Key West Ghost Walking Tour App: haunted spots at your pace

A hanging tree still grows inside Captain Tony's, and the ghosts decided to stay.

This is a self-guided ghost walking tour of Key West on the WalknTours smartphone app, where you walk to haunted landmarks at your own pace and hear theatrically narrated stories of the spirits that linger there. One purchase unlocks the tour on two phones and never expires, so you can return to it anytime. The tour runs 40 to 55 minutes and includes a recap you can review after finishing.

Step-by-step itinerary

Self-guided haunted walking tour

• Start outside Captain Tony's bar
• Hear about wrecking industry and pirate captain
• See Pirates Well and hear pirate story
• Stop outside Hard Rock and hear ghost story
• Learn about captain and daughter at church
• Pass by theater and hear haunted street story
• Stop outside Robert the doll's house
• Pass by Ernest Hemingway's first Key West home
• Final stop at Sloppy Joes bar

The Experience

The tour starts outside Captain Tony's, a bar with a tree growing inside it—the old hanging tree of Key West, where ghosts are said to linger. From there you walk to the Pirates Well where the first pirates found fresh water, then past the Hard Rock Cafe to hear about the ghost that haunts it and the first millionaire in Florida who made his fortune there. You'll stop outside St. Paul's Episcopal Church to hear about a captain and daughter buried in the back, then move through Eaton Street—described as the most haunted street in Key West—where you'll hear stories of an old church and the people who burned inside it.

The app delivers the stories through a spooky narrator with music, and you can listen on headphones, earbuds, a Bluetooth speaker or your phone speaker. You read along with dialogue if you want to, or just listen. Because there's no guide leading a group, you hear every word clearly and can pause, rewind or move at whatever pace suits you. The tour doesn't expire once you unlock it, so you can take it the day you arrive or come back to it weeks later.

Later stops include the house where Robert the doll—the inspiration for the movie Chucky—lived his whole life, and Ernest Hemingway's first Key West home where he lived for two years. The final stop is Sloppy Joes, one of the most famous bars in the world, where you'll hear Hemingway's story and his connection to the place. You only stop outside these locations, so the whole experience stays on the street and moves at your rhythm.

What’s included

• Smartphone-guided walking tour on the WalknTours app.
• access to the tour on two phones.
• spooky narration with music and optional dialogue text.
• recap tour you can take after finishing the in-person walk.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by WalknTours

Is this one for you?Pick this tour if you want to explore Key West's haunted history without waiting for a group to assemble or keeping pace with a guide—you walk when you're ready, pause the story whenever you want, and come back to it later since the app never expires.

Traveler reviews

4.22★★★★★★★★★★

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Top questions

Can I take this tour more than once, or does it expire after I use it?

Once you unlock the tour on the WalknTours app, it does not expire and you can take it anytime—return to it days later or revisit specific stops whenever you want.

What is the Pirates Well and why do the stories matter?

The Pirates Well is where the first pirates found fresh water in Key West, and the tour tells their dark and stormy history as you stand at the actual spot.

Do I need to be with a large group, or can I do this alone?

This is a solo walking tour on your smartphone—no large groups, no guide herding people along, so you hear every word and set your own pace.

How many phones can I use this tour on?

One purchase works on two smartphones, so you can share it with a travel companion or use it on a backup device.

What's the difference between listening on headphones versus a speaker?

You can listen on headphones, earbuds, a Bluetooth speaker or your phone speaker—headphones are recommended so you hear the spooky narration clearly, but any option works depending on where you are and who's with you.

How long does the whole tour take?

The tour runs 40 to 55 minutes depending on how long you linger at each stop and how fast you walk between them.