Reno's Ghost Walk Ends Where the Mapes Hotel Once Stood
A lantern-carrying guide walks the group through six downtown stops, from Myron Lake's mansion on Court Street to the river.
The meeting point is the Lake Mansion, an Italianate house built in 1877 and moved to Court Street in 2004. From there the route runs through downtown Reno, by way of California Avenue and the Washoe County Courthouse, and ends near the Truckee River.
Nobody goes inside. The guide tells each story on the sidewalk, outside the homes and landmarks. The operator calls the tour more eerie than terrifying and says it leans on history, atmosphere and real accounts.
Adults and children pay the same USD 32 per person, and a single booking takes up to eight people. Confirmation is instant. Booking closes six hours before the start.
This tour's listing averages 4.6 across 173 reviews.
Reno Ghost Tour: Ruin, Revenge, & ReckoningA one-hour evening walk with a lantern-carrying guide, from the Lake Mansion on Court Street to the site of the Mapes Hotel.www.viator.comSix Stops Between Court Street and the River
After the Lake Mansion, the group heads to the Levy House on California Avenue, a Classical Revival home built in 1906 for the merchant William Levy. Around 1940 the house was lifted and turned 90 degrees on its lot. The operator says at least two people died inside.
Next come the Washoe County Courthouse on Virginia Street, where much of Reno's early 20th-century divorce trade was processed, and the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts under its gold geodesic dome, where the stories turn to the Underground Theater. The last two stops are sites. One is Reno's old Chinatown and red-light district; the other is the corner where the Mapes Hotel stood.
From Lake's Crossing to the Mapes
Myron Lake, whose name the mansion carries, bought the toll bridge over the Truckee in the early 1860s and renamed the settlement around it Lake's Crossing. The tour tells his story as a family tragedy. The listing says Lake was never allowed to live in the house, and that his restless spirit and the sorrowful apparition of Jane Lake are said to linger there.
The Mapes Hotel opened beside the river in 1947, and the cast of The Misfits stayed there while filming in Reno in 1960. The city had it demolished in 2000. The Riverside Hotel across the street was refurbished and still stands. The Mapes site is where the guide tells the last stories before sending everyone on their way.
All Ages, at an Easy Walking Pace
The operator bills this as an all-ages tour. The listing says infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller, and that service animals are allowed. Per the operator, the walk keeps a relaxed pace with frequent stops.
The listing does not recommend it for travelers with poor cardiovascular health, while rating it suitable for all fitness levels. Skeptics and believers are both welcome, according to the operator.
Before You Book
- Runs: 8:00 PM every night, year-round, rain or shine
- Length: about an hour and about a mile of walking
- One booking takes up to eight people
- Mobile or paper tickets are accepted
- Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund; inside 24 hours, nothing is refunded
📍 Lake Mansion, 250 Court Street, Reno, across from the Great Basin Community Food Co-op. Look for a guide in a US Ghost Adventures T-shirt carrying a lantern, and check in under the name on your booking.
- Arrive: 15 minutes before the 8:00 PM start
- Getting there: no pickup; the listing notes public transportation nearby
- Ends: the site of the Mapes Hotel, by the Truckee River
- Included: a local guide and the stories
- Not included: gratuity
The last stories are told on the old Mapes corner, with the Riverwalk right beside it for the rest of the evening.