The Creepiest Place to Visit in Each State
1. Iowa - Villisca Axe Murder House
Image Source: atlasobscura.com
Ever heard of the Villisca axe murders? At this house in 1912, the entire Moore family and two guests were killed when an unidentified person broke in and slaughtered them with an axe. Today, you can spend the night in the house, which we wouldn't recommend unless you want to see some ghosts.Advertisement
2. Alaska - Kennecott
Image Source: wikimedia.org
Remote, abandoned towns are a shoo-in for hauntings. What happened to the people at Kennecott? It used to be famous for its copper mines, but when the supply dried up, people left. However, people still say that old miners haunt the wooden shacks that were left behind - and the rickety houses really do look like the epitome of a haunted town.Advertisement
3. Florida - St Augustine Lighthouse
Image Source: thehauntedplaces.com
Lighthouses are pretty spooky places - imagine living in one through the winter, alone, with nobody to speak to. So, it's no surprise that today at the St Augustine Lighthouse, visitors to the historic museum report seeing people on the second floor that aren't there, including the little daughter of the original lighthouse builder.Advertisement
4. Kansas - Stull Cemetery
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According to local legend, Stull Cemetery is a portal to the underworld, and the Devil makes a visit twice a year. Even more creepy, the cemetery is near an abandoned town, and was apparently the site of witch gatherings in the past. Trespassing in the cemetery is a crime, but some people try it anyway just to experience some ghosts (or the devil himself).Advertisement
5. Colorado - The Stanley Hotel
Image Source: wikimedia.org
Hotels have always been popular places for hauntings, owing to their historic nature and guest stories. This hotel is over 100 years old, and was actually the inspiration for Stephen King's classic horror novel The Shining. Apparently, while King was staying at the hotel in room 217, he experienced some spooky goings-on.Advertisement
6. Connecticut - 1754 House
Image Source: ctvisit.com
This old house is supposedly Connecticut's oldest inn, and had two iterations before being rebranded as the 1754 House in 2020. In the past, guests have complained of hearing footsteps but seeing nobody, as well as hearing voices. It even featured on Gordon Ramsey's paranormal TV show Hotel Hell.Advertisement
7. Arizona - Jerome Grand Hotel
Image Source: wikimedia.org
This hotel has a long history, and is still in use today, explaining how we get so many reports of hauntings at this 20th century building. It used to be the United Verde Hospital, until it was abandoned, and today guests report seeing figures walking the halls of the hotel, including children and even a cat.Advertisement
8. Georgia - Oakland Cemetery
Image Source: discoveratlanta.com
Cemeteries are literally the resting places of the dead, so no wonder people have reported many creepy goings-on at the Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta. Apparently, wanderers around this creepy site have seen men wandering around in uniform, who could be the ghosts of the Confederate soldiers who are buried here.Advertisement
9. Hawaii - 'Iolani Palace
Image Source: whichmuseum.co.uk
Today, the 'Iolani Palace is a beautiful museum, but it used to be the residence of Hawaii's last king and queen - King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani. Many visitors say they can hear footsteps, chanting, and music in some of the rooms, while others have apparently seen a woman standing at Queen Liliuokalani's bedroom window (where she was imprisoned until her death).Advertisement
10. Idaho - Old Idaho Penitentiary
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When it finally closed in 1973, the Old Idaho Penitentiary was over 100 years old, meaning it's housed quite a lot of scary criminals in its time. If you can stomach to look at old haunted cells, you can tour the penitentiary today, but don't be surprised if you hear voices, feel dread, or see figures roving the halls.Advertisement
11. Illinois - Chicago Water Tower
Image Source: wikimedia.org
The Chicago Water Tower is an iconic landmark in the heart of the big city, which was built in 1869. Weirdly, during a city-wide fire in 1871, though all the buildings surrounding the town burnt down, the tower was left intact. Spooky, huh? Apparently, one worker who stayed behind was trapped in the tower with the fire surrounding him, and hung himself on the top floor.Advertisement
12. Alabama - Sloss Furnaces
Image Source: twg2022.com
This industrial complex drove America - it produced iron and steel, which was needed for railroads, trains, and buildings. But the furnaces weren't without their horror. 47 men died at work here, including the manager of the factor James Wormwood, who fell into the furnace and melted. Basically, there's a lot of death here, and the unhappy workers are said to haunt the factory site today.Advertisement
13. California - Turnbull Canyon
Image Source: modernhiker.com
California is known for its beautiful hikes, whether in the outskirts of LA or in the wild mountains. But this is one hike that you might want to pass on. Turnbull Canyon is known for being the site of a big plane crash, where 29 people died. Today, their ghosts are said to roam the canyon, giving it the Native name 'Hutukngna' - place of the Devil.Advertisement
14. Kentucky - Waverly Hills Sanatorium
Image Source: nbcnews.com
A sanatorium is one of the prime locations for hauntings. Deadly diseases? People dying? It's a gold mine for ghost hunters. The Waverly Hills Sanatorium once housed over 400 patients, mainly of tuberculosis, but it closed in the late 20th century. Now, if you visit, you might see the ghosts of some of the patients or doctors who were quarantined there.Advertisement
15. Louisiana - LaLaurie Mansion
Image Source: atlasobscura.com
This fashionable home was once the residence of Delphine LaLaurie, who had a very wealthy lifestyle. However, this came at a cost. Delphine kept slaves locked in the basement, which was only discovered after a fire started in the home and firefighters came to put it out. These slaves still haunt the house, though their slave master is long gone.Advertisement
16. Maine - Mount Hope Cemetery
Image Source: rochestercitynewspaper.com
We're going back to cemeteries for Maine's entry into this list. There's a reason they filmed the adaptation of Stephen King's Pet Sematary in the Mount Hope Cemetery, and that's because it's a spooky place. It has a 181-year history, and there are plenty of reports of ghosts and mysterious figures among the grave sites.Advertisement
17. Massachusetts - Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast
Image Source: wikimedia.org
Lizzie Borden is one of the most famous serial killers in American history - and this is the place where her infamous murders happened. In 1892, Lizzie killed both her parents in a horrific ax attack, and today you can sleep in the same room her parents slept in when they were killed. Don't try this if you're afraid of ghosts!Advertisement
18. Minnesota - Wabasha Street Caves
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Yes, these are actual caves that were used for an underground speakeasy that has existed since the 1930s. At one time, the Caves was the centre of the bootlegging industry in St. Paul, and today, many visitors report seeing old guests in the underground space, as well as the ghosts of gangsters who were murdered and buried under the floor.Advertisement
19. Mississippi - The McRaven House
Image Source: wikimedia.org
If you're looking for an old house with actual dead people, this is it. Once a hospital, apparently 11 people are actually buried in the grounds of the house, and people still say they can see the ghosts of Confederate soldiers and old residents. If you can brave it, you can take a candlelit history tour of the home.Advertisement
20. Missouri - Governor's Mansion
Image Source: wikimedia.org
This is one of the grandest houses in Missouri, so you'd be forgiven for thinking that it's not one of the creepiest places in the entire state. But, there was a tragedy here. In 1882, the then-Governor's daughter died of diptheria in the house, and later, construction workers reported seeing a young girl in the attic.Advertisement
21. Montana - The Fairweather Inn
Image Source: hrs.com
Inns aren't always creepy - often they're wonderfully warm and welcoming places. This isn't the case for the Fairweather Inn. Apparently, the ghosts of children who used to stay here haunt the place, and guests have experienced weird happenings like luggage going missing and lights flickering.Advertisement
22. New Jersey - Pine Barrens
Image Source: insider.com
This ancient forest is apparently home to ancient spirits and maybe devils. While there used to be industry and residences around the forest, it's now completely abandoned, giving this huge forest even creepier vibes. Visitors to the spooky site say they've seen strange creatures running around, so maybe steer clear.Advertisement
23. New York - Letchworth Village
Image Source: wikimedia.org
This run-down complex used to be a huge psychiatric hospital, but today it's completely abandoned. This definitely adds to the creepy atmosphere, with windows smashed in and vines covering the buildings. However, it's also apparently haunted by the restless spirits of old patients.Advertisement
24. North Carolina - The Biltmore Estate
Image Source: wikimedia.org
This grand country house is one of the biggest private residencies in the entire US, and used to be the summer home of George Washington Vanderbilt II. Today, though, it's plagued by creepy stories, including that some visitors have sen George sitting in the library, and that water splashed in the empty swimming pool in the gardens.Advertisement
25. Ohio - Ohio State Reformatory
Image Source: roadtrippers.com
The Ohio State Reformatory is less a prison than a magnificent house for extremely dangerous criminals. Built in 1896, it has a history spanning almost 100 years, and in that time 200,000 criminals have wandered its halls. Take a tour if you want to experience the place for yourself - it's definitely creepy.Advertisement
26. Oklahoma - The Skirvin Hotel
Image Source: bbc.com
This Oklahoma City hotel was built way back in 1911, so it has a long history of weird occurrences. Today, it's probably best known for being the place where NBA teams stay while playing in the city, and many players over the years have said they've seen ghosts in the halls.Advertisement
27. Oregon - The Shanghai Tunnels
Image Source: theculturetrip.com
Not only are these tunnels downright creepy, they also have a horrific past. They were used to smuggle kidnapped workers onto ships heading for East Asia, and apparently the trafficked workers still haunt the tunnels. Today, you can work through the tunnels, but at your own risk - you might just meet one of the old workers.Advertisement
28. Pennsylvania - Eastern State Penitentiary
Image Source: whyy.org
This is another creepy penitentiary - there are lots in America. It's probably one of the best-known prisons in the world because of famous inmates like Al Capone. However, the conditions were terrible, and apparently visitors today report hearing laughter and footsteps while walking around the site.Advertisement
29. South Carolina - Poinsett Bridge
Image Source: wikimedia.org
This is supposedly one of the spookiest spots in all of North Carolina. It's the oldest bridge in Poinsett, but is also the site of grisly deaths, including a slave who was lynched near the bridge and a worker who died while building the bridge. People still hike to the bridge today to soak up the spooky atmosphere.Advertisement
30. Tennessee - The Bell Witch Cave
Image Source: usatoday.com
This cave has become something of a local legend, and today kids dare each other to invoke the spirit of the 'Bell Witch'. The cave itself - where the eponymous witch lived - is now on the National Historic Register, and visitors say they've experienced creepy things like being pushed or touched while in the cave.Advertisement
31. Arkansas - The Arlington Hotel
Image Source / The Sentinel-Record
Another haunted hotel for the bucket list - and a creepy one at that. This hotel is a century-old, grand and ornate, and has had a variety of famous guests, including Al Capone and four presidents. Even the walk to the hotel is creepy, with lamplight guiding your way, and forest surrounding the building.
32. Delaware - Fort Delaware
Image Source / Delaware State ParksAdvertisement
Fort Delaware was a Civil War prison, and had many prisoners incarcerated back in the 1860s - which means many ghosts, of course. The prisoners in this particular fort would have faced amputations, gangrene and even psychosis from the horrors of war. You can actually tour this huge brick fort if you're interested in doing a little ghost hunting.
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33. Indiana - The Haunted Bridge
Image Source / Visit Indiana
In the small community of Avon in Indiana, you can find a particularly creepy haunted bridge. This bridge is a concrete railroad that looks old, forgotten and ruined - and is a particularly big NOPE if you're driving through it at night. You do have the option of parking up and walking around it to see if you encounter the famous ghost of a crying woman whose child died on the railroad tracks.
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34. Maryland - Coffin Rock
Image Source / Blair Witch Wikia - Fandom
The allure of this particular place is all to do with The Blair Witch Project. If you'd like to visit the place where the movie was filmed, then you can go into the Black Hills Forest (around 20 minutes outside of Burkittsville) and visit Coffin Rock, which is a large flat rock in the middle of the woods located near a creek. The story you're looking for was attributed to the Blair Witch, where a search party went missing when searching for an 8-year-old, with a second search party finding disemboweled corpes on Coffin Rock.
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35. Michigan - South Manitou Island
Image Source / Superior Paddling
South Manitou Island, found 16 miles off Lake Michigan's Leelanau Peninsula, is a deserted shoreline with empty campgrounds. There's a legend that says a ship filled with passengers ill with cholera stopped at the island, and were buried in a mass grave. There are also two creepy cemeteries, a forest where voices have been heard and a shipwreck.
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36. Nebraska - Seven Sisters Road
Image Source / Nebraska Passport
There's a story that one man from Nebraska murdered all seven of his daughters by taking them all out to separate hills and killing each of them, over a century ago. The Seven Sisters Road - also known as County Road L, as it's officially named - is the road that travels between every one of the murder sites. People who have visited this road report that their cars run into trouble, like electrics going faulty, while hearing the screams of women in the hills.
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37. Nevada - The Clown Motel
Image Source / Tonopah, NevadaThe name says it all, really, doesn't it? This old motel includes not just one creepy a** clown, but a collection of 2,000 of them. The owner of the motel has said that he's seen ghosts there, too (friendly ones though) and the reason for that is that the motel is located next to a cemetary in a town littered with mining ruins. Oh, and it's also in the middle of the desert.Advertisement
38. New Hampshire - Mount Washington Hotel
Image Source / The Boston GlobeThe tale of Carolyn Stickney tells that she married the founder of this hotel, who then died before it could be completed, leading her to remarry European royalty, of all things, before dying herself. She is now said to haunt the hotel, appearing in people's photos, drifting around the hallways and spending time in room 314 specifically. The same bed she slept in when she was alive remains in the room.Advertisement
39. New Mexico - Dawson Cemetery
Image Source / Legends of AmericaDawson was once a prosperous coal town - until an explosion killed around 250 mine workers in 1913. It plodded on, until another 123 workers were killed in another accident. All that's left of the town these days is the cemetery, which is (understandably) one of the most haunted places in America. Taking a visit might see you experiencing strange lights and apparitions walking about.Advertisement
40. North Dakota - Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park
Image Source / North Dakota TourismThis state park is usually a haunted attraction for people who want to dress up in Halloween costumes, and one of the haunted spots is Custer House, once the home of General Custer who was killed. It's said his wife's spirit still roams the halls, and others believe Custer himself wanders about the grounds.Advertisement
41. Rhode Island - White Horse Tavern
Image Source / FacebookIt's said that two drifters arrived at this tavern in the 1720s looking for a room. The next day, one of the drifters was found dead by the fireplace by the owner, and the other had disappeared. Now, the ghost of the dead drifter lurks by the fireplace in a bid to have his death solved, while people hear ghostly footsteps elsewhere in the tavern.Advertisement
42. South Dakota - Sica Hollow State Park
Image Source / TripAdvisorThis state park includes blood-coloured water in the streams due to iron deposits, just to add to the creepy atmosphere, but also functions on the Dakota legend of a man named Hand who disrespected the land and traditions of the tribe living there. He was subsequently banished, but ended up being killed by the tribe's messenger of the Great Spirit, though his evil spirit still remains in the park.Advertisement
43. Texas - Yorktown Memorial Hospital
Image Source / Houston ChronicleThere's just something creepier about a hospital compared to a haunted house. And this old, abandoned hospital still includes the old beds, medical equipment and gurneys, and is the site of over 2,000 patient deaths before it closed. Visitors can expect creepy apparitions, disembodied whispers and and wheelchairs rolling by themselves. There's also apparently a talking doll...Advertisement
44. Utah - Moon Lake
Image Source / Utah StoriesUtah's Mountain Meadows is the site of a massacre, where over 100 people were slain in the 1850s. Moon Lake is a reprieve from all that chilling history, a lakeside campsite that should be a moment of peace and tranquillity - apart from the ghost girl who asks for help, of course. Known as the Blue Lake ghost, she appears any time of day.Advertisement
45. Vermont - Lake Bomoseen State Park
Image Source / Vermont
West Castleton is an abandoned town - ghost town, that is - that was once a booming industrial town but is now empty, apart from the ghosts that just won't leave. The ghosts include a boatman who likes to spend time rowing across the lake, leaving no ripples in the water behind him. The lake, otherwise, is a beautiful tourist spot - just maybe don't go at night.
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46. Virginia - Bacon's Castle
Image Source / Wikipedia
Bacon's Castle is the ultimate haunted house, built in 1665 and the oldest home in the country. Visitors have said they've heard voices and wails, seen floating heads, and even encountered books flying off shelves and a general feeling of being unwanted. The house actually hosts tours, where you can take a candle-lit walk through.
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47. Washington - Northern State Mental Hospital
Image Source / The Clipboard of Fun
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48. West Virginia - Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Image Source / Culture Trip
Now known as the Weston State Hospital, this asylum - gothic in architecture - once housed many of West Virginia's mentally ill, between 1864 and 1994. It once had around 2,400 people, when it was only supposed to house 250. This meant massive overcrowding and miserable conditions, a mood which apparently translates to the ghosts that are said to haunt it.
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49. Wisconsin - The Pfister Hotel
Image Source / Conde Nast Traveler
This hotel is one of the best in Wisconsin in terms of luxury and style - but you'd also have to apparently share all that luxury with a ghost or two. It sees many high-class visitors, such as baseball players, who had reported ghostly noises and things acting strange, like TVs turning off by themselves, and a lot of people now refuse to stay there.
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50. Wyoming - Wyoming Frontier Prison
Image Source / Wikipedia
This was Wyoming's first state penitentiary and was a miserable, stone cold prison. Prisoners would face punishments such as being handcuffed to a pole and then whipped with a rubber hose. Now closed, visitors can still tour the place and explore the 'death house', which is where prisoners on death row were kept. There also includes a gas chamber and offices, all preserved exactly as they were.
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