Two Sieges, One Town: Yorktown's Ghost Stories for Families
An hour of Yorktown ghost stories from two wars, told on foot from Swan Tavern at 8 PM, with tickets for children from age 5.
Haunted Historical Entertainment runs this walk under its Ghost Colonies name. It starts at Swan Tavern on Yorktown's Main Street at 8 PM and lasts about an hour. The stories come from the town's two wars, the Revolution and the Civil War.
This is the earlier of the company's two Yorktown walks, and the one sold with child tickets. Its 10 PM walk from the same corner, Maritime Murder, has no child ticket on the listing.
The only inclusion the listing names is an experienced tour guide, and confirmation is instant. Bookings close two hours before the 8 PM start.
Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund; inside 24 hours there is none.
Yorktown After Dark Haunted History and Ghost TourAbout an hour on foot from Swan Tavern to Grace Episcopal Church in Colonial Yorktown, starting at 8 PM. Child, youth, adult and senior tickets, with an experienced guide included.www.viator.comA Town Besieged in Two Wars
The listing builds the stories around the ghosts it says still roam Yorktown's streets from the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. The town has the history for both. The National Park Service points to the 1781 siege here, which it says effectively ended the Revolution, and says Yorktown was again the site of major siege operations in 1862.
Ahead of that second siege, Confederate Major General John Bankhead Magruder anchored the left flank of his line at Yorktown by strengthening the existing Revolutionary War fortifications. Grace Episcopal Church, where this walk ends, was put to military use in both wars, by the Park Service's account.
The listing does not publish a stop list. It names only the start at Swan Tavern and the finish at the church.
Swan Tavern at a Quarter to Eight
The meeting point is Swan Tavern, on the corner of Main Street and Ballard Street. The operator's own ticketing gives the address as 301 Main Street. Your guide wears a red, blue, green or black shirt.
The operator asks guests to arrive 15 minutes early to check in, and it does not wait for late arrivals.
The tavern you meet at is a reconstruction. The National Park Service describes the Swan Tavern group as rebuilt on the original foundations, and says the Swan, opened for business in 1722, was the most noted of colonial Yorktown's many inns and taverns.
Who the Tickets Cover
The listing sells four ticket types: child (ages 5 to 12), youth (13 to 18), adult, and senior (61 and over). There is no ticket for children under 5.
The operator's own ticket page marks this walk as suitable for children and as handicap accessible. The listing rates it suitable for all fitness levels and says its mix of history and mystery is meant to captivate children and adults alike.
One booking takes up to 15 travelers.
Photos Yes, Video No
The operator's own ticket page sets the house rules:
- Photos are welcome; recording video is not.
- A lidded non-alcoholic drink or finger food is fine; leave alcohol at home.
- No tobacco or vaping during the tour.
- Service animals are welcome; pets stay home.
📍 Swan Tavern, corner of Main Street and Ballard Street, Yorktown. Be there by 7:45 PM and look for the guide's colored shirt. About an hour later the walk finishes at Grace Episcopal Church on Church Street, the oldest church in Yorktown by the Park Service's count, with the Nelson family tombs in its churchyard.