Ghost City Tours runs the Murder in Music City Night-Time Ghost Walking Tour through downtown Nashville, Tennessee, every evening at 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM — and it sells out nightly.
What to Expect
This is not a honky-tonk bar crawl. For 90 minutes, a guide leads a group of adults through the streets of downtown Nashville, stopping at landmarks tied to the city's documented history of murders, organised crime, and Civil War-era violence. The tour covers locations including the Maxwell House Hotel, the Wilcox Building, and the grounds of the Tennessee State Capitol — each connected to stories from Nashville's documented brutal past.
The Maxwell House Hotel alone carries a grim legacy stretching back through multiple eras of Nashville history. The Tennessee State Capitol area saw violence during the Civil War occupation of the city, and the Wilcox Building has its own darker chapters. The tour weaves together mob activity, unsolved murders, and the kind of history that rarely makes it onto the official tourism brochures.
> The tour is rated for ages 16 and over. No hotel pickup is provided — this is a meet-on-location experience.
Meeting Point
The tour meets at the Alvin York Statue, located at 471–599 6th Avenue North, adjacent to the Tennessee State Capitol (553 Charlotte Ave), Nashville, TN 37243. Arrive a few minutes early — guides leave on time, and the groups fill up fast.
Tour Details at a Glance
- **Operator:** Ghost City Tours
- **Duration:** 90 minutes
- **Start times:** 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM nightly
- **Age restriction:** 16 and over
- **Meeting point:** Alvin York Statue, 6th Ave N, Nashville
- **Hotel pickup:** Not included
- **Pricing:** Contact the operator or check the booking page for current adult pricing
Why Nashville?
Nashville's reputation is built on music, but the city has another history running underneath the neon and the steel guitar. During the Civil War, Nashville was one of the first major Southern cities to fall under Union control, and the occupation brought with it violence, displacement, and death that left marks on its buildings and streets. Later decades brought organised crime and murders that the city's boosters have largely preferred to forget.
The Murder in Music City tour exists precisely to excavate those stories — to walk the same streets where documented crimes took place and hear the history that shaped the city before Broadway got a rooftop bar.
Who Runs the Tour?
Ghost City Tours is one of the United States' most established ghost and true crime walking tour operators, with active tours in multiple cities. Their Nashville offering is listed and bookable through both their own website and third-party platforms including Viator and TripAdvisor, where it carries verified traveller reviews.
You can book directly through Ghost City Tours at ghostcitytours.com or by calling 855-999-0491. The tour is also available to browse and book via the Nashville Crime Tours listing on Viator, where you can compare it with other crime and ghost experiences in the city.
Practical Advice
Nashville's evenings in summer are warm and humid — wear comfortable shoes and light layers. The tour is entirely on foot across downtown streets, so flat, sturdy footwear is strongly recommended over anything you'd wear on Broadway. The 10:00 PM slot means you'll finish close to midnight, so factor in transport back to your accommodation in advance, particularly if you're not staying within walking distance of the Capitol area.
Because both time slots sell out regularly, booking in advance is advised rather than turning up hoping for a spot.
A Note on the Neighbouring Tour
A separate Nashville True Crime Tours experience — not affiliated with Ghost City Tours — also operates in the city, departing from near the Hermitage Hotel. That tour runs 120 minutes and focuses specifically on true crime rather than ghost history. The two are distinct products with different routes, operators, and formats. If your interest is strictly documented criminal cases without the supernatural framing, that alternative is worth investigating separately at nashvilletruecrimetours.com.
For the Murder in Music City experience — mob history, documented murders, Civil War haunts, and Nashville's landmarks after dark — Ghost City Tours remains the confirmed, bookable option running every night of the week.