Haunted Ohio Statehouse Tours

The Haunted Ohio Statehouse Tours are back at The Ohio Statehouse on Friday and Saturday nights, October 16-17 and 23-24, 2026. It's a fall tradition that mixes history, hauntings, and Halloween inside the people's house, and if you've never done it, it's a good way to see the building after hours.

On these tours, a conductor leads you through the dimly lit limestone corridors by oil lantern light. Along the way, you'll see Lincoln's ghost among the historical exhibits, pass the ghost of President Lincoln in an unfinished dance with Kate Chase—daughter of former Ohio Governor Salmon P. Chase—hear and see a weeping lady in gray, and glimpse a green, ghostly President felled by an assassin's bullet. The tour is recommended for ages 12 and up.

The Statehouse itself is at 1 Capitol Square in downtown Columbus, part of the Capitol Square complex alongside the Senate Building and Atrium. These buildings are still working government offices and monuments to the period when Ohio's democracy was founded. The House and Senate Chambers are kept locked and are only viewable during guided tours, so this is one of the few times you'll actually get inside them.

Tours run every half hour between 7 PM and 8:30 PM on those Friday and Saturday nights. If you've got younger kids, there's also a free Trick-or-Treat Tour on October 30, 2026, from 10 AM to 11 AM—costumes are encouraged, and children need to be accompanied by an adult.