Chicago Ghost Tour: Lincoln Park Haunted History

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/16

Duration1h

GroupUp to 15

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Hear the paranormal stories that shaped Chicago's darkest corners

Windy City Ghosts runs a nightly walking ghost tour through Lincoln Park, Chicago's North Side neighborhood built atop a Civil War burial ground. A live English-speaking guide takes you through five stops—Julia Porter Park, the Alphawood Foundation Building, the Red Lion Pub, the Biograph Theater and Oz Park—sharing documented accounts of hauntings, paranormal encounters and the city's gangster past. The tour lasts about an hour and covers intensely researched true stories tied to each location.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore haunted Chicago landmarks

Visit Julia Porter Park burial ground
See Alphawood Foundation haunted asylum
Stop at Red Lion Pub haunted bar
Hear stories at Biograph Theater
Discover shadows in Oz Park

The Experience

The tour starts in Lincoln Park, a neighborhood with a twisted past that most visitors never see. You'll walk to Julia Porter Park first, built directly atop a Civil War-era burial ground where visitors have reported unexplained encounters. From there the route moves to the Alphawood Foundation Building, a former asylum for the mentally ill where documented paranormal activity centers on a history of murder and institutional abuse. The guide shares the specific accounts tied to each site, grounding the stories in Chicago's real history rather than invention.

Three more stops follow: the Red Lion Pub, a Tudor-style bar known for its ghosts as much as its food; the Biograph Theater, built in 1914 and the site of strange encounters the guide will detail; and Oz Park, where beauty masks a sinister past. The entire route stays within Lincoln Park and takes about an hour to complete. You'll hear about the spirit that haunted Al Capone and learn what lies beneath the Lion House of the Lincoln Park Zoo—the guide will explain why visitors check the bathroom mirrors there. The stories are documented accounts of hauntings and paranormal activity, not speculation, and the guide is trained to walk you through the neighborhood's darker history without rushing the stops.

Book directly with Windy City Ghosts to save $5 per person off the standard rate. The tour runs nightly, and public transportation options are available near the starting point. All areas and surfaces along the route are wheelchair accessible, and infants can ride in a pram or stroller. The tour is not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries or poor cardiovascular health, as it involves walking the full neighborhood route.

What’s included

Documented accounts of hauntings and paranormal activity at each stop.
a professional live guide speaking English.
intensely researched true stories of Chicago's gangster era, asylums and burial grounds.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Windy City Ghosts By US Ghost Adventures

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you have a free evening and want to learn Chicago's hidden history through the paranormal stories tied to real sites—the 60-minute walk stays in one neighborhood, so you're not traveling far from Lincoln Park.