Haunted Pub Crawl

Sitka’s Haunted Pub Crawl mixes old Alaska crimes, cemetery tales, working bars, and local drinks into one compact walking tour. The route begins at Harrigan Centennial Hall, passes through the Moose Lodge and Pioneer Bar, and ends at Ernie’s Old Time Saloon, where an infamous late-1800s murder sets the mood.

I like the small private-group format, since your party gets the guide’s attention instead of being folded into a large crowd. I also like the way the tour uses real Sitka places, including a former gambling hall, a fisherman’s bar, and a saloon tied to a murder story. The main catch is simple: this is a walking tour with alcohol, not a theatrical ghost show, and you may hear plenty of spirits without seeing one.

Key points to know before you book

• Three distinct drinking stops: The Moose Lodge, Pioneer Bar, and Ernie’s Old Time Saloon each have a different past and feel.
• One drink is included: Your first alcoholic drink at the private club is covered in the $75 price.
• A history-first ghost tour: Expect stories about soldiers, fishermen, murder, local characters, and Sitka’s old streets.
• Private and age restricted: Only your group takes part, and every participant must be at least 21 with valid ID.
• A manageable but real walk: You should be able to walk about a half-mile and handle 10 stairs.
• A guide who adds local flavor: Emily and Dr. Emily Davis are named in the tour’s responses, and the guide is described as friendly, professional, and full of Sitka stories.

Starting at Harrigan Centennial Hall at 1 p.m.

Your afternoon begins at 330 Harbor Drive, outside Harrigan Centennial Hall. This is more than a simple meeting point. You sign in here, show your ID, and hear the opening haunted tale before setting out.

The check-in matters because this is an adults-only activity. You must be at least 21, carry valid identification, sign a waiver, and arrive without having consumed alcohol. The rule may feel strict for a pub walk, but it keeps the group organized and gives the guide a clear starting point.

Plan on about 15 minutes here. That leaves roughly an hour and 45 minutes for the pubs, street walking, and stories. The 1 p.m. start also gives you a daytime look at Sitka before the tales turn toward murder and restless spirits.

The first story sets the tone. This is not presented as a haunted-house attraction with actors and props. Instead, the guide uses Sitka’s buildings, streets, and local characters as the material. If you enjoy history with a supernatural edge, that approach should suit you. If you want jump scares, you may find the mood too restrained.

The Moose Lodge and Sitka’s secret gambling past

The first major stop is the Moose Lodge, a private club with a past linked to a secret gambling hall during Alaska’s early territory days. Here, you hear about soldiers who passed through and the fate that awaited some of them.

This stop gives the tour its strongest sense of old frontier Alaska. Gambling, military movement, private clubs, and uncertain justice all fit the setting. The stories are tied to a real place rather than delivered as a general lecture about ghosts, which helps make the history easier to picture.

Your first alcoholic drink is included here. That makes the stop especially useful for judging the $75 price. You are not paying only for a guided walk through public streets. Part of the admission covers access to the private club and a drink, along with the guide’s storytelling.

The drink element also brings a practical limit. You need to pace yourself. You still have more walking, stairs, and at least two more bars ahead. Since you must arrive sober, the experience begins as a guided history walk and gradually becomes a pub crawl.

The stop lasts about 30 minutes. That is long enough for a few stories and a drink without turning the whole afternoon into a single-room visit. The private-group format should help here, since the guide can keep the pace suited to your party.

Walking past the Russian Cemetery toward Pioneer Bar

After the Moose Lodge, the route takes you beyond the Russian Cemetery toward Pioneer Bar. The cemetery adds a natural shift in mood. Even without a ghostly sighting, a walk near old burial grounds gives the stories a stronger connection to the people and time periods being discussed.

Pioneer Bar is described as an established fisherman’s bar, and its walls are covered with hundreds of fishing photographs. That detail gives the stop a clear identity. You are not simply entering another drinking place. You are seeing a room shaped by Sitka’s fishing life, with faces, boats, and local memories filling the walls.

The guide tells stories about colorful Sitka characters and the ways they are said to remain connected to the bar. The result is less polished tourist theater and more of a local-history conversation held in an authentic setting.

This is one of the tour’s best features for anyone who wants to see how people lived and worked in Alaska. The bar’s photographs provide a visual record that can say as much as the ghost stories. You get a look at the working side of town, not only the historic buildings most visitors seek out.

The stop takes about 30 minutes. Drinks here are not listed as included, so you should expect the covered beverage to be the first one at the Moose Lodge. If you want additional drinks, budget accordingly.

The walking distance is modest, but the route is not entirely about getting from one bar to the next. You are also hearing stories along the way and passing places tied to Sitka’s past. Wear shoes that feel comfortable on town streets, and keep your stamina in mind if you have mobility concerns.

Ernie’s Old Time Saloon and an 1800s murder

The final saloon stop is Ernie’s Old Time Saloon, linked to an infamous murder from the late 1800s. This is where the tour’s darker material comes forward. You hear about the crime and the many spirits said to visit the old saloon while enjoying crafted cocktails.

The appeal here is the combination of setting and story. A murder tale told inside the place associated with it has more force than the same story told in a generic meeting room. The saloon gives the guide a physical backdrop, and the drink provides a relaxed way to finish the pub portion of the tour.

The phrase crafted cocktails suggests a more deliberate drink experience than simply ordering a standard beer, though the exact cocktail options are not specified. The first drink at the Moose Lodge is the only one clearly included in the price. Ask the guide or staff about any additional cost before ordering.

This stop lasts about 30 minutes. By then, you have heard stories connected to military life, gambling, fishing, crime, and local personalities. The range keeps the afternoon from feeling like the same ghost story repeated three times.

You should also keep expectations in check. The experience is built around tales of hauntings. Seeing an actual ghost is not promised. One participant enjoyed the stories despite not seeing a spirit, and that is the right way to approach the tour: come for the history and atmosphere first, and treat anything supernatural as a bonus.

Seward Street back alleys and the final walk

The last section leads through Seward Street and Sitka’s back alleys before returning to the starting point. The guide points out buildings with haunted histories and shares stories about people who lived more than a century ago.

This part keeps the tour from becoming a simple circuit of bars. You have time to look at Sitka itself, including views along the route, while connecting the earlier stories to the town’s streets. The 15-minute finish is short, but it helps tie the afternoon together.

The walk also explains why the tour requires moderate physical fitness. You need to manage about a half-mile of casual walking and go up or down 10 stairs. That is not a demanding hike, but it can matter if you use a mobility aid, tire easily, or have difficulty with uneven streets and steps.

The activity ends back at the meeting point. That is convenient if you are arranging transportation or have other plans afterward. It also makes the tour easier to fit into a busy day in Sitka.

What the $75 price really covers

At $75 per person, this is not the cheapest way to buy a drink in Sitka. The value depends on how much you want a guide to connect the pubs, crimes, cemetery, buildings, and local history into one story.

You receive about two hours with a private group, admission to the Moose Lodge, and one included alcoholic drink. You also visit three distinct establishments and hear stories at each one. The private format is important here. Instead of paying for a large group experience, you get an outing limited to your own party.

I see the best value for people who would otherwise spend an afternoon wandering between bars without much context. The tour adds structure and access to places that may mean little if you simply pass them on your own. The guide’s local stories turn a drink at a bar into a look at Sitka’s social past.

The value is weaker if you do not drink alcohol, dislike pub settings, or want a longer historical tour. The activity is designed around bars, and additional drinks are not covered. It also does not promise paranormal evidence, special effects, or a formal investigation.

The overall rating is 4.6 from eight recorded ratings, with especially strong praise for the guide’s friendly manner, historical storytelling, local drinks, and professional approach. Emily and Dr. Emily Davis are named in the tour responses, and Emily is specifically associated with the warm, personal tone of the experience.

Who will enjoy this Sitka evening-style outing

I would recommend this for adults who enjoy local history with a spooky edge. It suits couples, friends, and private groups looking for something more unusual than a standard town walk.

It is also a good fit if you like talking with local people and seeing everyday places. The Pioneer Bar, with its wall-to-wall fishing photographs, sounds especially useful for anyone curious about Alaska’s working communities rather than only its major landmarks.

The experience may suit cruise passengers or other people with a limited amount of time in Sitka, since it lasts about two hours and returns to its starting point. The 1 p.m. start gives you a fixed afternoon plan, but you should check your own schedule before booking because this is not a flexible drop-in activity.

I would be cautious about booking if you want a quiet historical walk with no alcohol. The age rule is firm, and everyone must have valid ID. You also need to arrive sober, sign a waiver, and be able to manage the walk and stairs.

Families with children cannot join because all participants must be at least 21. Service animals are allowed, and the meeting point is near public transportation, which helps if you are not using a private vehicle.

How to get the most from the stories

Arrive ready to listen, not just drink. The strongest part of this experience is the way the guide connects places with people: soldiers at the Moose Lodge, fishermen at Pioneer Bar, and a murder at Ernie’s Old Time Saloon.

Ask questions when the guide pauses. The supplied details suggest that the tour works best as a conversation, especially since the guide is described as friendly, professional, and well informed about Sitka’s past. A private group gives you room to ask about the cemetery, old buildings, and local characters without worrying about a large crowd.

Keep your drink pace slow. You start with an included beverage, then continue walking and may order more at later stops. The tour requires sobriety at the beginning, but it still makes sense to treat the whole afternoon as a walking history experience with drinks along the way.

Bring comfortable footwear and clothing suited to walking around Sitka. The route includes back alleys, a cemetery area, public streets, and stairs. Exact weather advice is not provided, but practical walking gear is always wise for an outdoor route.

Finally, come with the right supernatural expectations. You might find the tales unsettling or entertaining, but nothing in the experience promises a ghost sighting. The stories, settings, and local personalities are the main event.

Should you book Haunted Sitka?

Book it if you want a private, adults-only outing that combines three local drinking places with Sitka history, murder tales, cemetery atmosphere, and stories of hauntings. The included first drink, small-group format, and authentic settings make the $75 price reasonable for the right audience.

Skip it if you want a family activity, a serious paranormal investigation, or a long historical tour without alcohol. For everyone else, this offers an easy way to see a more personal side of Sitka, with enough eerie material to keep the walk lively and enough local detail to make the pubs memorable.

Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the 1 p.m. start time. Changes or cancellations made later are not accepted for a refund.

FAQ

Where does the Haunted Pub Crawl begin?

The tour begins at Harrigan Centennial Hall, at 330 Harbor Drive in Sitka, Alaska.

What time does the tour start?

The scheduled start time is 1 p.m.

How long does the tour last?

The experience lasts approximately two hours.

Where does the tour end?

The activity ends back at the meeting point at Harrigan Centennial Hall.

What locations are visited?

The route includes Harrigan Centennial Hall, the Moose Lodge, Pioneer Bar, Ernie’s Old Time Saloon, and Seward Street.

Is a drink included?

Yes. The first alcoholic drink at the private club, the Moose Lodge, is included in the admission price.

How old must participants be?

All participants must be at least 21 years old and must bring valid identification.

Can I join if I have mobility concerns?

You should be able to walk about a half-mile casually and manage 10 stairs. Anyone with mobility concerns should assess their stamina carefully before booking.

Can I cancel for a refund?

Yes. You can cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before the start are not accepted for a refund.