by Melinda Crow
Last updated: 9:00 AM ET, Sat October 14, 2017
It's time to dust off the walking shoes and hit the streets for a bit of food, a smattering of history and a whole lot of wicked fun leading up to Halloween.
Walking tours can take you places you will never see from a bus tour. They are often led by locals with extensive knowledge and interesting personalities to match their love of their city. We sifted through reviews and found the best of the best
Santa Fe
Visitors get an overview of 400 years of history as they stroll the Plaza, the capitol and the San Miguel Mission with Santa Fe Detours. For a supernatural look at history in Santa Fe, try the highly-rated Original Santa Fe Ghost Tour.
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston has one of the longest lists of walking tours in the country. There is so much to see, and the best is only accessible on foot!
Top-rated Charleston Footprints takes you on a two-hour tour focusing on historical monuments, buildings and gardens. For a food-focused tour of the Lowcountry, walk with Charleston Culinary Tours for two and a half hours of pallet pleasing food and culture.
New Orleans
When in New Orleans, strolls through the French Quarter-including the famed New Orleans Cemetery-are the best way to experience the culture and food. Trust Two Chicks Walking Tours to take you to the top spots with interesting tour names like, "Brothels, bordellos, and Ladies of the Night" and "The Cynic's Ghost Tour."
Nashville
Entertainment is what Nashville is all about, so Really Entertaining Tours should fit the bill for a fun walking tour here. Choose a morning or afternoon tour that includes little-known facts about historical sites and plenty of entertainment.
Learn the ghostly history of Andrew Jackson's home at The Hermitage, with nightly walking tours through October.
Seattle
Settle into Seattle with a selection of tours from Seattle Free Walking Tours, including the basics in their "101" tour and the nitty-gritty on their 75-minute "True Crime" walk covering bootleggers to serial killers. These are considered "pay what you feel" tours, but don't let the open pricing policy deter you; the reviews put it near the top of the ranks of all tours in Seattle.
Atlanta
Atlanta Movie Tours takes you on a stroll through Woodbury-the fictional town from The Walking Dead on their Big Zombie Walking tour. It could be the scariest hour of your visit to Atlanta.
Portland, Oregon
Booze, chocolate, and bizarre happenings in Portland are on the roster of tours offered by Portland Walking Tours. There's even an adult's only "Beyond Bizarre" tour and an "Underground Portland" tour billed as "now with more immorality and vice."
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Williamsburg, Virginia
Step into the past with a walking tour of Historical Williamsburg to get the lay of the land, then finish off your adventure with spooks and spirits on an evening tour of Ghostly Tales with the top-ranked Williamsburg Walking Tours.
New York
The Big Onion Walking Tours offers something for just about every taste. Tours featuring culture, history, and food are available in Brooklyn, Downtown, Uptown, Midtown and the Villages. One of the newest offerings is called Brooklyn Distilled, exploring the history of whiskey making in New York.
Vancouver
Who could resist tours that fall under the heading of "Forbidden Vancouver?" Individual tours include "Prohibition City," "Lost Souls of Gastown," and "Secrets of Stanley Park." Learn the darkest and most scandalous secrets of Vancouver after dark.
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Chicago
Nightly Spirits operates ghostly pub crawls in nine cities. In Chicago, revisit the bloody mob days of Prohibition as you sample spirits from bars in the Lincoln Park area. Tours are roughly two hours long and do not include beverages.
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