The Ghosts of Kells and the Roseland, Told for Families
An all-ages night walk from the Willamette into Old Town and Chinatown, with four haunted stops in about 90 minutes.
Ghost City Tours runs the Ghostly Shadows of Portland Tour every night at 8:00 PM, and it is the company's all-ages walk in the city. A guide leads the group for roughly 90 minutes, starting by the river in Tom McCall Waterfront Park and heading into Old Town and Chinatown for four stops of about 20 minutes each; the operator puts the route at about a mile.
The same operator sells two adult nights in Portland: The Dark Below for 16 and up, and a haunted pub crawl for 21 and up. This one is the family version. By the operator's own split, the evening runs about 60 percent history, 30 percent paranormal and 10 percent entertainment.
On the booking, children 5 and under go free, ages 6 to 11 take a child ticket and everyone 12 and up pays the adult price. One booking holds up to 12 travelers and needs an adult on it. Booking closes two hours before the start.
Ghostly Shadows of Portland Tour Family Friendly Ghost Stories90-minute guided night walk through Old Town and Chinatown, all ages, nightly 8:00 PM start.www.viator.comKells, Old Town Pizza and the Shanghai Tunnel Legend
Two of the stops are working restaurants with a story under the floor. Kells Irish Restaurant & Pub on SW 2nd Avenue, in the listing's telling, sits above a former entrance to the Shanghai Tunnels, and the tales there are of footsteps nobody can account for, phantom music and sudden cold spots. Old Town Pizza & Brewing on NW Davis Street is housed in the former Merchant Hotel, and the listing places it over sections of the same tunnels. Its ghost is a woman known as Nina.
The walk also stands along the waterfront where, as the listing tells it, victims of the shanghaiing trade were forced aboard ships bound for distant shores. The ticket covers the guided walk only; no tunnel entry is part of it.
The Chinatown Gateway and a Flood Story
The Chinatown Gateway stands at NW 4th Avenue and Burnside, and the listing describes it as the line between two of Portland's oldest neighborhoods. At the gate, the listing says, the story is the devastating flood that reshaped Chinatown, and the turbulent history that played out in the streets around it.
The Roseland Stop Carries a True-Crime Case
The Roseland Theater on NW 6th Avenue is a working music venue, and the listing ties it to one of Portland's most notorious true-crime stories: the disappearance of a young employee, and the encounters that staff and performers report backstage.
That is the stop parents of younger children may want to know about ahead of time. The operator says its guides pitch the storytelling to stay engaging without getting too scary for younger children, and it lists death and mortality as the tour's content note.
Pace, Weather, Strollers and Pets
The operator describes a leisurely pace over about a mile, with chances to sit along the way, and calls the walk manageable for most fitness levels and ages. Both the operator and the booking listing mark the route wheelchair accessible and stroller friendly. Well-behaved pets on a leash are welcome, according to the operator, service animals are allowed, and outside alcohol is not.
The walk runs rain or shine, per the operator, and the lighting along the route is mixed. The booking listing can still cancel for bad weather or too few travelers.
📍 Meet at the corner of SW Ankeny Street and SW Naito Parkway, 2 SW Naito Pkwy, by the fountain in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. The listing and the operator both call it the Japanese American Historical Plaza Fountain, but the plaza itself starts on the far side of the Burnside Bridge, so aim for the Ankeny corner. The map pin marks the park at that corner. The listing asks for arrival 15 minutes early; the operator says 10 to 15.
- 8:00 PM start every night, about 90 minutes
- All ages; 5 and under free on the booking
- Gratuity for the guide is not included
- Full refund when you cancel at least 24 hours before the start; no refund inside 24 hours
- The operator recommends public transit or a rideshare, since downtown parking can be hard
The walk ends near NW Couch Street, just north of the Burnside Bridge and a short stroll from the river corner where it began.