Tis the season to be spooky! Gear up for your Halloween sugar high by scaring the dickens out of yourself at one of these terrifying travel options from each state… That is, if you’re brave enough.
I had no idea our country was so creepy.
Alabama: Auburn University Chapel
Alaska: Dimond Center
There are rumors that this Anchorage mall was built over an Indian burial ground. Supposedly, workers uncovered a few bodies during the construction and now they haunt the bathrooms and smaller hallways.
Arizona: The Bird Cage Theatre
Arkansas: The Crescent Hotel
California: Wolfe Manor
Colorado: The Stanley Hotel
Connecticut: Union Cemetery
Deleware: The Governor’s Mansion
Florida: The Biltmore Hotel
Georgia: Moon River Brewing Company
Employees have claimed experiencing physical attacks, possessions, and dark figures while working at this Savannah pub. Built in 1821, it was originally used at the city’s first hotel.
Hawaii: Chaminade University of Honolulu
Several examples of paranormal activity have been reported over the years including apparitions of a spooky skateboarder and a soldier, odd sounds and electrical issues, shared dreams, and the feeling of being choked while sleeping.
Idaho: Owyhee Mountains
Is supposedly home to some ultra-freaky creatures. Residents claim some of the caves are home to demon possessed canibalistic dwarves who are around 2-feet tall and feature long tails they wrap around themselves in order to hide. They have been accused of abducting children and eating them.
Illinois: The Ashmore Estates
Indiana: Dunes State Park
In 1915, a woman named Alice Mabel Gray grew tired of city life after graduating from the University of Chicago and headed to a small cabin to spend her life alone among the dunes. She was titled “Diana of the Dunes” by journalists of the time and her spirit supposedly still lingers in the park.
Iowa: Iowa State Penitentiary
Inmates have reported cold spots in certain cells, the sound of chains clanking in the halls, and some claim to be victims of violent spectral physical attacks. Even officers have had the willies while on rounds, many of them refusing to go the end of the solitary confinement area at night because of dark feelings, specifically the feeling of being watched very intently by specters.
Kansas: Wichita State University
Wilner Auditorium is rumored to be haunted by its namesake, George Wilner. Reports include disembodied voices, doors opening and closing by themselves, and lights turning on and off and flickering without any explanation.
Kentucky: Bobby Mackey’s Music World
Louisiana: Myrtle’s Plantation
Maine: Camden Hills State Park
Legend says that in the late 1800s, a little girl named Elenora French fell to her death when her pink hat was swept from her head by the wind and she chased after it. Visitors have since reported seeing her floating pink had and hearing the sound of her screams near the cliff she fell from.
Maryland: Engineered Piping Products
The company is located on what was once a neighborhood and it seems some of the residents were reluctant to leave. Employees report buzzing and the feeling of their clothes being tugged while working alone in the building.
Massachusetts: The Houghton Mansion
Home to the state’s first mayor, A.C. Houghton, who lost his wife and daughter when their chauffeur committed suicide in a car accident resulting in all their deaths. His guilt-ridden ghost supposedly still lingers around.
Michigan: Mission Point Resort
Located on Lake Huron’s Mackinac Island, guests have claimed to see several apparitions over the years including a little girl in the auditorium, victims who drowned in lagoons, pools, and from jumping off cliffs.
Minnesota: Greyhound Bus Museum
Mississippi: Bellevue
Missouri: Kemper Arena
Montana: Bannack
Nebraska: Hummel Park
Visitors have claimed to see apparitions of Native American drumming and wolves at this Omaha park. There is also an area where a spooky set of so-called “Morphing Stairs” always seem to have more steps to count going up than down.
Nevada: Mustang Ranch
The state’s first licensed brothel is supposedly haunted by the ghost of heavy-weight boxer Oscar Bonavena who was shot and killed on the premises in 1976.
New Hampshire: Pine Hill Cemetery
Located in Hollis, there have been reports of a mysterious little boy who runs out to the road to stop cars. Legend says a family was murdered on the grounds in the 1800s.
New Jersey: Seabrook-Wilson House
New Mexico: Chino Mines Creek
Stories say a woman who was driven insane by the idea of her husband cheating on her intended to punish her him by killing their son. She brought the child to the creek and, though she came to her senses, they were both swept away by a flood. Visitors now claim to hear the cries of a woman searching for her son.
New York: Farnam Mansion
North Carolina: Lydia’s Bridge
Found in Jamestown, legend states that a young couple was driving through the area in the 1920s and, in a rush to get home by curfew, lost control of the vehicle. The boy is said to have died on impact, but the girl escaped and attempted to find help. Drivers have since claimed to see a woman in white hitchhiking there and, once picked up, explains how she needs to get home soon because she doesn’t want her mother to worry. She would then disappear before reaching the destination.
North Dakota: Liberty Memorial Building
Employees claim to be haunted by something known as the “Stack Monster” who has been known to call people by their name, roam the storage areas, and fill people with an “overwhelming sensation” that they should leave the building.
Ohio: University of Toledo
The school’s Ritter Planetarium houses three telescopes, but one has not been used for years because it is thought to be haunted by a ghost scientist. They also claim to see strange blue lights along the walls at night.
Oklahoma: Dead Woman Crossing
The morbid title comes from the unsolved story of a school teacher named Katie DeWitt James who was murdered in 1905 after leaving her husband with their infant daughter. Researchers in her case have reported seeing strange blue lights in the area where her body was found, some also claiming to hear a woman woman crying for her child.
Oregon: Multnomah County Poor Farm
Pennsylvania: Eastern State Penitentiary
Rhode Island: Ladd School
Established by Dr. Joseph H. Ladd in 1907, this was previously a school for the mentally disabled that reportedly mistreated its students before closing in 1994. Now used as the Execter Job Corps Academy, people claim the building is haunted by the children who suffered.
South Carolina: St. Helena Parish Chapel of Ease Ruins
South Dakota: Mount Marty College
Students have claimed several spooky things taking place over the years including dorm showers turning on and off by themselves, water fountains flowing by themselves, the sound of mysterious footsteps, and disembodied shadows.
Tennessee: Ryman Auditorium
Texas: The Grove
Utah: Asylum 49
This hospital turned haunted house attraction has had reports from visitors and employees of “negative entities” roaming the halls and spying the spirits of former patients.
Vermont: Bennington College
Jennings Hall, a music studies facility, is reportedly haunted by the spirit of its namesake, Mrs. Jennings, who passed away in the building. Students and staff have claimed to hear voices and footsteps, as well as see the image of Mrs. Jennings descending the staircase.
Virginia: Ferry Plantation House
Washington: Montgomery House Bed and Breakfast
Washington, DC: The Capitol
Ghosts have been reported in this historic building dating back to the 1860s while construction was still being completed. Numerous congressmen who made impressions during their time there are said to linger, as well as several who lost their lives in the building. There is also a legend of a “demon cat” haunting the grounds.
West Virginia: Harpers Ferry
Tourists have frequently reported seeing Civil War spirits, sometimes whole troops of Confederate soldiers, hanging around. Abolitionist John Brown, infamous for his unsuccessful raid on the arsenal, is said to glare angrily at those passing by.
Wisconsin: Rhinehart Theater
Actors and staff at this playhouse have reported doors opening and closing on their own, disembodied footsteps in the costume area, and apparitions on the stage. One group once claimed to find three candled lit around a white rose on stage when they arrived for rehearsal.
Wyoming: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Whether or not you believe the terrifying tales, there’s no escaping the haunted side of history.
