Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between your pub crawls and regular walking tours?

Themed Pub Crawls; including our "Bootleggers Ball: Historical and Haunted Pub Crawl," and "Grim Philly's: Nightmare Around Christmas" pub crawl are a little more social than our other tours so run considerably longer to allow time for both the information, as well as socialization. While you will generally find our regular walking tours to be overflowing with non-stop information, pub crawls are designed to dispurse that information over a much more lengthy period of time to allow for maximum socialization within an inviting and guided enviornment to mingle with friends old and new through organized fun, drinking games, and of course information sprinkled throughout.

Timeing:

Ticket collection begins around 6:30 PM, and once an accuaate head count is assertained drinks will be then poured and handed out, and the first of our historical information will begin inside that first tavern stop where we met sometime after 7:00 pm. At the end of the informational portion additional drink prizes will be given away and time for consuming them and/or any additional drinks anyone should decide to purchase on special will be allowed for.

Arriving late to the bar?

Late comers are fully accomadated as the tour will not depart from our first tavern stop until around 8:00 pm; though those arriving late will have missed essentially one third of the tour. The final stop is not reached until close to 10:00 pm.

Pub crawls are designed to be an weekend evening out primarily to socialize while enjoying interspersed entertainment, histories, beverage and food samples, as well as give-a-ways, and additional drinks for discount with friends old and new.

How long are your regular walking tours?

Our "Vampire, Sex, Ghost" tour lasts roughly 1 hour 45 min. Depending on the guide and the size of the group, it can range from 1 hour 30 min. to 2 hours.

Our "Cemetery, Serial Killers; Blood & Beer" tour lasts about 2 hours 30 min. and then additional time can be spent enjoying beer samples and appetizers at th tavern. Depending on the guide and the size of the group, it can range from 2 hours 15 min. to 2 hours 45 min. before arriving at the tavern.

Our ‘Midnight Ghost Hunting' tour runs about 2 hours.

Grim Philly "Kiddie Tours" are by appointment only, and can vary in length according to your own request, though we recommend strongly a shorter length than most of our others as these are geared to children whose attention spans may not be that of an adult.

Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour starts so that the guide
has time to collect everyone’s tickets and start the tour on time.

What times are your tours?

Times and days tours are offered often vary month to month so please do consult our tourcalendar for details.

In general though:

Our "Vampire, Sex, & Ghost" tours will run at 7:00 pm Fridays and Saturdays with additional days added and select 9:30 and 5:00 pm times periodically added to accomadate overflow.

Our "Cemetery, Serial Killers; Blood & Beer"tour runs Saturdays and Sundays at 2:30 pm with earlier times at 12:30 pm Saturdays, and other times as demand necessitates.
Our "Midnight Ghost Hunting" tour departs 11:00 pm the last Friday of every month.

"Benny’s Haunts: Pyratt, Ghost & Historical Oddity" tour is by appointment only, so you the customer will decide upon time and day.

Please arrive 15 minutes before your tour starts so that the guide has time to collect everyone’s tickets and start the tour on time.

Where do your tours begin and end?

“Vampires, Sex, & Ghosts," tours begin in front of the doors at the Independence Visitors Center at the NE corner of 6th and Market Sts. and end at Welcome Park which is on 2nd St. between Walnut and Chestnut Streets, across from City Tavern.

"Cemetery, Serial Killers; Blood & Beer" tours begin in front of the doors at the Independence Visitors Center at the NE corner of 6th and Market Streets and ends at Mexican Post Tavern at roughly 2nd and Front Streets (104 Chestnut Street).

"Midnight Ghost Hunting" tours begin at Mexican Post Tavern at roughly 2nd and Front Streets (104 Chestnut Street) and ends at Washington Square. The entrance to Washington Square is at 6th and Walnut Streets.

Pub Crawls; both our "Bootlegger's Ball" and Nightmare Before Christmas" tours will begin at Mexican Post Tavern 104 Chestnut Street.

Are the tours walking tours?

Yes, all of the Grim Philly tours are walking tours. They cover 4-8 blocks, depending on the tour, at a leisurely pace with occasional opportunities for sitting.

Are there restrooms along the tour route?

Although you will find more than enough opportunity to use restrooms along our pub crawls, restroom availability is limited to the beginning and end of our tour routes on our “Cemetery, Serial Killers; Blood & Beer” tour, and at only the beginning of our “Midnight Ghost Hunting” tours. Our primary time of departure for our “Vampires, Sex, & Ghost” tours have been coordinated to begin at 7:00 PM, which is the regular closing time for most of the summer for the Independence Visitor Center where we depart from so that customers will be able to use the restrooms or purchase drinks, snacks, umbrellas, etc before departure provided they are on time. Unfortunately as Visitor Center hours are seasonal the Center will not be opened when we depart in fall, or for our later 9:30 tour times. It would be thus wise then to come prepared having used the restroom before arrival.

Where Should I Park?

"Vampires, Sex, Ghosts;" "Cemetery, Serial Killers; Blood &
Beer."

Though metered street parking is available, it is not recommended as the Philadelphia Parking Authority is quit diligent about ticketing expired meters, and there is no guarantee of arriving back to your vehicle before expiration.

When attending either our "Vampires, Sex, Ghost" or "Cemetery, Serial Killers; Blood & Beer" tours the most convenient, and safest bet for parking is at the 24-hour Independence Visitor Center AutoPark Garage at the corner of 6th and Market Streets where the tour will actually begin. Those arriving in after 5:00 pm for our "Vamp..." tours will find reduced evening rates ordinarily under $10 as well. For rates and information please see Independence Visitor Center for details.

Independence Visitor Center address is as follows:

599 Market Street, 1 N. Independence Mall West, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

GPS Location: 41 North 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106.

Pub Crawls and Ghost Hunts

As our Pub Crawls and Ghost Hunts do not begin from the Visitor Center; but rather, from the bar your best bet for parking will be one of the numerous outdoor lots located within walking distance of Front and Chestnut Streets from where those tours begin. Options for parking lots are plentiful, and again, metered street parking is definitely not recommended for the same reasons mentioned above.

Should I purchase tickets in advance or can I just show up and purchase tickets before the tour?

We prefer that our customers purchase tickets in advance so that we can have an accurate head count for the guides. It is possible to purchase tickets at the Independence Visitor Center the day of the tour; hours however are seasonal, and IVCC may be closed if you intend to come out to one of the “Vampires, Sex, & Ghost” tours. The Visitor Center generally closes at 5:00 PM in spring and fall, and 7:00 P.M. during summer months.

How do I purchase a ticket online?

To purchase a ticket for the tour, go to GrimPhilly.com and click on
the “Book Now” icon on the home page. From there you will be able to scroll through the interactive calendar to select the tour, date, and time of your choice. At the bottom of the page, enter the quantity of tickets you want to buy and finish the checkout process. Be sure to bring confirmation of the purchase to your tour. If you can pull up the confirmation on your phone to show the guide, then you do not have to print it out.

How do I register with a discount voucher?

To register for the tour, go to GrimPhilly.com and click on the “Registration/Calendar" icon on the left-hand side of the Home Page. From there you will be able to scroll through the interactive calendar to select the tour, date, and time of your choice. You will want then to select the “Discount Voucher Registration” option for $0.00 where no fee will be charged. Since you have already paid for your voucher you will NOT want to enter any "promotional" code for discounts, so when this first prompt appears you will simply select "continue" below the prompt to go to the next screenwhere you will enter an email address and contact information for each person that you will be including in your pre-paid voucher, and be sure to bring your pre-paid vouchers with you to your tour so you will not be charged full price at the time of your tour! Be sure to bring confirmation of the registration as well as the discount voucher coupon page that has the barcode. If you can pull up the discount voucher coupon barcode page on your phone to show the guide, then you do not have to print it out. If the company offering you the discount voucher doesn’t give out a page with a barcode, bring or be able to pull up the page with the order number.

I tried to register my discount voucher, but it seems there is no availability. My voucher is about to expire – what can I do?

To register for the tour, go to www.GrimPhilly.com, tours & reservations, calendar & booking, click the tour you would like on the calendar, click on tix & info next to the tour you would like. At the bottom of the page, under discount voucher registration, enter quantity as ‘1’ per voucher (not per person).

Selecting discount voucher registration is an option for every tour, but as the season winds down, tours do tend to fill up, particularly around Halloween. Continue to search for a day and time when the tour you are interested in is available. (The only way to see which tours have discount voucher availability is to try to register a discount voucher for the tour.) If there are absolutely no available slots for the tour you want on the days/times that work for you, we will credit you for one regular price of admission. Next season, at www.GrimPhilly.com, you will be able purchase one regular price ticket for any of our three tours and use your voucher as a second ‘ticket’ to bring another person free of charge.

When you register for the tour you want, be sure to bring confirmation of the registration fee payment as well as the discount voucher coupon page that has the barcode. If you can pull up the discount voucher coupon barcode page on your phone to show the guide, then you do not have to print it out. If the company that offered you the discount voucher does not have a barcode page, bring or be able to pull up the page with the order number.

My voucher has expired or is about to expire. Will I lose the amount I spent?

We’re sorry to hear that your voucher expired before you had a chance to use it, but we will credit you for one regular price of admission. At www.GrimPhilly.com, you can purchase one regular price ticket for any of our three tours (‘Vampires, Sex, Ghosts,’ ‘Cemetery, Serial Killers, Blood & Beer,’ or ‘Benny’s Haunts: Pyratt, Ghosts, and Historical Oddity Tour’) and use your voucher as a second ‘ticket’ to bring another person free of charge.

I have a discount voucher. Do I need to register for the tour before the expiration date or attend the tour before the expiration date?

You would need to complete your tour before the expiration date. To register for the tour, go to www.GrimPhilly.com, tours &reservations, calendar & booking, click the tour you would like on the calendar, click on tix & info next to the tour you would like. At the bottom of the page, under discount voucher registration, enter quantity as ‘1’ per voucher (not per person). Be sure to bring confirmation of the registration fee payment as well as the discount voucher coupon page that has the barcode. If you can pull up the discount voucher coupon barcode page on your phone to show the guide, then you do not have to print it out. If the company that offered you the discount voucher does not have a barcode page, then bring or be able to pull up the page with the order number.

If you are absolutely unable to make it out on any of the available days or times before the voucher expires, we will credit you for one regular price of admission. At www.GrimPhilly.com, you can purchase one regular price ticket for any of our three tours (‘Vampires, Sex, Ghosts,’ ‘Cemetery, Serial Killers, Blood & Beer,’ or ‘Benny’s Haunts: Pyratt, Ghosts, and Historical Oddity Tour’) and use your voucher as a second ‘ticket’ to bring another person free of charge.

Will the tour be cancelled because of rain?

All of the Grim Philly tours run rain or shine, as participants are often tourists who would not have another chance to take the tour. If you don’t want to take the tour in the rain, you have the option of rescheduling your tour for a $5 fee per ticket or voucher. To reschedule a tour, go to www.GrimPhilly.com, tours &reservations, calendar & booking, click the tour you would like on the calendar, click on tix & info next to the tour you would like. At the bottom of the page, enter quantity as "1" per voucher (not per person) or per ticket next to ‘rescheduling fee.’

Be sure to bring confirmation of the rescheduling fee payment as well as the discount voucher coupon page that has the barcode. If you can pull up the discount voucher coupon barcode page on your phone to show the guide, then you do not have to print it out. If the company that offered you the discount voucher does not have a barcode page, bring or be able to pull up the page with the order number. If you did not purchase a discount voucher, please bring your proof of purchase.

How do I reschedule a tour?

You always have the option of rescheduling a tour for a $5 fee per ticket or voucher. To reschedule, go to www.GrimPhilly.com, tours & reservations, calendar & booking, click the tour you would like on the calendar, click on tix & info next to the tour you would like. At the bottom of the page, enter quantity as "1" per voucher (not per person) or per ticket next to ‘rescheduling fee.’

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Please feel free to contact us with any further questions or concerns you may have. We look forward to seeing you out on a tour!