13 Haunted Places You Can Visit in the U.S.

With a centuries-old façade and interior details shipped straight from London, this British pub is a favorite local watering hole and a hangout for English Premier League football. It’s also said to be haunted by the ghost of Bertha Starkey, a Londoner who lived above the bar at its original location in England and met an untimely death at the hands of her husband. The owners of The Blue Anchor have reported hearing footsteps after-hours, the sounds of banging pots and pans and Bertha wailing in the night.

This former prison housed more than 75,000 inmates while in operation 1829-1971. Modern-day visitors can explore the castlelike structure by day on self-guiding tours or by night during special experiences that take place in the fall. While no executions ever happened inside Eastern State Penitentiary, some visitors and workers have reported hearing eerie noises in hallways. If you're looking for spooky things to do in Philadelphia, a trip through this penitentiary may be a good option.

Built in 1895 by Deadwood’s first sheriff, Seth Bullock, this historic hotel is said to be frequented by the ghost of the sheriff himself. According to The Historic Bullock Hotel's website, items sometimes move without explanation, and the second and third floors are where Seth’s presence is felt the strongest. Stay a night or two and see for yourself — even if you don’t get a visit from Seth, you may be visited by Lady Luck in the hotel’s on-site casino.

Guests of this hotel have reported seeing flickering lights and strange reflections in mirrors in Room 932, the property’s so-called “room with a boo.” Other spots around the 1920s hotel — including the lobby, the kitchen and the restaurant — are rumored to be inhabited by a handful of friendly ghosts. Reserve a night or two at this AAA Three Diamond hotel and you’ll join the likes of famous guests such as Henry Ford, Winston Churchill and Amelia Earhart.

You’ll sense the history of the Jean Bonnet Tavern as soon as you walk in — from the exposed chestnut beams to the stone walls and fireplace. But you may also sense something else. The circa 1760s tavern, once owned by a scout of George Washington, is said to be home to a friendly ghost who sometimes makes its presence known. Staff and guests have reported feeling an unexplained touch while at the bar and catching glimpses of patrons wearing pioneer-era clothing.

Located in historic downtown Savannah (a spook-filled city in its own right), this 13-room inn is a stop on many local ghost tours, where guides relate creepy tales of nighttime apparitions and noises. Some say the strange goings-on are related to the inn’s former life as a mortuary. Book an overnight stay at this AAA Four Diamond bed-and-breakfast to investigate for yourself, then check out the other possibly haunted (but definitely fun) things to do around Savannah.

If you’re into both Civil War history and the paranormal, the McRaven house deserves a spot on your list. Said to be the “creepiest place in Mississippi” and one of the most haunted houses in the state, the 1797 home served as a Confederate field hospital during the Civil War and has been the place where many of its former residents have died. Haunted tours are led by costumed guides who explain the history of the home and the stories of the many spirits (up to 14!) who are rumored to inhabit McRaven.

This 1796 plantation home, nestled under a thick canopy of live oaks, is rumored to be haunted by strange apparitions that have appeared in photographs and during paranormal investigations. Guided mystery tours of The Myrtles Plantation on Friday and Saturday nights offer the chance to hear ghost stories and learn the history of the mansion, said to be “one of America's most haunted homes.” Private group tours are also available.

(Note: This hotel is temporarily closed due to COVID-19; reopening is expected in Nov. 2020.) Restored to its former splendor, this luxury 1930s hotel — today a AAA Three Diamond property — boasts a history of mysterious happenings in its appropriately named “Ghost Suite,” where the hotel’s original owner once lived with his daughter and housekeeper. The daughter and housekeeper are said to have died in the suite, and there are reports from modern-day guests of lights turning on and off as well as unexplained breezes.

Featured on many ghost shows and the subject of numerous paranormal investigations, the Sorrel-Weed House offers nightly guided tours to experience what is said to be “one of the most actively haunted locations in the country.” You’ll hear about the history of the mansion and the carriage house as well as the strange experiences and sightings that have happened inside. Book an after-hours investigation to explore the property on your own with the use of ghost-hunting equipment.

A stay at this 1909 hotel near Rocky Mountain National Park is allegedly what inspired author Stephen King’s famous horror novel “The Shining.” You can experience it for yourself by booking the Stephen King Suite (room 217), or opt for another of The Stanley Hotel's “spirited” rooms, which are said to register high paranormal activity. Guests have reported such experiences as items being moved, lights turning on and off and the sounds of children laughing. If you’d rather not stay overnight, Stanley Hotel Tours offers day and night walking tours that will explain the history and folklore of the hotel.

Formerly known as the Weston State Hospital, the Civil War-era psychiatric institution housed more than 2,400 patients at its peak in the 1950s. The facility shuttered in 1994 but is now open for daytime history tours as well as ghost tours and overnight paranormal investigations. Apparitions and unexplained voices are sometimes detected in the halls of the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum.

Rusty doors, peeling paint, damp corners and dark hallways — the inside of the Gothic-style West Virginia Penitentiary sets the scene for a spooky experience. Guided tours introduce visitors to the retired prison, which was shut down in 1995 after a court deemed its small cells “cruel and unusual punishment.” Nearly 100 men were executed in the facility, leading many to believe the prison is haunted. Nighttime and overnight tours allow guests to explore the supernatural on their own with investigative equipment.

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