Things to do

Experiences & tours

Beyond the room key, Jefferson sells memories: paddlewheels on Big Cypress Bayou, lantern-lit stories, antique hunts, and seasonal festivals that fill every porch rocker.

Start with our existing tour pages for booked experiences, then layer in dining and shopping from this guide. We are curating a fuller calendar of operators who welcome StayJefferson guests.

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Experiences & tours

Historic Jefferson Ghost Walk

Featured

By lantern light, historian Jodi Breckenridge leads you through dark alleyways and courtyards with 24 years of historic tragedy, murder, and ghostly encounters. Jefferson's original — and best — ghost tour.

ghost tourwalking tourlantern tour
Kahn Hotel, corner of Austin & Vale Street, Jefferson, TX 75657

Fri–Sat 8:00 PM year-round · Other days by request (group minimum)

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Turning Basin Riverboat Tours

Featured

Float through cypress-draped Big Cypress Bayou with Captain John Nance — a retired game warden who grew up on these waters — sharing Jefferson's steamboat history and bayou ecology. Boats from Six Flags' vintage fleet.

riverboatbayounature
Jefferson, TX 75657

March – mid-December · Call for schedule

903-665-2222Visit website →

The Grove Home Tour

Featured
½4.8 (166 reviews)

A guided tour of The Grove, an 1861 home ranked among Jefferson's most haunted — and most historically significant. One of TripAdvisor's top-rated Jefferson experiences.

hauntedhistoric homeguided tour
Jefferson, TX 75657

US Ghost Adventures — Jefferson

National ghost tour operator with a dedicated Jefferson route — a well-produced alternative to the local ghost walk, with online booking.

ghost tourwalking tourparanormal
Jefferson, TX 75657
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Let's Roam Self-Guided Jefferson Ghost Hunt

App-led ghost hunt through downtown Jefferson — riddles, trivia, photo challenges, and spooky stories at historic sites. No guide required, go at your own pace.

ghost tourself guidedapp based
Downtown Jefferson, TX 75657

Self-paced — any time

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Atalanta — Jay Gould's Rail Car Tour

4.4 (81 reviews)

Step aboard robber baron Jay Gould's private railroad car — four staterooms, a lounge, dining room, and butler's pantry — the very car he used when he allegedly cursed Jefferson's prosperity.

historyself guidedlandmark
Jefferson, TX 75657

Daily 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM