Walk the Metropolitan Museum with a guide who pulls out the macabre threads woven through art history. This two-hour interactive tour highlights funerary masks, still lifes and cross-cultural depictions of fear with activities for ages 10 and up.
More ways to explore the area's outdoor wonders
You enter the Great Hall and the marble hush seems to lean in. A seated Pharaoh watches the flow of visitors, while your guide gathers the group and lays out a short map of fear: funerary masks, still lifes with a shadowed edge, shipwreck legends and uncanny portraiture. The tour moves like a thread through galleries, stopping where the walls themselves feel to hold a narrative.
Difficulty
easy
Duration
2 hours
Fitness Level
Suitable for most fitness levels; requires standing and short walks between galleries.
Wildlife
History
The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded in 1870 and expanded both its collections and its Fifth Avenue building through major donations and architectural additions over the 20th century.
Conservation
The Met follows strict conservation standards; photography rules and no-touch policies help protect fragile objects, and the museum participates in provenance research and ethical acquisitions programs.
Reserve your spot on the Ghost Stories: A Mysterious, Macabre Tour in the Metropolitan Museum today and enjoy a trusted, highly rated experience designed to help you make the most of your adventure.
Meet at the Pharaoh statue
The tour starts in the Great Hall—find the large seated Pharaoh statue to the right of the Info Desk so you don’t miss departure.
No-flash photography
You can often photograph works in the permanent collection but never use flash and follow gallery rules to protect artifacts.
Plan for standing and walking
Expect to stand for gallery talks and walk between rooms; comfortable, supportive shoes make the two-hour tour easier.
Bring transit fare or OMNY
Public transit is the fastest way to the museum—have a MetroCard or contactless payment ready for buses or subways to 86th St/5th Ave.
Comfortable walking shoes
Supportive shoes make gallery walking and standing comfortable throughout the two-hour tour.
Layered clothing
Museum galleries are climate-controlled but can be cool; layers let you adjust between outdoor transit and indoor warmth.
Notebook and pencil
Useful for quick sketches, notes, and activities prompted by the guide.
Transit card or contactless pay
OMNY or MetroCard speeds arrival and departure—street parking is limited near the museum.