15 U.S. Destinations With Haunted Reputations
Some towns in the U.S. are infamous not just for their history but also for the horror tales woven into their identity. These places come alive with mysteries of the unexplained. While many stories remain anecdotal, locals and visitors alike report psychic encounters. If you’re a skeptic or curious explorer, these destinations offer a spine-tingling look into where reality and legend blur.
Savannah, Georgia
Steeped in Southern charm and eerie tales, Savannah’s cobblestone streets conceal a legacy of restless spirits. In lodgings like the Marshall House, the souls of former soldiers and victims of yellow fever are said to wander. The spirit of Mary Marshall, the hotel’s original owner, is said to linger in the halls and has reportedly appeared as a full-bodied apparition.
Gallows Hill, Massachusetts
The echoes of the 1692 witch trials still linger in Salem, Massachusetts, a town where history and hauntings go hand in hand. Gallows Hill, believed to be the site where accused witches were hanged, is often associated with shadowy figures and disembodied voices. Paranormal tours frequently pass through the area, and even skeptics have reported chills, sudden unease, and unexplained sensations after nightfall.
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine’s Castillo de San Marcos, built in the 17th century, has long drawn reports of unusual sounds—metal clanking, distant footsteps, and abrupt knocks. Formerly used as a military prison, the fort’s chambers and corridors are often cited in paranormal investigations, particularly areas once occupied by colonial-era soldiers and captives.
New Orleans, Louisiana
While jazz and Creole culture draw crowds, New Orleans’ supernatural tales add to its allure. One involves a “Dancing Lady” seen gliding beneath chandeliers in a 19th-century gown at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. Believed to be a ghost linked to the building’s masquerade-era history, she has been known to startle occupants.
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston carries a chilling legacy, with the Old Charleston Jail serving as the infamous holding place for Lavinia Fisher, America’s first female serial killer. Visitors report sightings of her spirit in white, roaming the jail halls. The prison is also said to be filled with the lingering spirits of inmates, often accompanied by disembodied voices.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
A Civil War battle site, Gettysburg is one of America’s spookiest locations. Some claim to have seen a “Phantom Regiment” silently marching across the field, with distant echoes of gunfire. In the nearby Triangular Field, unexplained camera and equipment malfunctions are often blamed on lingering spirits.
Jerome, Arizona
Jerome, Arizona, is haunted by the legend of Headless Charlie, a miner said to wander the abandoned tunnels in search of his missing head. The town’s ghostly energy also centers around the Jerome Grand Hotel, formerly a hospital, where guests report footsteps, voices, and sightings of a phantom nurse.
Chicago, Illinois
This city’s gritty reputation, from gangsters to the Great Fire, sets the stage for otherworldly encounters. The Palmer House Hotel, destroyed in the same fire, is an epicenter for supernatural events. Guests and staff frequently hear children laughing and running in the hallways near the top-floor playroom, even when no children are present.
San Antonio, Texas
Echoes of soldiers and distant screams still haunt the Alamo, where many believe the spirits of the 1836 battle remain. Just steps away, the Emily Morgan Hotel is known for ghostly nurses, flickering lights, and strange scents reported on multiple floors, especially near its medical wing and upper levels.
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone’s Wild West past is steeped in ghost stories, especially at the Bird Cage Theater, where visitors report whispers and shadowy figures. One of them is Carmelita, a “painted lady” who took her own life with arsenic in 1888. Her spirit is believed to remain, tied to the sorrow she left behind.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
While jazz and Creole culture draw crowds, New Orleans’ supernatural tales add to its allure. One involves a “Dancing Lady” seen gliding beneath chandeliers in a 19th-century gown at the Bourbon Orleans Hotel. Believed to be a ghost linked to the building’s masquerade-era history, she has been known to startle occupants.
Moonville, Ohio
Hidden in the thick woods of southeastern Ohio, Moonville Railway Tunnel keeps drawing curious tourists due to its unsettling lore. Moonville’s tragic history stems from numerous fatal railroad accidents, including a brakeman killed in 1859 and a deadly train collision in 1880. Even many locals have lost their lives on the tracks or in the tunnel, fueling ghost stories.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
The Crescent Hotel, constructed in 1886, is the epicenter of ghostly encounters in Eureka Springs. Guests report cries, slamming doors, and hands emerging from mirrors. Legend says Michael, a stonemason, fell to his death during construction and now haunts the room where he landed, unwilling to leave the site of his tragic fall.
Virginia City, Nevada
Once a mining boomtown, Virginia City is now famed for its ghost stories. Among them is the “Lady in Blue” at the Old Washoe Club, believed to be Lena, a woman who was tragically murdered. Visitors report cold drafts, ghostly touches, and other strange events linked to the building’s haunted past.
Estes Park, Colorado
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park gained fame as the inspiration for Stephen King’s “The Shining,” but its real-life lore is just as chilling. Room 217 is linked to Elizabeth Wilson, a chambermaid injured in a 1911 gas explosion. Though she survived, she passed years later—and guests say her spirit remains, tidying rooms as if still on duty.
