Ghost Trolley of Old Monterey

If I could leave lower than a star I would. I paid over $ 60 for our tickets, waited half an hour, and the tour never showed.
When I contacted the merchant I was harassed over email, and then when I went through the bank I was told there was nothing I could do because I printed the tickets, even though he wasn’t there.
Never ever again.

It was average. The tour guy was really nice but it was not as good as I thought it would be based on the reviews. The best part was the first part of the tour when we learned about the guy they based Zorro after and the building he was raised… that was a little creepy. There were only three stops and one was a cemetery where we just walked through and looked at headstones… some with significance… but nothing extremely exciting… going at night was what made it ok. I gave the tour 3 stars because of how nice the guide was and some of the history… otherwise I have been on more informative and more enjoyable walking tours.

We loved this tour! Gary is so knowledgable about the history of Monterey. He keeps the presentation interesting and lively. Not only did he share hundreds of years worth of history, he shared recent stories that correlated with the stories.
Even if you don’t believe in ghosts you will enjoy this tour for the history lesson.
FYI — at one point I felt my elbow being poked. I thought I had hit it on a tree branch. Turned around to find there wasn’t a tree behind me.

Fun way to spend an evening and learn some history too. Not at all scary, so kids would enjoy it. Gary really knows the area, a great host!

My boyfriend and I had our hearts set on seeing whales in Monterey Bay for my weekend birthday celebration. Unfortunately, the whale trip was canceled due to wind condition. Sucks right!?! So we were left with hotel reserved and nothing fun to do. With some research, we looked up things to do in Monterey and found this interesting Ghost trolley Old Monterey tour, which was a AWESOME tour!
We reserved two spots and was asked to meet at One Portola Plaza at 7:45pm because the tour starts at 8pm. We were hoping a trolley would show up to pick up us for the tour but in the website it stated If we our group was less than nine people a van will pick us up, our group was seven. So a van pulled up and out came a man named Gary.
Gary!!! Ah! What a great story teller! He will draw you in and make you feel like you are apart of his stories.
The tour is suppose to be 90 mins but we ended up ending the tour at 120 mins, bonus!
All I have to say is if you are going to be in Monterey Bay, Gary’s Ghost Trolley tour is a MUST!!! You will love it if you are into those creepy stuff. :)
By the way, after the tour when my boyfriend went back to the hotel I was still getting the heebie-jeebies…hahahaha!

This was a great tour. there was a lot of detailed history of Monterey, its buildings and people. Gary the tour guide was very knowledgeable, great with questions and really made a fun tour. This is an exciting tour and a great way to learn a lot about Monterey. If you are in the area, this is a must!

Our tour guide Gary was great! So fun to listen to. He has spent years doing research and it shows. It was really a history tour with a great creepy element. Also, for all you dog lovers out there, it is small dog friendly!

My husband is a native of Monterey who has heard a lot of the history of the town while growing up there. I’ve lived in Monterey for the past decade and have wanted to go on the ghost tour for years. We finally went last weekend and had a great time! Although we both know a good bit about Monterey’s history (I’m a history dork and love reading Randall Reinstadt’s books), we learned a lot from Gary, the tour guide and owner of the company.
Gary is super friendly and quite willing to answer any questions his guests have. He is a great storyteller and clearly knows the history of Monterey well. My favorite stop was at 1833… it’s one of my favorite restaurants, and I love the story behind its location. It’s housed in the Stokes Adobe. My husband’s family owned a restaurant there in the 1980’s (before it was Stokes and 1833), so it was cool to learn more about the building’s early days.
Was the tour super scary? No. My young son would have been fine to come along, but we left him with Grandma anyhow. However, it was a lot of fun, and we plan to go again. It could be described as a little creepy at times, but mostly it’s just a relaxing and enjoyable history lesson.

We took the tour for the first time Oct. 5^th 2013 really enjoyed it. The only suggestion I had was to make sure to recommend bringing a flash light. I had no idea I would be getting on and off the trolley multiple times which was fine with me but for some people with disabilities might be difficult. The tour was full of interesting facts and stories. Gary made it all fun. Highly recommend and the price is right. I never realized how many neat old buildings there were in Monterey.

While I’m not a huge believer in ghosts, I’ve always been intrigued by ghost stories and history. This tour was fun, and Gary, the tour guide is extremely knowledgable which makes it easy to get into the stories! All in all, I had a great experience, and learned a lot of fun Monterey history! If you have two hours, this is a fun experience (make sure you bring a jacket, because it gets COLD out there).

A fun, dorky thing to do :) Tour guide Gary seemed to be really into, which is always great. Favorite parts for me was wandering around the cemetery and seeing the inside of the old jail. Bring flashlights (I didn’t so I used my phone, which wasn’t as effective) and water (but know that there are no bathroom breaks on this tour). The trolley ride around town in the dark was fun too. Gary plays suitably creepy music as you heads toward each destination (1833 restaurant, various adobe homes, cathedral, etc.). He’s super passionate about the subject matter and gives you lots of history about the area, buildings, and events around town. Old Town Monterey is beautiful at night!

First off Gary the tourguide is an awesome, I mean awesome man. I have lived in the area for 20 years and didn’t know any of the history covered in the tour. We passed by streets and buildings (and even drove into the cemetery) I have seen all my life and it was awesome to learn about the murder cases and deaths that occured around the Monterey area. I would definatley reccomend this tour to a friend espically if your looking to find ghosts!

Gary was freakin’ awesome on this tour last Saturday night! This isn’t some history channel special with the college professor that looks like he is trying to find Ferris Buller… Gary makes this tour entertaining and fun!
As others have said, its about a 2 hour tour through Monterey at night, and you can get off the trolley at various stops along the way and look around. Gary is very knowledgeable, and passionate about history in the area. If you’re lucky, you can catch an «orb» with your camera!
Well worth your time and your money! I would suggest to bring:
Warm clothes– it does get really cold, and being a trolley the wind chill doesn’t help.
Flashlight– it will be dark, and its useful for looking into buildings.
camera– so you can try to take a picture of those ghosts!
bottle of water– there are no bathroom breaks on this trip, so bring some water and go to the bathroom before the tour starts!

If you ever make it to Monterey, highly recommend this trolly ride around town, narrated by a real expert in the history of the area. Definitely worth the trip.

Gary, the only guide (I believe) for this tour was punctual, very professional, passionate about Monterey and its history while eccentric enough to make a ghost tour work. If the group size is over 9, he takes you out after dark on a trolley.
I’ll be honest and say his stories are not always delivered as dramatically as they could be to meet their full potential, but the sheer content and the level of his knowledge of each and every story is truly impressive and fun to watch. He clearly enjoys what he does and it’s so rare to encounter that, I can’t give any less than 4 stars especially considering all we learned. When we get back to Monterey, we really do want to go back out to the Ghost Tree on the 17 Mile Drive, the Stevenson House, the old mission, the 1833 restaurant, the old jail and even peer around the house where the demon child once lived.
Monterey is an amazing meeting place of the rich, poor, tourist, artistic, historic, culinary, outdoors and scientific. It deserves the attention it gets, even from those who are no longer with us.

i’ m with everyone else on this one. the best thing we did in monterey and pretty much the whole road trip by far.
not too into the ghost aspect of it all but it was a great way to tranistion into the history of monterey. very interesting stuff and i doubt you would get an all encompassing tour anywhere else.
the fact that it is in the evening really gives a nice historical vibe when you see all the old historical buildings lit up.
definitely recommending to all my friends and will probably be back before the summer ends.
DRESS WARM! IT GETS SUPER COLD AT NIGHT.

My new favorite Monterey attraction! After living in the area for a year and a half, this provided a great opportunity to see some of the historical sights I had not known existed before the tour. Plus, being a fan of several ghost shows on TV, I was hoping to capture some interesting photos. Several orbs showed up in the pictures, but I never felt like we were in a creepy or uncomfortable situation.
The tour guide was the best. He was super accommodating and even made an unscheduled restroom stop at the request of my friend that had recently given birth. He was very kind and understanding about this, and very discreet.
My overall impression was that this was a history lesson at night, since it didn’t feel scary or haunted. Yet the stories were so interesting and I had yet to realize how much history was in Monterey. There were even several children on the tour that seemed to be having a good time. This tour really seemed fun for everyone. I look forward to going back!

I LOVED THIS TOUR! I’d have to say, it was one of the best things to do in Monterey. I called ahead and was able to bring my dog, a 45lb pit mix at that, and they were SO nice about it. (I’m used to people freaking out about her because she’s not a tiny blow ‘em over dog). The tour was as entertaining as it was education. The trolley was a great way to ride around and see Old Town Monterey. Tour ends with the last stop at the cemetery (you get brought back to the meeting point after that).
At $ 28 it’s a bit steep but completely worth it. I’d rather forgo the fancy dinner to have pizza instead and spend the $$ on this tour. I even caught photos of orbs and maybe even a figure.

We came to Monterey with some prepaid tickets to the Aquarium, and figured we’d find some other lesser attractions when we got there. By the end of the night, I realized that this funny, spooky, fascinating tour was THE reason to come to Monterey. Two hours of history and folklore, led by Gary Munsinger, a very friendly, interesting, entertaining, and passionate tour guide. Believe or don’t, but you’ll definitely hear a new thing or two about Old Monterey and the origins of California, plus stumble through a graveyard at night. Dress in layers, bring a camera and a decent suspension of disbelief, and you’ll be a happy camper.
P. S.: The Aquarium? Ugh.

With an open mind and a good sense of humor, this is a fun tour of Monterey at night, by trolley. The tour lasted about 2 hours, and it was full of colorful stories of Old Monterey as well as some ghost tales and even a night walk through a graveyard.
The tour guide knew a lot of history of the town and had some personal ghost experiences to share, too.
Dress warmly and bring your camera to capture some orbs!