“Whose Idea Was This?”: A Mother & Daughter Start Walking Tour Business Together

October is National Women’s Small Business Month!

They say never go into business with family. We say… too late! At Tour Erie, it’s not just local history and spooky stories we’re dishing out—it’s generational sass, bad mom jokes, and an unspoken competition over who’s better at herding groups of people across busy intersections.

Meet the Team

• Mom (aka Heather): Enthusiastic storyteller, compulsive over-planner, likely to say, “Let’s just try it my way first.”

• Daughter: Bringer of the Gen Z cool, wearer of the cute outfits, occasionally gives Mom an eye-roll or side-eye mid-tour.

We may disagree on what constitutes a “reasonable amount of historical context,” but we agree on two things:

1. Erie has an incredible amount of history and ghost stories to tell.

2. Neither of us is ever the one who is sneaking chocolate from the post-tour treat basket. (It is totally Lauren.)

By the Numbers

Women-owned businesses make up over 40% of small businesses nationwide, but we’re pretty sure we’re the only mother-daughter ghost tour duo in Erie. (If we’re wrong, we need to meet immediately. Coffee is on us.)

Why We Love It

Running a women-owned small business isn’t always easy but doing it together has made the journey even richer. We’ve learned to balance each other out: one of us brings the structure, the other the spontaneity; one is the taskmaster, the other the, ahem, sometimes reluctant task doer (we’ll let you guess who’s who).

We may not always agree on everything, but we do agree this little business of ours is something pretty special. We’re proud to be part of Erie’s community of women entrepreneurs—and even prouder to follow in each other’s footsteps. Literally.

Mother-Daughter Translation Guide

Ever wonder what we’re really saying to each other mid-tour? Here’s your decoder ring:

When Mom says: “So, just to explain that a little more.” She means: Lauren messed up the script.

When Daughter says: “I think you have some photos.” She means: Mom, pay attention and show the graphics.

When Mom says: “Lauren’s trying to be the next ghost story on the tour.” She means: Don’t stand so close to the curb, Lauren!

When either of us says: “Lauren did it” We mean: Lauren definitely did it.

Don’t Miss Out!

P.S. Want to hear us lovingly bicker in person while learning about Erie’s darker side? Book an Eerie Stories, Legends, and Lore Tour with us! We promise laughs, facts, and only occasional mother-daughter shade.

⚠️ TIME IS RUNNING OUT! ⚠️ Only SIX tours remain this season! Our final tour of the year is Thursday, October 30th at 5:30 p.m.

Spots are filling fast—don’t get ghosted! Book a tour today!

P.P.S. For the record, it was Mom’s idea to start the business, but she couldn’t—and wouldn’t—have done it without her #1 tour guide.