Ghost Bus Pub Crawl

San Antonio’s Ghost Bus Pub Crawl mixes old bars and ghost stories with a short ride through the city after dark. You’ll visit the Menger Bar, a Victorian séance-themed watering hole, and Hotel Havana, with a guide shaping the night through character, storytelling, and local lore.

I like the easy three-stop format and the air-conditioned vehicle, especially when you want a lively evening without arranging several bars yourself. I also like that guides such as Lexi, Lady Lex, and Robert bring personality to the outing, with one guide even handling a difficult bar situation calmly and keeping the group moving.

The main drawback is that drinks are not included, and bar locations can change. With a maximum group size of 33, the experience may feel social rather than intimate, so it suits people who enjoy a group night out more than a quiet ghost walk.

Key points at a glance

• The Menger Bar begins the night in one of Texas’s oldest historic bars, giving the crawl a strong sense of place from the start.
• Southtown House of Spirits offers a distinctly theatrical setting, with Victorian furnishings, pink bulbs, electric candles, and a séance theme.
• Hotel Havana adds old-world atmosphere, a basement bar, Cuban and Texan touches, and stories of ghostly guests.
• An air-conditioned bus links the stops, saving you from planning separate rides across San Antonio.
• Guides are central to the experience, with Lexi, Lady Lex, and Robert associated with the tour and praised for lively storytelling and personal attention.
• Admission is included, but alcohol costs extra, so budget for your own drinks at each stop.

A ghostly pub crawl through central San Antonio

This is not a standard bar-hopping shuttle. The point is the mood: historic buildings, dim rooms, odd stories, and a guide who turns a drink in hand into part of a larger tale about San Antonio.

The tour lasts about two to three hours. That gives you roughly 30 minutes at each listed stop, with the bus connecting the venues. The pace is useful if you want to sample several places without spending your entire evening in one bar, but it also means you should not expect a long meal or an extended visit at any single stop.

The experience is offered in English, and your ticket is mobile, which keeps the start simple. You meet at Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours & Oddities Parlor at 204 Alamo Plaza, Suite J. The ride ends behind the Menger Hotel, outside Morton’s The Steakhouse at 300 East Crockett Street.

That start and finish are close to the heart of San Antonio’s central sights. You can treat the crawl as a self-contained evening, or use it as one part of a night around Alamo Plaza and the River Walk. The exact bar locations can change, so check the current details before setting out.

Starting at the Menger Bar

The Menger Bar is a smart first stop because it gives the night an immediate historical anchor. You are not beginning in a generic modern pub. You are entering one of Texas’s oldest and most historical bars, a setting that naturally suits stories about the past, strange happenings, and long-gone patrons.

You have about 30 minutes here, with admission included. That is enough time to take in the room, hear the guide’s opening stories, and order a drink if you wish. It is not enough time for a leisurely meal, so eat beforehand if you need more than bar snacks or drinks.

The Menger is also a practical place to begin because its name and location connect the crawl to San Antonio’s best-known historic core. The finish is nearby as well, so the tour feels tied to the city center rather than spread across distant parts of town.

I would pay attention to the guide’s presentation here. The atmosphere does much of the work, but the storytelling determines how memorable the stop becomes. Lexi has been praised for strong characterization and storytelling, which suggests that the guide may present the evening with a role or persona rather than offering a plain lecture.

Southtown House of Spirits and its séance mood

The second stop changes the tone. Southtown House of Spirits is a Victorian-era séance-themed bar at 727 South Alamo Street in San Antonio’s historic Southtown district. It opened on Halloween 2024 and occupies a second-floor space designed to feel intimate, theatrical, and a little unsettling.

The details are specific: vintage wooden furniture, dim lighting from pink bulbs, and electric candles. That combination gives you a more staged setting than the Menger Bar. If you enjoy atmosphere, this may be the stop you remember most clearly because the design is built around the theme rather than simply being an old room with a story attached.

You get around 30 minutes here. Use that time to look around before settling into conversation. The room’s details are part of the experience, and the low light may make it harder to take in everything quickly.

Southtown also adds a change of neighborhood. The crawl is not confined to Alamo Plaza, and the move into the Southtown district gives the bus ride a practical purpose. You are seeing different parts of San Antonio while staying with the evening’s ghostly theme.

One unusual detail from the night is the possibility of unusual creatures being part of the entertainment. A tarantula unexpectedly appeared during one outing, and one participant especially enjoyed it. That does not mean you should expect a tarantula on every date, but it does signal that the tour can include oddities beyond ghost stories. If spiders make you uneasy, this is worth keeping in mind before booking.

Hotel Havana, cocktails, and old-world shadows

Hotel Havana supplies the final major mood shift. Built in 1914 on San Antonio’s River Walk, this boutique hotel is known for vintage furnishings and an eerie atmosphere. Stories of ghostly guests lingering in the halls fit the building’s age and style without needing much extra decoration.

The hotel’s basement bar was once a speakeasy and now serves craft cocktails in a dim, intimate room. That makes it a fitting final stop, since the evening moves from historic bar to séance-themed lounge to a more polished hotel setting with its own past.

Hotel Havana also includes Ocho, the on-site restaurant. Its candlelit room blends Cuban and Texan influences, giving you a different visual and cultural flavor from the earlier stops. The provided schedule identifies Hotel Havana as a stop, but bar locations can change, so do not assume that every visit will use exactly the same room.

Again, plan on about 30 minutes. That is enough to order a cocktail and enjoy the setting, but not a full dinner. If you want to eat at Ocho, confirm the current arrangements before the tour rather than counting on the crawl to provide time for a meal.

The hotel is a good ending because it lets you choose your level of interest. You can focus on the ghost stories, the building’s character, or the drink itself. The crawl does not force you to take the supernatural claims literally. You can enjoy them as local folklore while appreciating the architecture and atmosphere.

Why the guide matters more than the bus

The vehicle gets you from place to place, but the guide is the heart of the night. A pub crawl can easily become a series of entrances, orders, and departures. The guide gives those transitions a point.

Lexi has been singled out for characterization and storytelling. Lady Lex and Robert have also been associated with a well-run outing. One especially useful sign is the way Lexi handled a problem with a hotel bar manager. The situation involved a venue the tour regularly visited with permission, yet the manager was rude. Instead of letting the tension spoil the group’s evening, she handled it calmly and kept the experience on track.

That matters because bar-based tours depend on changing conditions. A venue may be busy, a room may be unavailable, or staff may not be ready for a group. A composed guide can turn an awkward pause into part of the evening rather than allowing it to dominate the night.

You should also expect a social style of guiding. One guide made time for a personal conversation about real-life experiences, an uncommon touch on a group outing. That does not guarantee a private conversation for everyone, but it suggests that the best part of the evening may come from the interaction between guide and group, not only from the scheduled stops.

What the bus adds to the evening

The air-conditioned vehicle is more useful than it may first sound. San Antonio can be warm, and moving between the central city and Southtown in a private group vehicle is easier than arranging rides after every drink.

The bus also keeps the party together. You do not need to navigate to the next bar, search for parking, or decide who will call a car. You meet at the specified start point, ride between stops, and finish behind the Menger Hotel outside Morton’s.

The maximum group size is 33. That is not a small private tour, and you should expect a shared outing with a mix of personalities. A larger group can make the bus ride more sociable, but it may also mean less one-to-one time with the guide and more waiting when the group enters or leaves a bar.

The transport arrangement also supports responsible drinking. Since the group moves together by bus, you are not expected to drive between venues. Still, you remain responsible for your own alcohol choices, and drinks are purchased separately.

Drinks, timing, and the real value

The tour price is not provided here, so I cannot judge the exact fare. The practical value comes from three things: the guide, admission to the stops, and transport between them. If you would otherwise pay for several rides and spend time researching historic or themed bars, the bundled format can be worthwhile.

Alcoholic drinks are not included. That is important when planning your budget. You can choose what to order at each stop, but the cost of cocktails, beer, or other drinks comes on top of the tour price.

The roughly two to three hour duration is a good fit for an evening add-on. It is long enough to create a proper night out, but short enough to leave room for dinner before or after. The 30-minute stop pattern keeps the night moving, though people who prefer lingering over one carefully made cocktail may find the schedule brisk.

I would eat before the tour unless you have confirmed that food is available and that the timing allows it. The supplied schedule focuses on drinks and storytelling, not a sit-down meal.

Who will enjoy this most

I would recommend the crawl to you if you like history with a playful edge. It suits people who enjoy hearing ghost stories in the places connected to them, rather than listening to tales in a plain vehicle or on an ordinary sidewalk.

It is also a good choice for a group celebrating together. The bar settings, short stops, and unusual themes give friends plenty to talk about. The tarantula detail shows that the evening may include oddities that are not strictly part of the ghost narrative, which can be fun for people who like surprises.

Couples may enjoy the atmosphere at Hotel Havana and Southtown House of Spirits, especially if they prefer a themed evening to a formal tour. Families should consider the bar-centered format carefully, since the stops focus on alcoholic beverages and nightlife.

This may not suit you if you want a quiet, scholarly account of San Antonio’s past. The tone appears theatrical and social, and the group can include up to 33 people. It is also not ideal if you want a slow meal, a private guide, or certainty that every visit will use the same bar room.

Practical details before you reserve

You receive confirmation when booking, and the experience is available with a mobile ticket. The tour is offered in English. It is near public transportation, and most people can participate.

Cancellation is free if you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time. Cancellations made less than 24 hours ahead do not receive a refund, and changes inside that window are not accepted.

The experience requires good weather. If poor weather causes cancellation, you can receive a different date or a full refund. A minimum number of participants is also required. If that minimum is not met, you will be offered another date or experience, or a full refund.

Meet at Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours & Oddities Parlor, 204 Alamo Plaza, Suite J, San Antonio. The bus drops you behind the Menger Hotel, outside Morton’s The Steakhouse, at 300 East Crockett Street.

Should you book the Ghost Bus Pub Crawl?

Book it if you want San Antonio nightlife with a haunted twist, enjoy lively guides, and value having transportation between three very different settings. The Menger Bar gives you historic weight, Southtown House of Spirits supplies theatrical atmosphere, and Hotel Havana finishes with vintage charm and a basement bar.

Skip it if you dislike group tours, do not plan to buy drinks, or want long visits at each venue. The strongest reason to book is not simply the promise of ghosts. It is the combination of characterful places, a capable guide such as Lexi or Robert, and an easy bus ride that turns several separate stops into one organized evening.

FAQ

How long does the Ghost Bus Pub Crawl last?

The experience lasts approximately two to three hours.

Where does the tour begin?

It begins at Sisters Grimm Ghost Tours & Oddities Parlor, 204 Alamo Plaza, Suite J, San Antonio, Texas 78205.

Where does the tour end?

The bus drops you behind the Menger Hotel outside Morton’s The Steakhouse at 300 East Crockett Street, San Antonio.

Which bars are included?

The planned stops are Menger Bar, Southtown House of Spirits, and Hotel Havana. Bar locations can change.

Is admission to the stops included?

Yes. Admission tickets for the listed stops are included.

Are alcoholic drinks included?

No. Alcoholic beverages are not included in the tour price.

Is transportation provided between the bars?

Yes. The experience includes an air-conditioned vehicle.

What language is the tour offered in?

The tour is offered in English.

How many people can join the tour?

The experience can have a maximum of 33 participants.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations made less than 24 hours before the start time are not refunded.