this mansion is about one of the Haley sons who might have had a secret lover. You’ll learn about who might be haunting this spot today that is now a wedding venue.
Interestingly enough, this was the one spot where the EMF detector we were given went off. However, I really think this it might have been from environmental interference. We were on a street corner (not even at the mansion) and I think there might have been something making it go off that wasn’t paranormal, like wiring.
After the Haley Mansion, we made the long trek back to the library. Our guide was really friendly, and we chit chatted as we walked back.
Is This Worth Doing?
If you enjoy spooky stories, historic spots, and learning some history about the places you travel to, I think this tour is worth doing. The tour guide that we had was really friendly and engaging throughout the tour. Since we had a small group, we were able to have a lot of time to engage with the tour guide. The tour guide was also happy to answer any of the questions I had.
The stories we were told were interesting, even if some seemed unbelievable. While I think some of the stories are town legends that have been passed down, I would love to get details about whether or not these locations have been investigated by paranormal investigators and what they did, or didn’t, find. I used to spend a lot of time watching shows like Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures because I have an interest in the paranormal. I personally like seeing actual evidence.
Know Before You Go
- If you want an EMF detector, you will need to rent one. We didn’t have it go off at all, except for one time when we weren’t even at a haunted location. So, I wouldn’t say renting one should be a top priority if you’re looking to do this tour. But, it could be fun to have if you’re willing to pay the money.
- I recommend parking in the Union Baptist Church parking lot. It’s free to park here and the church allows it pretty much all the time. The only time you can’t is when they have Sunday mass. This parking lot is convenient because it’s right next to the library. And, it’s an actual parking lot instead of street parking.
- The tour is about an hour long. And, you’ll walk about a mile. This will depend on if you do the extended tour, which will cost you extra. However, I can’t say I’d recommend adding on the extended tour. It’s better to just do the regular tour that stays in downtown where you can actually be up close and personal to all of the locations.
- Tours are offered daily, year-round. This makes it very convenient to get the day you want or need.
- For the most part, the walk is flat. The only hill you’ll encounter is when you’re walking back up to the library. But, it’s very short and fairly gradual.
