Old Louisville ghost tour ticket sales jump after HBO documentary

Advance sales for Louisville Historic Tours’ Victorian Ghost Walk are up more than 600% after HBO’s Murder in Glitterball City put Old Louisville’s haunted history in the spotlight. The surge is boosting fall tourism in a neighborhood already known for its Victorian homes, ghost tours, and annual art show.

Why it matters: - Old Louisville’s fall tourism season is getting a major boost as visitors respond to HBO exposure and book ghost tours earlier than usual. - Louisville Historic Tours says the spike shows how screen attention can translate directly into real-world tourism demand. - The increase also puts more attention on Old Louisville’s preservation, history, and local businesses tied to seasonal traffic.

What happened: - Advance ticket sales for the Victorian Ghost Walk are up more than 600% compared with the same point last year. - The jump followed the Feb. 19 premiere of HBO’s two-part documentary Murder in Glitterball City, which is now streaming on HBO Max. - The documentary was produced by World of Wonder and directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato. - The film was inspired by David Dominé’s 2021 nonfiction book A Dark Room in Glitter Ball City. - Dominé, who owns Louisville Historic Tours, is featured in the documentary. - The documentary covers the 2010 discovery of Jamie Carroll’s body in the basement of a Victorian mansion on South Fourth Street and the two trials that followed.

The details: - Louisville Tourism describes Old Louisville as home to one of the largest collections of restored Victorian homes in the country. - The neighborhood has long helped anchor Louisville’s fall tourism through ghost tours and the St. James Court Art Show. - The Victorian Ghost Walk is now in its 18th year. - The event is a once-a-year outdoor theater production. - Lantern-led groups follow gas-lit streets into Gilded Age mansions. - Costumed actors portray real neighborhood residents and tell stories of scandal, tragedy, and the unexplained. - Dominé wrote this year’s walk, and Keith McGill directed it. - The 2026 walk runs Friday through Sunday, Oct. 16-18. - Departures are scheduled every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. - The tour starts at the Conrad-Caldwell House Museum at 1402 St. James Court. - Tickets cost $40 plus fees. - Proceeds benefit the South Fourth Street Association in Old Louisville. - Dominé also leads the Glitter Ball City True Crime Tour. - That walking tour covers the murder case, the neighborhood’s history, and Kentucky’s long connection to the mirrored disco ball. - Louisville Historic Tours runs the Old Louisville Ghost Tour and other walking tours in the neighborhood. - September and October are traditionally the company’s busiest months. - Tour dates, times, and tickets are available at louisvillehistorictours.com.

Between the lines: - The HBO documentary appears to be broadening interest beyond the crime itself and toward Old Louisville as a destination. - Dominé says many visitors come for the case but leave more interested in the neighborhood’s wider history and ghost stories. - The tour company is benefiting from a rare mix of pop-culture visibility and a built-in seasonal audience.

What's next: - The next major test for demand will come during the Oct. 16-18 Victorian Ghost Walk weekend. - Louisville Historic Tours is likely to keep leveraging documentary-driven interest as fall tourism peaks. - Continued attention from HBO and streaming audiences could keep drawing visitors to Old Louisville beyond the current season.