Hoppa ranked American cities by ghost-tour availability, haunted-trip search volume, and average October hotel prices. Savannah won. Here’s where the data points — and why it matters for your October travel plans.
Where The Dead Draw The Most Tourists
Savannah leads a ranking that treats ghost tourism like the legitimate travel industry it has become.
Ghost tourism has measurable demand — enough that travel platform Hoppa built a ranking around it. Their analysis reportedly scored U.S. cities across three factors: Tripadvisor-listed ghost tours, search volume for haunted trips, and average October hotel prices. Savannah, Georgia, came out on top with a score of 8.97 out of 10, driven by the highest haunted-trip search volume in the study, according to Hoppa’s findings.
- Savannah, GA — 8.97/10 — 61 Tripadvisor ghost tours listed; candlelit walks and trolley tours from approximately $39
- St. Augustine, FL — 8.85/10 — founded in 1565; among the lowest average October hotel prices in the top three
- New Orleans, LA — third place — 149 Tripadvisor ghost tours listed (the highest count of any city studied); French Quarter, voodoo, and cemetery experiences from approximately $33
- Gettysburg, PA — 7.69/10 — Civil War battlefield history central to its ghost-tour offerings
- San Antonio, TX — 6.80/10 — affordable October hotels; more than a dozen listed ghost tours
Savannah Vs. St. Augustine: Atmosphere Versus Affordability
The top two destinations serve different traveler priorities — and the gap between them is less than two-tenths of a point.
Savannah’s 61-tour menu spans supernatural history outings, haunted pub crawls, and trolley rides through squares draped in Spanish moss — enough variety to fill several nights without repeating a format. St. Augustine makes a quieter but practical case: when hotel cost is one of three ranking factors, affordability isn’t a footnote. Founded in 1565, it carries deep colonial-era ghost lore and reportedly competes on atmosphere while delivering on price.
New Orleans is its own argument entirely. With 149 Tripadvisor-listed ghost tours — the most of any city in the study, according to Hoppa — the city operates less like a single haunted destination and more like a full ecosystem of organized supernatural tourism. Voodoo tours, vampire walks, cemetery excursions, and French Quarter history crawls all coexist in one dense, atmospheric grid.
The Travel Math That Matters In October
Book early — average October hotel prices were one reason these cities ranked where they did.
Tour volume and atmosphere point toward Savannah. Budget considerations narrow the gap quickly in favor of St. Augustine. For the deepest catalog of organized ghost experiences, New Orleans’ 149 listed tours make a compelling case. Hoppa’s data reflects averages, not guarantees, and October prices shift with demand. Whatever the destination, the infrastructure for a genuinely atmospheric autumn trip is there — the only decision is which ghost story to follow.
