Morbid Seattle Tours

Do you like things that are off-beat, a bit creepy or macabre? Do you seek out the unusual for entertainment? If so, exploring the more morbid side of Seattle's history will keep you fascinated for hours. Beyond the often-present gray skies and overcast weather, there are several sites in and around the city of Seattle that can inform and enrich, bringing a touch of spooky to go along with the educational. Infamous serial killer Ted Bundy had a period of activity and residency in Seattle, as did the Green River killer, one of the most prolific and shocking criminals in US history. And let's not forget Seattle's vibrant Zombie community.

This Hub will show you some places you can go on your own or connect you up with some locals who give tours that take a look into the darker side of Seattle...

Whether you like old sites, hauntings or spots that are just sort of creepy, Seattle has lots of offer. Founded around 1851, the city suffered a massive fire in 1889 that burned pretty much everything to the ground. One of the results of this is a neat modern tour of "underground Seattle" where you can walk around in some of the basements and subbasements that date back to the original construction.

Seattle also boasts one of the oldest, continuous operating farmer's markets in the US, and along with that pedigree, Pike Place Market has some ghosts of its own. Whether you are touring creepy spots above or below ground in Seattle, remember to wear sensible footwear and bring along rain gear no matter what time of year. For night tours, bring along your own flashlight.

And let's not forget the fun but ooky too.  The Fremont Troll is a somewhat creepy sculpture that can be found lurking under the bridge in the Fremont neighborhood, and he's even got his own celebration at Halloween time.

Nothing seems to bring a universal mixture of creepiness and fascination that way that old graveyards do, and Seattle's got a few fantastic spots to check out!

Historic Lake View Cemetery is where you can find the graves of many of Seattle's founding families, along with celebrities Bruce and Brandon Lee. Father and son both died tragically early and have been laid to rest side by side. Famous 90s rocker Kurt Cobain was cremated following his death, so there isn't a grave to visit, but many fans do like to stop by the house where he died, located alongside Lake Washington.

If you don't mind traveling a bit outside the city, 60s guitar virtuoso Jimi Hendrix was laid to rest in Renton, WA at Greenwood Cemetery.  For many years, the musician's fans visited and found a simple headstone, but more recently the grave was moved from the original burial site to another part of the cemetery and a larger and more elaborate memorial was constructed.

After doing one of the ghost tours with Private Eye Tours, we had so much fun that my friends and I decided we'd go on the murder and mystery tour that they offer. These tours take place in the afternoon (the ghost tours are at night) and again it was in a van, so you got to literally cover a lot of ground. There are several stops where you get out and get to take a close look at some of the notorious or famous locations.

This tour covers more of the modern mysteries in Seattle, with details of both solved and unsolved crimes and strange happenings. Most of the events are post-World War II but only a hardcore local who kept their ear to the ground would even remember half of what you learn about on this tour.