The Devil in the White City Bus Tour

What Our Customers Say

What To Expect

The Devil In The White City Bus Tour was founded by Ursula Bielski, famed Chicago ghostlore historian who literally wrote the book on hauntings related to H.H. Holmes and The Devil In The White City!

Tour Highlights

• ▸Start your adventure at the Congress Plaza Hotel, notoriously one of the most haunted spots in Chicago and originally built as the Auditorium Annex to house the masses who would attend the 1893 Columbian Exposition at the World's Fair.
  • –Presidents Grover Cleveland, Teddy Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt have all stayed in this magnificent piece of Windy City history. It's also the spot where The Devil In The White City himself, H.H. Holmes would collect potential victims that he could bring back to his Murder Castle.
• ▸Venture to Chicago's original Millionaire's Row, Prairie Avenue. On the National Register of Historic Places, this street was the home of Gilded Age mansions belonging to the likes of Marshall Field (department stores), George Pullman (the railroad sleeping car), and Philip Armour (of the hot dogs fame!)
  • –Discover secrets and scandals in this area from the late Nineteenth Century.
• ▸Visit the only building remaining standing on the old 1893 Fairgrounds in Chicago's Jackson Park today: the former Palace of Fine Arts, which now houses the spectacular Museum of Science and Industry.
  • –Could the bowler-hatted, mustachioed man seen walking the Yesterday's Main Street exhibit be the ghost of Herman Webster Mudgett (the real name of H.H. Holmes?) And that's just one of the ghosts that people have seen...

Itinerary

Meet your guide at Congress Plaza Hotel — Inside the bar at the Congress Plaza Hotel — 520 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605.

1. 1

   Congress Plaza Hotel

   One of the city's most haunted locations, it's the perfect spot to grab a drink before or after the tour.

2. 2

   Museum of Science and Industry

   The last building standing from the 1893 Columbian Exposition at the World's Fair features strange ghosts from a sailor to a little girl to perhaps the Devil In The White City himself.

3. 3

   Jackson Park Lagoon

   Walk the World's Fairgrounds and discover the spirit that people see wandering near this beautiful site...

4. 4

   The former site of the Murder Castle

   The former killing grounds of H.H. Holmes, the Murder Castle was the building that he designed to his malignant specifications, a place of traps, sorrow, and no return.

5. 5

   Union Stockyards Gate

   This massive limestone gate heralds a time when Chicago was the meatpacking capital of the world, notably memorialized in Upton Sinclair's famous account The Jungle. This perfect photo spot also features the city's memorial to its brave firefighters.

6. 6

   And much, much more...

Important Info

• ▸Wear comfortable shoes and warm clothing, and bring a poncho or umbrella (in case of rain) for our walk through the former fairgrounds of Jackson Park. Walking is minimal.
• ▸We recommend using SpotHero to save you time near the Congress Plaza Hotel.
• ▸The tour group meets in the Congress Lounge bar inside the hotel.
• ▸Because this is a limited capacity tour, all sales are final. But we will reschedule you if you have an emergency.
• ▸Service animals are welcome. However, for liability issues, please leave your furry friends at home if you don't require their assistance.
• ▸The bus is not wheelchair-friendly. Please check our walking routes as an alternative.

Meeting Point

Inside the bar at the Congress Plaza Hotel (520 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60605)

Frequently Asked Questions