Broadway Ghost Stories: Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour

New York City, USA
Duration55m - 1h 20m
Free cancellationFull refund up to 24 hours before
Instant confirmationYour booking is confirmed right away
TicketMobile or paper ticket accepted
LanguagesEnglish
Private tourOnly your group will participate

Overview

A self-guided audio walk to ten stops around Times Square and the Broadway theater district, with the ghost stories told about its theaters. About 1.4 miles (2.3 km) and an hour, in your phone's web browser with no app. Every stop is seen from the street, and theater entry isn't included. Each booking is private, and the walk is made for adults, not for small children.

What's included

  • On-screen route between stops, using your phone's location
  • Opens in your phone's web browser: no app
  • Three or four source links at every stop (36 in all)
  • A card at every stop with a photograph, facts and what to look for
  • Theater entry and show tickets (every stop is seen from the street)
  • A live guide
  • Headphones
  • A phone and mobile data (bring your own)

What to expect

  1. Times Square
    3m
    The walk starts in Duffy Square, the north end of Times Square, by the statue of Father Duffy and the red steps over the TKTS booth. You hear about the ghost light, the one bulb left lit on every Broadway stage at night, and the telling's of what it is for.
  2. 4m
    From the sidewalk you look at the Palace, at Broadway and 47th Street, the Valhalla of Vaudeville from 1913, where Judy Garland's 1951 comeback ran 19 weeks. You hear the stories told of her ghost, and what the actor Ryan Van Den Boom said he heard in a dressing room in 2012.
  3. Lyceum Theatre
    4m · Admission ticket not included
    On West 45th Street you look up at the Lyceum's mansard roof and the penthouse built in it for the impresario Daniel Frohman, whose theater opened in 1903. You hear the story the house manager, Emily Petrain, tells of Mr. Frohman and a paper towel machine that would not stop. (Outside Tour)
  4. 4m · Admission ticket not included
    You hear why the Imperial's white terracotta front on West 45th Street is only 20 feet wide, and why some who have seen odd things here believe Ethel Merman opens its doors. The ballet girls of Billy Elliot told of a spirit in their dressing room, which they named Fred. (Outside Tour)
  5. Al Hirschfeld Theatre
    4m · Admission ticket not included
    Just west of Eighth Avenue on West 45th Street you look up at Al Hirschfeld's neon self-portrait as an inkwell and at the box office panel that still reads Martin Beck Theatre. You hear the story Joanna Gleason tells of the letter M that came back to her dressing room mirror during Into the Woods. (Outside Tour)
  6. New Amsterdam Theater
    3m · Admission ticket not included
    You hear about the New Amsterdam, opened in 1903, later home of the Ziegfeld Follies, reopened by Disney in 1997. Dana Amendola of Disney Theatrical tells of a night guard, a woman in a green beaded gown, and the Ziegfeld Girl the guard picked out from photographs: Olive Thomas. (Outside Tour)
  7. Lyric Theatre
    4m · Admission ticket not included
    You hear about the old Lyric, where Sarah Bernhardt and the Marx Brothers played, and whose narrow three-story arch of 1903 still stands on 42nd Street. You also hear the story told of Clyde Fitch taking a bow at the 1909 opening of his last play, months after his death. (Outside Tour)
  8. Stephen Sondheim Theatre
    4m · Admission ticket not included
    On West 43rd Street you find Henry Miller's Theatre carved high on the 1918 front of today's Stephen Sondheim Theatre, which juts from the glass tower around it. You hear about Miller, and the actor Kevin Duda's story of an elevator that stopped when he said Miller's name. (Outside Tour)
  9. Algonquin Hotel
    4m
    At the Algonquin you find the bronze plaque naming it a National Literary Landmark and hear how the Round Table lunches began here in 1919. You also hear of Dorothy Parker's ashes, buried in 2020, and the story told of her ghost, which guests stopped reporting after the burial.
  10. 4m · Admission ticket not included
    On West 44th Street you look up at the fourth-story rooms built for David Belasco over his 1907 theater, with their Palladian window. You hear the stories told of his ghost watching from the balcony after his death in 1931, and of the white-haired man the actor Daniel Breaker saw. (Outside Tour)

Meeting and pickup

Meeting point

No guide to meet: the walk starts at the Father Duffy statue by the red steps over the TKTS booth, Broadway and Seventh Avenue at West 47th Street. To begin, open the link on your Viator ticket on your phone and follow its steps. Every phone in your group needs the same email and booking reference.

End point

The walk ends on West 44th Street outside the Belasco Theatre, number 111, where you look up at the fourth-story rooms built for David Belasco.

Additional information

  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • Self-guided: no guide meets you. You use your own phone.
  • Times Square sidewalks are crowded and the route crosses busy streets. Watch for traffic while you listen.
  • About 1.4 miles (2.3 km) on foot, outdoors, on city sidewalks.
  • Theater entry isn't included. Every stop is seen from the street.
  • Bring a charged phone with mobile data. Headphones help on busy corners.
  • Several stops point to details high on a building front, such as carved names and roof windows. They are easiest to see in daylight.
  • The narration is in English.
  • Made for adults, not for small children.
  • Curbs and sidewalks along the route haven't been checked for wheelchairs or strollers.

Cancellation policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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$14.99 per person
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  • Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts
  • Instant confirmation
  • You'll choose your date and travelers and pay on viator.com. Prices vary by date, group size and option.
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