You found our list of scary virtual haunted house tours.
Virtual haunted houses are online tours that explore spooky locations such as graveyards, abandoned prisons, and haunted mansions. These experiences are popular at Halloween, and some are available year-round. There are both “real” haunted houses, as well as playful ones meant for games and activities. These experiences are sometimes called an “online haunted house” or a “virtual ghost tour.”
These tours are often part of a virtual Halloween party, Hybrid Halloween or Halloween team building event.
This list of ideas includes:
- virtual haunted house tours
- free online haunted houses
- scary virtual ghost tours
So, here is the list!
List of Real Virtual Haunted House Tours
From the Winchester Mystery House to Isla de las Muñecas to McKamey Manor, here are virtual haunted houses sure to send shivers down your online teammates’ spines.
1. Winchester Mystery House
Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California, is a famous ghost hunting landmark. For over 30 years, Sarah Winchester renovated her mansion nonstop. Legend says the widow believed that the ghosts of every person killed by a Winchester rifle haunted her, so she revamped her house continually to thwart the spirits. The mansion is an architectural icon with a creepy history, meaning that every member of your team will enjoy some aspect of the experience. The historical group that runs the estate now offers spooky virtual haunted house tours.
Learn more: Winchester Mystery House.
2. Ghost Hunt in a Haunted Mansion 👻
Ghost Hunt in a Haunted Mansion is a fully facilitated online haunted house experience. In this 90 minute virtual activity, a paranormal investigator leads teams on a remote tour of the famous Winchester Mansion. Throughout the event, participants must work together to decipher codes, uncover clues, and solve puzzles. This spooky escape-room style adventure is an in-depth and hands-on Halloween activity that brings groups together for ghoulish fun.
Learn more about Ghost Hunt in a Haunted Mansion.
Want some free team building tools?
$49 value (100% free)
- 100+ fully tested icebreaker questions
- 24+ themed Bingo generators
- 5+ PDFs (including the 8% Rule)
- 2024 team building calendar
- and more...
Enter your email for instant access
3. The Paris Catacombs
The Paris Catacombs are one of the creepiest places on the planet. To free up space in the city’s cemeteries, officials exhumed bones of the long dead from graveyards and reburied the remains in underground crypts. The result is miles-long tunnels full of skeletons beneath France’s capital city. Over 300,000 tourists visit the catacombs every year. Without ever booking a flight to France, you and your remote team can tour the site via a panoramic virtual tour. This virtual haunted tour is almost better than the real deal. Unlike the in-person experience, you will not have to battle claustrophobia or hurry along to avoid holding up the people behind you.
Learn more: Paris Catacombs.
4. Chernobyl
Chernobyl was the site of the largest nuclear plant disaster in history. The population abandoned the city in the aftermath of the meltdown, leaving behind rusting ferris wheels and crumbling buildings. Within the past few years the government eased some of the restrictions that barred visitors from traveling to the physical site, but the best way to explore the vicinity remains online. A high-resolution Google Maps tour of Chernobyl allows you to tour the eerie area from halfway across the world.
Learn more: Chernobyl.
5. Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls)
The Island of the Dolls sits near Mexico City. Supposedly, after a little girl drowned in the nearby canal, supernatural events began to occur on the island. A terrified island inhabitant hung dolls among the trees to please the girl’s spirit. Hundreds of dolls now hang in the island’s trees. You can view pictures and watch a video tour of the island on the website below.
Learn more: Isla de las Muñecas (Island of the Dolls).
6. Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, once housed criminals like gangster Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton. Punishment was the jail’s main focus, and the institution was one of the first to use solitary confinement as a punitive measure. Many men went mad, and rumors speculate that tortured spirits linger. The abandoned prison now serves as a museum and hosts a yearly Halloween experience. Though you cannot currently take the Terror Behind the Walls Tour virtually, you can enjoy a general online tour for free, or can pay to book an educational group virtual tour.
Learn more: Eastern State Penitentiary.
7. Pittock Mansion
Pittock Mansion in Portland, Oregon, is lesser known among virtual haunted houses since the location’s reputation pales in comparison to infamous sites like Eastern State Penitentiary. Georgina and Henry Pittock commissioned the grand mansion but both passed away within five years of the project’s completion. Supposedly, because the couple did not get much earthly time to enjoy the house, the spirits linger. Visitors report strange happenings such as ghostly sightings, strange flowery smells, and moving objects. The stories are fascinating, and the virtual tour of the house is truly impressive. My recommendation is to explore the online tour while listening to ghost stories about the house, such as these found on Youtube.
Learn more: Pittock Mansion.
8. Escape Dracula’s Castle
This 90-minute virtual experience tasks teams with escaping a haunted, historical castle. Participants must work together to solve a series of complex puzzles, all while trying to figure out which players are secretly vampires who are trying to sabotage the group. The activity blends elements of virtual escape rooms, online haunted houses, and social deduction games to guide teams through a thrilling, timed challenge. Along the way, attendees will learn fascinating facts about Dracula and his lair.
Learn more about Escape Dracula’s Castle.
9. Ghost Stories of Tacoma
Ghost Stories of Tacoma traces the haunting history of Washington’s third biggest city. The host tells tales about curses, ghost bears, shipwrecks, and other bizarre happenings around town. This virtual tour is part history lesson and part scary story, with a few jump scares thrown in for fun. The online tour lasts about 50 minutes and is completely free.
Learn more: Ghost Stories of Tacoma.
10. Abandoned Locations
If you have trouble choosing a spooky place to visit online, then you can sample a slew of strange destinations by watching The Carpetbagger’s channel. YouTuber Jacob aka “The Carpetbagger” visits a variety of unnerving locations such as abandoned amusement parks, deserted mansions, and haunted train tunnels. These adventures provide all the fun of ghost hunting without trespassing worries. If you need free virtual haunted house experiences, then this series offers great options. The host also visits morbid museums like the Cannibal Museum, The Death and Murder Museum, and the National Museum of Health and Medicine. This playlist would make for a great series of virtual haunted house tours throughout October.
Link to The Carpetbagger YouTube channel.
List of “Fake” Online Haunted House Tours
From online escape rooms to shocking video clips to spooky flash games, here is a list of fake virtual haunted houses to explore with your crew.
11. McKamey Manor
This entry is not for the faint of heart. The in-person version of the tour requires visitors to sign a 40 page waiver, earning the attraction the title of America’s most extreme haunted house. Protesters have dubbed the business a “torture museum,” as the experience centers around psychological discomfort. While a live virtual haunted house walkthrough is not yet available, you can watch dozens of videos that will give you an inkling of the terror. Truthfully, three minute clips might be all you and your remote teammates can stomach. You may need to binge kitten clips between. But if you and your team feel brave, then you can check out McKamey Manor’s video offerings.
Note: Warn your teams that several of the videos contain very graphic content, and only watch if all teammates feel comfortable.
Learn more: McKamey Manor.
12. Haunted Mansion Escape Room Adventure
In this two hour long online escape room adventure, you and your team pretend to investigate a creepy mansion. By solving puzzles and riddles you uncover the mysteries behind the old abandoned house. A game master guides your group through the session via online conference software.
Learn more: Haunted Mansion Escape Room Adventure.
13. Frightbytes
Frightbytes is a flash site that offers an online haunted house experience. This website offers ghost stories, creepy music, scary gifs, along with other diversions such as mazes, fortune telling, and a pumpkin personality test. The graphics are basic and clipartesque. If you were a child of the 90’s, then you might get flashbacks to when McDonalds handed out Halloween pails and spooky sound cassettes in Happy Meals. Nevertheless, if you want to have silly seasonal fun with your remote team, then this site is a good option.
Learn more: Frightbytes.
14. Escape Dracula’s Castle
Escape Dracula’s Castle places teams in a virtual haunted castle and tasks them with solving riddles, puzzles, and challenges to escape within one hour. The adventure is based on a real historical castle, and participants will learn facts about the history of the building and historical figures that inspired Dracula. Teams must work together to solve the puzzles quickly enough to escape. However, some players are secretly vampires who will try to slow down the rest of the team, and the humans must identify these saboteurs in order to finish the game.
The full experience is 90 minutes, and takes place over a video conference call. Our energetic host will make sure that everyone in your group as a great time!
Learn more about Escape Dracula’s Castle.
15. Salem Witch Museum
The Salem Witch Trials scandalized 17th century Massachusetts. With over 200 citizens (mostly women) accused and a dozen executed, the event captured imaginations for generations to come. You can take an educational online tour of locations associated with the trials such as cemeteries, courthouses, and the path from the jail and execution site. This virtual tour is ideal for the history buffs on your remote team who favor the occult.
Learn more: Salem Witch Museum.
Conclusion
Though in-person haunted house tours offer you the delight of hearing your colleague’s blood curdling screams and witnessing your teammates jumping one foot in the air, virtual haunted houses allow everyone to enjoy a fun fright from the comfort of your own homes. These scary online tours provide a fun way to connect with your remote teammates during the spookiest season.
For more ideas for remote Halloween fun, check out our articles on virtual costume contests and virtual pumpkin carving.
And after your spooky haunted house experience, your team may want to try some virtual escape games too.
Angela Robinson