Washington DC · Private & Group Tours
Washington DC Private Nightmares and Nightcaps Tour
A nightcap at a haunted Washington bar, then ninety minutes of the capital's darkest stories with nobody but your own group listening. The Private Nightmares and Nightcaps Tour is our shorter, grimmer DC walk.
📍 Departs from: The Hotel Washington. — please arrive about 15 minutes early to check in with your guide.
Your group meets its costumed guide at a haunted bar and orders an optional nightcap while the guide explains who else has been drinking there, and for how long. Then you head out for about a mile of walking through the historic blocks between the White House and Capitol Hill, past the townhouses, alleys and hotels where Washington's ambitious met their ends. The stories are the ones we keep for adults: duels, poisonings, hauntings in the halls of power and residents who refused to be voted out by anything as minor as death.
This is the right call for a friends' night out, a bachelorette crew that wants chills with its cocktails, a date night with a pulse or a work team that prefers one good drink and a lot of good stories to a longer pub crawl. Private tours run any day with start times from 1 pm to 8:30 pm, and the pace and starting location can be adjusted to your group. If your hotel is close to the route, the guide can meet you in the lobby if arranged in advance.
Pricing starts at $325 for up to 10 guests, with additional tickets from $27.50. One guide takes 14 to 20 guests depending on the date and time; groups of 16 or more book by email and larger groups add a guide. The tour is 21 and over with valid ID. Metro Center and McPherson Square stations are a short walk from the route.
What's included
- 90-minute private ghost walk for ages 21+
- Opening stop at a haunted downtown bar with optional nightcap
- Costumed guide and storyteller for your group only
- About one mile of walking through historic downtown Washington
- Flexible start time, 1 pm to 8:30 pm, any day
- Customizable starting location (hotel lobby meetup can be arranged in advance)
- Not recommended for those with mobility restrictions
- Not included: drinks, food, taxes, fees and bar gratuity
On the tour in Washington DC
Washington DC Private Nightmares and Nightcaps Tour FAQs
What is the age requirement?
This tour is 21 and over with valid ID. The nightcap itself is optional.
How does this differ from the Booze and Boos?
Shorter and darker. One bar stop instead of 3–4, ninety minutes instead of two and a half hours, and stories told without the family filter.
How does booking work for a large group?
Reserve online for up to 15 guests. For 16 or more, email us so we can confirm a second guide. Base pricing covers 10 guests with per-person tickets after that.
Is gratuity included?
Gratuity for your guide is added to private tours at $5 per guest and shared among the guides who work your tour. Tips at the bars are up to you.
Do you cancel in the rain?
Rarely. We walk rain or shine, so bring umbrellas. If weather becomes unsafe we will reach out to reschedule your group.
More ways to meet Washington DC's spirits
Plan your group's night
Pick your date and group size, see your price, and place a pending hold on your card — it's charged automatically once we confirm your guide (no later than close of business the next day), and released if we can't.
Reserve this tour