Ghost Hunt with Your Dog with Hot Springs Haunted Tours
A city known for its not-so-secret gambling halls and casinos, and a hot vacation spot for celebrities and gangsters alike, obviously had its share of untimely deaths. If you and your pup are interested in investigating paranormal phenomena, consider taking a tour with Hot Springs Haunted Tours in Arkansas!
I love going on ghost tours to see the spots where unexplained and sometimes creepy things have been reported. I also love knowing where I should go back to investigate more on our own. Since our furry friends have heightened senses, they make the perfect partners when searching for signs from the other side.
So, grab your leash and get ready to delve into the spooky side of Hot Springs with your four-legged paranormal investigator. Who knows, maybe your dog’s keen senses will pick up on something otherworldly- ours may have on this trip!
If you and your pup love haunted places, check out our guides to the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum or book one of Gettysburg’s Dog-friendly Ghost Tours.
Is Hot Springs Haunted Tours Dog Friendly?
Yes, you can bring your dogs on the Hot Springs Haunted Tours! Your pup will need to be secured on a leash or in a carrier at all times. They will also need to behave well enough so they don’t distract your guide or the other guests.
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What to Expect on Your Hot Springs Haunted Tour
Hot Springs Haunted Tours has a small booth located on Central Avenue across from the Ozark Bathhouse. During your 60-minute walking tour, you’ll hear different tragic ghost stories at several spots along this main street.
Hot Springs Haunted Tours Prices and Hours
Hot Springs Haunted Tours is open year-round. Tours start at 8 pm every day of the week. During the busier season, they occasionally add additional tours at 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Remember to check for special hours or closures on holidays.
Tour tickets cost $20 per person ($15 for children 10 and under), and they’re cash only. This is a great last-minute stop since you can’t reserve your spot ahead of time. You are also not able to get tickets online.
To join the tour, simply go to their booth 10-30 minutes before the tour starts and purchase your tickets.
Parking at the Hot Springs Haunted Tours
There is no designated parking for this attraction. You can find metered street parking (pay with app) or park in one of the nearby parking garages or paid lots. Paid parking is typically free after 6 pm and on Sundays.
Are there Bathrooms on the Hot Springs Haunted Tours?
The tour is only 1 hr long, so there are no bathroom breaks. If you need to go before it starts, you can find public restrooms down the street near Quawpaw Baths and Spa.
Where to Stay When Visiting the Hot Springs Haunted Tours
There’s no shortage of places (especially dog-friendly) to choose from when visiting Hot Springs, Arkansas. From hotels and short-term rentals to camping outside the city- it’s up to you!
Going on a Hot Springs Haunted Tour
To go on this Hot Springs ghost tour, arrive at least 10 minutes before the event starts to purchase your tickets. After you’ve bought your tickets, you’ll be asked to wait in the area next to the booth on Bathhouse Row.
At 8 pm, your tour guide will join you and go over the rules of the tour before you head over to the first stop. This 60-minute walking tour will take you by several haunted buildings where you’ll hear stories of reported paranormal activity as well as a brief history of the area.
From start to finish, the tour covers about ½ mile. So, if you parked close to the Haunted Tours booth, expect to walk about 1 mile in all. Our tour guide kept a very brisk pace in between stops, so don’t expect a slow, leisurely walk when you go.
Our husky, Emma, has a limp from an ACL surgery, and it was hard for her to keep up. The guide did wait until the group was mostly caught up before he started the next story. I did notice the pace was difficult for a few other guests as well.
If you go on this tour towards the end of your Hot Springs trip, you may be surprised at the stories you DON’T hear. After learning about several untimely deaths on Bathhouse Row and the Arlington Resort Hotel during our trip, I expected to learn that some of those spirits were still lingering and roaming around. Instead, most of the haunting ghost tales and tragic deaths we heard on this tour, we learned about for the first time.
At each stop, keep an eye on your canine companions to see if they sense any spirits around. When we stopped at the Bathhouse Emporium, we learned about a murder-suicide that occurred inside. The story was that there was a man who couldn’t stand to be apart from a woman who worked there, but she wasn’t interested in him. After he was forced to leave her alone, he came back and murdered her before killing himself.
My husband was standing with our puppy, Francis, several feet away from me and our dog Emma. After staring intently into the store, Francis started staring at Emma and whining until we joined him. After that, he refused to be away from her for the next few stops. Could he have been influenced by the jealous ghost we had just heard about? It’s a mystery, but it definitely made us wonder!
Let me know if your furry friends do anything out of the ordinary on your tour!
Tips for Bringing Your Dog to Hot Springs Haunted Tours
We took our 3 dogs on the Hot Springs Haunted Tour and put together some tips so you and your furry friends can have a successful visit:
- Keep your pets on a tight leash and be aware of your surroundings. You’ll be walking near and crossing a main street. People, dogs, and vehicles will be passing you throughout the evening. Keep an eye out for your pup so they stay safe and you can prepare them for any surprises coming their way, especially once it gets dark.
- Position yourself with your dog in mind. Pick a spot in your group where your dog will be comfortable. In our case, we stayed on the edge of our group so our dogs had some room to move around when needed and could guide them away from the few guests who weren’t dog people.
- Be prepared for a fast-paced walk. Our dog Emma struggled to keep up when moving between spots with her limp, as did a few humans in the group. We learned to start walking towards the next stop after our guide finished the main story, so we didn’t have to rush her.
Nearby Attractions to the Hot Springs Haunted Tours:
For ideas of places to visit in or close to the Hot Springs Haunted Tours, check out these stops:
Attractions near Hot Springs Haunted Tours
Dog-Friendly Attractions near Hot Springs Haunted Tours
- Gangster Museum of America
- Hot Springs National Park
- Mountain Valley Spring Water Visitor Center and Museum
For a more complete list of things you can do with your four-legged friends, check out our dog-friendly Hot Springs, Arkansas post!
Exploring Hot Springs’ Spooky Side with our Dogs
Hot Springs has some seriously spooky stories, and taking your dog along for this haunted tour will make it even more interesting. Dogs pick up on things we can’t, so when your pup suddenly perks up their ears, stares at an empty corner during your Hot Springs Haunted Tour (or suddenly becomes insistent that their fur sibling remains by their side), it adds to the whole experience.
So, if you’re up for trying something different on your next trip, your four-legged friend might just be the perfect paranormal investigation partner!
Pin For Later:
This sounds like a fun adventure. I bet Francis did pick up on something. We have a ghost tour here in the history district. It’s always fun, and the history that the guides provide is fascinating. Great article, Tiffany!
I think he did! Danny doesn’t. LOL But this was really out of character for him.
This looks the scariest thing ever and I bet you had a blast. I am so glad when things are pet friendly, you do not want your pet left out when you go on holiday (even if I am afraid of ghosts!!!)
This tour sounds like so much fun and creepy but I would not hesitate to do it with Nili. I always love how you share all the details to make another persons life easier if they want to do it. Great post as always thanks
Thanks! We had fun and now I want to take Francis on more ghost tours!!!
I want to do this sooooo bad!! I bet my dogs would bark so hard, they would exorcise all the ghosts! Haha, seriously, I think it’d be a lot of fun and a unique way to get your dog walk in!
LOL. Francis wanted to bark (and did) a few times at people passing by but we were able to quiet him down quickly. Luckily its something we’ve been working on. Since he only barked once or twice, it didn’t disturb anyone.
Oooo…this sounds fun! And I love that dogs are welcome! I bet for sure Francis sensed something! Bravo to Emma, too, for joining in the tour after her ACL surgery (two of my Huskies had that surgery). I bet there were a few chills and thrills on that trip!
I don’t think Emma would have been able to keep up without her stem cell therapy. She’s been able to be so much more active since that happened. I’ve been on other tours that had more ghost stories but this was the first one our dogs reacted on!