A Spooktacular Summer: Ghost Tours Return to the Canfield Casino
Every summer, the Canfield Casino feels a little more…alive.
A roulette wheel spinning on its own. Doors slamming shut with no one nearby. The faint scent of lavender perfume drifting through an empty room. Visitors glancing up from Congress Park and swearing they saw a figure in Victorian dress watching from the windows.
The Saratoga Springs History Museum—housed inside the legendary Canfield Casino—has long been one of Saratoga’s most talked-about paranormal locations. And this summer, we’re thrilled to welcome guests back for another season of Ghost Tours of the Canfield Casino.
We also want to send a sincere thank you to Saratoga TODAY and writer Jonathon Norcross for covering the return of our tours and helping share these stories with the wider community.
The stories that keep coming back
In Saratoga TODAY’s recent feature, museum Executive Director James Parillo shared a collection of real experiences reported by staff, visitors, and investigators over the years—moments that continue to fuel curiosity and keep paranormal enthusiasts coming through our doors.
Among the accounts featured:
Crystals chiming from a lamp in an empty room
The repeated sound of casino chips hitting the floor
Pounding on an elevator once used inside the Adelphi Hotel
Mediums sensing unknown presences, often accompanied by the smell of perfume
Visitors who feel pressure in their chest or difficulty breathing on the third floor
A room turning ice-cold, followed by the apparition of a man descending a staircase
Reports from Congress Park of a woman in Victorian clothing appearing in the windows
Audio reportedly captured over a radio receiver—gamblers placing bets
Multiple staff sightings of a “lady in a white dress,” believed by some to be Reubena Walworth, a nurse who cared for Spanish-American War veterans and later died after contracting typhoid fever
Whether you’re a full believer, a healthy skeptic, or somewhere in between, one thing is certain: the Canfield Casino has become a magnet for anyone intrigued by the paranormal—and the stories have only grown over time.
A haunted reputation with a national spotlight
The Canfield Casino’s haunted history has drawn attention well beyond Saratoga. In 2010, the building was featured on Syfy’s Ghost Hunters, and interest has steadily increased ever since. According to Parillo, the museum now receives regular requests from creators hoping to film inside the building.
Ghost Tours of the Canfield Casino: Summer 2025
To meet that curiosity—and share Saratoga’s haunted history in a thoughtful, story-driven way—the museum has brought back its popular summer ghost tours.
Tour schedule:
📅 July 2 through August 29, 2025
🕚 Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays | 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Guests will be guided through the Canfield Casino’s elegant—and undeniably eerie—spaces, hearing local legends, new stories, and chilling accounts of real experiences, often told through the voices of people who lived them.
As James Parillo put it in the article: it matters that the storyteller has had an experience of their own—because these tours are grounded in the firsthand moments that have shaped the museum’s modern lore.
Ages: 10+
Reservations: Strongly encouraged
Tickets & details: Visit the Ghost Tours page on the Saratoga Springs History Museum website.