The Most Haunted Places In America To Visit This Spooky Season
Does "spooky season" officially begin when Starbucks has pumpkin spice lattes on tap? Different people have different ideas of when spooky season officially begins, but we'll be generous and say September 1. As such, it's time to get ready to visit some of the places in America that encapsulate spooky season the best.
Here are 20 of the most haunted places in America to take yourself, friends, or family this fall.
Old Absinthe House, New Orleans
The Old Absinthe House is a bar in the French Quarter of New Orleans that reportedly houses the ghosts of a witch (Marie Laveau), a President (Andrew Jackson), and a pirate (Jean Lafitte). Old Absinthe House is also reportedly the site where Andrew Jackson and Jean Lafitte met before doing battle against the British during the War of 1812. Unlikely allies in America's War of Independence would become bar-mates in their next life, haunting Old Absinthe House forevermore.
Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Gray Man Of Pawleys Island, South Carolina
If you are unlucky enough to be on Pawleys Island in South Carolina before a tropical storm or hurricane hits, you may notice a gray figure outcropped against the sea. Apparently, this is the Gray Man of Pawleys Island, who approaches those who stay on the beaches before a storm and warns them to flee. If you see the Gray Man, you may yet be spared by the hurricane. The Gray Man is reportedly the ghost of a traveler from Charleston during the late 18th century who was caught in the quicksand of the island on the way to see his lover. He and his horse perished, and he has haunted the island ever since.
Phoebe, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ghosts Of Flame At The Iroquois Theater, Chicago, Illinois
In 1903, a devastating fire ripped through the Iroquois Theater in Chicago, Illinois, killing over 600 people. The alley behind the theater is where the ghosts of those souls congregate, still wrestling to be free of the flames—as they were on that fateful night where hundreds were fatally crushed by the stampeding hordes seeking escape. There was no telephone nor fire box in the theater, hampering rescue efforts.
The Pilot Of Pine Barrens, South Jersey
In 1928, a single-crewed aircraft was on a flight from New York City to Mexico City, when it crashed in the Pine Barrens of South Jersey. This collection of pine forestry is the largest coniferous forest on the eastern seaboard and home to the Pilot of Pine Barrens. It is said that he wanders the forest where his plane went down.
Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Marshall House: A Civil War Hospital In Savannah, Georgia
What could possibly be spookier than the screams of the dying and injured, in a place where they no longer exist? The Marshall House hotel in Savannah, Georgia is now a luxury hotel. However, during the American Civil War and yellow fever epidemics, it was a hospital. Guests at the Marshall House reportedly see apparitions in the hallways.
Ghost Ship: The Queen Mary In Long Beach, California
The Queen Mary sailed the seas for 30 years between the 1930s and 1960s, when she was retired and permanently docked in Long Beach, California. While you won't see Mary, Queen of Scots after whom the ship is named, you may notice the ghost of an engineer who perished after an equipment malfunction in the ship's engine room. Other ghosts are reportedly children—the ship's empty swimming pool only adds to the mystique.
saberhawk, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Ghosts Light The Way: St Augustine Lighthouse, Florida
The St Augustine Lighthouse in St Augustine, FL, has long been thought to be inhabited by ghosts. In particular, the ghosts of three young girls who drowned at the lighthouse in 1873. The rickety cart they would often ride down to the shore was usually stopped by a piece of wood, to keep it from tumbling into the water. On July 10, 1873, the board wasn't in place and the girls and their cart flipped into the water, ending up trapped underneath.
When a witness to the accident dove into the water to try and save them, he was too late for three of them. The fourth girl, Carrie, survived. The ghosts of the three deceased young girls are said to haunt the lighthouse to this day.
Ice Cave Encounters: Shoshone Ice Caves, Idaho
Did you know that Idaho has a lava tube that is four and a half miles long? No? Me neither. Authorities in Idaho have worked to protect the area of the Shoshone Ice Caves from exploitation for decades. Although, guided tours of the crystalline caves are still offered. Tourists and visitors to the caves have reported hearing voices and footsteps in the distance, despite being together as a group. Apparently, that could be the voice and footsteps of a Shoshone tribal princess, buried in the area centuries ago.
Ghosting Underground: Shanghai Tunnels, Portland, Oregon
The Shanghai Tunnels were a network of tunnels that connected the various hotels and bars to the waterfront of the Willamette River. These were used during Prohibition to smuggle booze—and even people—from the hotels and bars to waiting ships. It's reported that the ghosts of the kidnapped victims still roam beneath the city's Chinatown area today.
Battlefields Of The Undead: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
It is most often theorized that ghosts often haunt places where tragedy occurs. Perhaps none more so then, than at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the site of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War, which claimed the lives of over 7,000 men. Those who walk the battlefields have reported seeing the ghosts of many soldiers.
Sallicio, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Famous Faces At The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Los Angeles, California
You don't have to be one of Hollywood's elite to stay at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, but those who occupy the rooms and hallways after they perished certainly were. Guests at the Roosevelt Hotel have reported seeing Marilyn Monroe appear in their room mirrors in Suite 1200—the star's favorite sleeping quarters. Errol Flynn, Carole Lombard, and Montgomery Clift also make appearances, among other famous faces.
Ghosts Of Presidents Past: The White House, Washington DC
The White House is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in the country. It stands to reason that a building with so much history and of such significance could carry its fair share of secrets. Among the ghosts of Presidents past are President Lincoln, whose ghost has been spotted in the Lincoln Bedroom. President Henry Harrison, who perished in the official residence, is said to have returned. As well, First Ladies Dolley Madison and Abigail Adams have been seen hanging around, tending to the home, as they did all those years ago.
Meghana Arvind, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Sailor's Take Warning: USS Lexington, Corpus Christi, Texas
The USS Lexington was used extensively during the Pacific Theater of WWII. Now decommissioned and permanently docked in Corpus Christi Bay, visitors to the ship have reportedly heard and seen uniformed sailors wandering the passageways. It is now a museum that has been open since the 1990s.
Alcatraz Prison, San Francisco, California
There is perhaps no more famous prison in the world than Alcatraz. The worst of the worst American criminals were sent to Alcatraz until the prison closed in 1963. However, tours and functions are still operated out of Alcatraz, much to the chagrin of the resident ghosts who haunt the halls. The most notorious of which might be Al Capone, who played the banjo for his fellow prisoners—the sound of the strings reportedly still linger.
Tobias Kleinlercher, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Haunted Vanderbilt Estate, Asheville, North Carolina
The Vanderbilts are a legendary family, and one of the wealthiest families in American history, thanks to their success in the shipping and railroad industries. One of their estates, the Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina, is said to be haunted by the ghost of Edith Vanderbilt, calling out to her husband, George Washington Vanderbilt II.
John H. Tarbell, Wikimedia Commons
Armies Of Antietam: Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland
Antietam is another battle site of the American Civil War that's up there with Gettysburg in terms of its spookiness. As over 3,500 soldiers perished at Antietam, you're sure to run into some ghostly generals and cadaverous captains—nowhere more likely than on Sunken Road, or "Bloody Lane" as it is more commonly called. Here, men faced off against each at close range, bodies piling on top of one another. Visitors have reported the smell of gunpowder lingering in the air.
Doug Kerr, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Eerie Emily Morgan Hotel: San Antonio, Texas
What does one expect from the site of the Battle of The Alamo? While San Antonio is rich with history, the Battle of The Alamo and the use of the Emily Morgan Hotel as a hospital site can only mean one thing: ghosts. Expect to hear a mysterious rallying cry in the distance, or see a woman in all-white wandering the halls of the Emily Morgan Hotel, known as the Vanishing Nurse.
The Winchester Mystery House: San Jose, California
Formerly home to Sarah Winchester and firearms magnate William Winchester, the Winchester Mystery House has become something of a cult legend in spooky circles. Sarah Winchester lost an infant daughter to marasmus in 1866 and lost her father, mother-in-law, and husband between the fall of 1880 and the spring of 1881. They are just a few of the numerous ghosts that reportedly reside in the hallowed halls of one of the world's most haunted homes.
Echoes Of Paranormal Pain At Eastern State Pen, Pennsylvania
The Eastern State Penitentiary used to be a federal prison until 1971, when it was closed. However, the halls are still reportedly roamed by those who suffered at the Eastern State Penitentiary, which was reportedly the site of beatings, torture, murder, and endless human suffering.
Thesab, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The Stanley Hotel, Estes, Colorado
Of course, you'll instantly recognize The Stanley Hotel as the site of The Shining (1980), adapted from the Stephen King novel. The novel is actually inspired by Stephen King's own stay at The Stanley Hotel, wherein he experienced hearing noises and voices in the night, nightmares, and other unexplained phenomena. Apparently, the ghost of a man named Paul haunts the dining room, warning guests to "get out" late at night.
Have you ever visited these paranormal places and had an unexplained experience? Head to the comments section to let us know!
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