“My name is William Marlowe ….”
The red-rimmed and watery eyes of the undead leer at us, and the grin is definitely lopsided.
“…. I am an epitaph writer,” William continues, expanding on a theme of death, destruction and his own demise.
While waiting at the roadside for events to get underway, we’ve already had a close encounter with a pirate, a decidedly dilapidated serving wench and a lopsided gravedigger.
Learning our guide for the evening is to be a man who claims he got bored with writing “died of old age” on every gravestone is not much of a surprise but definitely sets the tone for what’s to come.
Boston night-time tour
We’re on the night-time Ghosts and Gravestones tour of Boston and are looking forward to an evening of fact, fiction, jump scares and pure entertainment.
During the day the trolley bus tours of the city are fun and informative but stay in the real world.
After dark the Trolley of Terror takes over, decked out in riotous reds and purples and overrun by a cast of dubious characters who stretch the truth and your nerves at the same time.
Great fun
I can’t say too much about the experience for fear of giving away some of their cute tricks and teases.
Each tour, like all live theatre, is slightly different depending on your guide.
But it does give you access to the city’s ancient burial grounds by lamplight when the rest of the world has left the shaded paths. Here you’ll be taken back in time to relive grisly murders and cold-blooded executions.
Fact and fiction
And as the trolley bus trundles round the streets of the historic city tales of paranormal activity will send a shiver down your spine and you’ll learn more about the ghostly goings-on in the ancient buildings and at the old Parker House Hotel.
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Real facts are cleverly woven into the narrative, and we learned more than we’d managed to glean from our self-guided walk around the Freedom Trail earlier in the day.
The tale of the so-called Skinny House was beautifully scripted and delivered.
William encouraged all sorts of interactions between guide and tourists, and the guides’ different characterisations mean no two tours are ever exactly the same.
It’s not suitable for very young children because of the content, but the spookiness is not off the scale, and it’s all amusing fun. There are a few jump scares and low-light moments that have you wondering just what you’ve seen out of the corner of your eye.
If you’re susceptible to atmosphere and believe those who have gone before leave a trace on their surroundings, then this is a side of Boston you won’t want to miss.
More information about Ghosts and Gravestones, Boston
The company runs tours in a number of American cities with a supernatural connection, but the Boston tour is the original, started in 1998, and the historic city with its revolutionary past is the perfect location.
Disclaimer: We were given complimentary tickets but, as always, these opinions are our own.
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