Murders and Ghosts From Nashville's Capitol to Printer's Alley
A guide walks you from the Tennessee State Capitol to Printer's Alley, telling Nashville's true crime and ghost stories on the way.
The group meets at the southwest corner of the Tennessee State Capitol and finishes in and around Printer's Alley, about three-quarters of a mile on foot over 90 minutes. The guide mixes Nashville history with true crime and ghost stories along the way, all told outdoors; three 2025 reviewers mention that the group does not go inside the buildings.
Most of the time goes to stories: the listing budgets half an hour each at the Capitol and in Printer's Alley, plus two 15-minute stops. Some guests found the Capitol takes more than its share: two 2025 reviewers said too much time went to the Capitol, and a September 2026 guest estimated the group spent about 80% of the tour at one site. The operator names the Hermitage Hotel and the Southern Turf among its landmarks, and the listing adds the story of Skull Schulman and his Rainbow Room.
The card below books the walk. The same listing sells two upgrades: a paranormal investigation after the tour, and a VIP ghost bus upgrade that moves you onto the operator's Elite Bus Tour, with more locations and stories. A full refund needs at least 24 hours' notice.
Nashville's Dark Secrets: Haunted True Crime Ghost TourNashville Tours - Ghost Tours and Pub Crawls · 90 minutes on foot · Starts at the Tennessee State Capitol · All ageswww.viator.comAn Architect's Ghost at the State Capitol
The listing's Capitol stop centers on William Strickland, the architect who designed the building and supervised its construction until he died in 1854; the Capitol was officially completed in 1859. The burial part is documented: honoring his wish, the Tennessee General Assembly had him interred in a niche in the Capitol's north portico. The listing adds that visitors and staff report footsteps in empty hallways that they put down to him.
The meeting point is on the same grounds. Both the listing and the operator say the Capitol is under renovation, and the operator warns that this can make its meeting spot harder to find.
Printer's Alley and Skull's Rainbow Room
Printer's Alley, the listing explains, took its name from the print shops that once filled it, and one of its stories is about a printer said to still wander the lane. The walk finishes in and around the alley.
Another stop tells the tragic story of Skull Schulman and, in the listing's words, the fall and rise of his Rainbow Room. Skull's Rainbow Room, first opened in 1948, still operates at 222 Printers Alley in the basement of the Southern Turf building, which the 1982 National Register nomination for the alley's historic district describes as an 1895 building and the most elegant of Nashville's saloons. The listing also includes a hotel dating to 1910, tied to political fights over women's suffrage, and the operator's tour page names the Hermitage Hotel. The National Park Service records that the Hermitage, across the street from the Capitol, opened in 1910, and that pro- and anti-suffrage campaigners both set up camp there in the summer of 1920, during the fight over the 19th Amendment.
Who It Suits and How Much Walking
All ages can book, and anyone under 18 has to come with an adult; the operator specifies a legal guardian. Graphic details of true crimes may come up, and the operator leaves it to parents to judge whether the content suits their child.
The walk covers about three-quarters of a mile and includes some stairs. The listing warns that guests with knee or back issues may find parts of it challenging, and it also marks the tour suitable for all physical fitness levels. The operator's booking notes say its tours are not wheelchair accessible, citing stairs, uneven sidewalks and narrow entrances at historic buildings it does not own. Reviews describe the climbing more plainly: several 2025 guests mention lots of stairs and hills around the Capitol, and one guest in an electric wheelchair counted about 80 to 100 stairs and waited outside for roughly an hour while the group did that part.
Ghost Gadgets, Weather and the Right Guide
EMF readers are available to buy or rent on the tour, and the operator's FAQ says you can bring your own ghost hunting equipment. Guests in 2025 and 2026 describe the readers lighting up red at stops, while one skeptical 2025 reviewer pointed out that in-ground wiring can set them off. The tour runs rain or shine, and no rain gear is provided. For severe weather warnings, the listing says the operator will reschedule, and the operator's booking notes say it will send any change or cancellation an hour before the start.
Other tour companies work the same streets. Look for a Haunted Nashville guide wearing the company lanyard and T-shirt. Tips are not included in the price.
📍 Meet on the southwest side of the Tennessee State Capitol, at the traffic light on the corner of 7th Avenue North and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, in front of the wooden stairs. Do not go up the stairs. Arrive 15 minutes early to check in. The operator allows a five-minute grace period, then the group leaves; latecomers have to catch up, and a missed tour is not refunded.
Parking is free after 6:00 PM on weekdays and all weekend in the reserved numbered spots around the Capitol, with paid street parking a block away on Deaderick Street. As of October 20, 2026, the booking calendar shows 8:00 PM starts Monday through Thursday and 7:00 PM starts Friday through Sunday, with Halloween night already sold out. From the Capitol grounds, the stories carry you into Printer's Alley, where the night ends.