9 spooky secrets you can visit in NYC for free

An abandoned smallpox hospital, a haunted Revolutionary-era home and a grisly murder site sound like they could be rooms inside a haunted house. But these are actually real places around New York City with fascinating histories and plenty of spooky surprises—all free and open to the public.

Some promise ghosts, others offer fun photo ops and at one you can even get involved. So this year forget the $50 haunted house and instead scare yourself silly at these relatively obscure and very real places around New York City—no jump scares required.

1. Abandoned smallpox hospital

Roosevelt Island near Four Freedoms State Park, Manhattan

An ivy-covered shell of a building sits behind a tall fence at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island near the entrance of Four Freedoms State Park. This is the site of a former smallpox hospital where patients were sent to quarantine in the 1800s on what was then the isolated Blackwell’s Island. Over the years, the building—which was designed by renowned architect James Renwick Jr. of St. Patrick’s Cathedral fame—eventually became a nursing school until it was abandoned in the 1950s. Today, only its eerie ruins remain, and it’s a fascinating site to see.

2. A real-life witch

Central Park along the Mall, Manhattan

Perched atop a broomstick with a pointy hat on her head, a witch hides in plain sight in Central Park. Find her carved into a railing along the Mall just before Bethesda Terrace. Back when Bethesda Terrace was built in the 1800s, Halloween was tied to Irish culture, and the artwork was created to pay homage to the Irish immigrants and workers who helped to build the park. The witch is placed along other seasonal art pieces, all intended to mark the passage of time.

3. The actual Ghostbusters firehouse

14 N Moore St, Tribeca, Manhattan

Who you gonna call? Your friends to go find the actual Ghostbuster firehouse, of course. Located in Tribeca, this three-story firehouse was the filming location where Dr. Peter Venkman slid down the firepole and the Ectomobile sped into duty. Outside, you’ll see a Ghostbusters sign, as well as themed artwork on the sidewalk. Just keep in mind that it’s an actual fire station, so snap your photos outside and don’t get in the firefighters’ way.

4. A cemetery beneath a popular park

Washington Square Park, Manhattan

Though today it’s one of the most popular parks in NYC (for skateboarders and Instagram influencers, at least), Washington Square Park has a sad history. Amid a yellow fever outbreak from 1798 to 1801, the area became a cemetery for 20,000 people, including some unidentified New Yorkers who were buried in unmarked graves. During a renovation in the early 2000s, 26 sets of remains were found, and they were removed from the area to be reinterred.

One fully intact headstone was found, which is now mounted in the parkhouse for all to see. Also look near the park office and bathroom to find a sign with a map depicting the areas of the park used as a potter’s field, as well as a remembrance plaque.

5. A collection of wax death masks

445 Albee Sq W, #4410, inside the City Point Building, Downtown Brooklyn

Before you catch a movie at Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn, stop by House of Wax in its lobby for a scare, even if you’re not seeing a scary movie. The collection includes 25 wax death masks (a.k.a. models of a dead person’s face), each one perched on a red velvet pillow with their eyes closed as if they’re sleeping. Look for models of Napoleon Bonaparte, Mary Queen of Scots and King Henry IV if you dare.

6. The Manhattan murder well

129 Spring St (currently a COS store), Soho, Manhattan

Musical theater buffs may have caught a line in Hamilton referring to Levi Weeks (hear the lyric in the song “Non-Stop”). But who is Levi Weeks? As the subject of America’s first murder trial, he’s an obscure figure in history who had an outsized impact on our criminal justice system. He was accused of murdering his girlfriend Elma Sands, who was found dead at the bottom of a well on January 2, 1800. Shockingly, that well still exists, and even more shockingly, you can see it inside the basement level of the COS store in Soho.

As for the Hamilton connection, Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton served as attorneys for Weeks, who was acquitted after just five minutes of deliberation. If you really want to nerd out on this subject, listen to the podcast Erased: The Murder of Elma Sands.

7. A tomb filled with secrets

500 25th Street, Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn

When you share a secret, you want to know it’s not going to get out, right? Well, there’s a place in Brooklyn where you can jot down a secret and know it’ll stay safe. That’s an art installation called “Here Lie the Secrets of the Visitors of Green-Wood Cemetery,” a tall tombstone with a mail slot where anybody can drop a secret to float deep into the dirt below. The artist behind the piece collects the secrets when the grave is full and cremates them in a ceremonial bonfire.

8. The oldest house in Manhattan

65 Jumel Terrace, Washington Heights, Manhattan

It’s not just the oldest house in Manhattan, it’s perhaps the most haunted. The Morris-Jumel Mansion, which dates back to 1765, was an important site in the American Revolution. George Washington even used the house as a headquarters in the autumn of 1776. The site has witnessed so much history, and it seems that some of its inhabitants over the years haven’t quite left yet. Paranormal investigations often take place at the home, and you can purchase tickets to get in on the fun and frights. The grounds outside the home are free to visit anytime.

9. Memories of the Titanic

Near Little Island along the Hudson River at Pier 54, there’s a metal archway that looks almost like a modern art installation. In reality, it’s a relic from the Titanic era. The metal remains from what used to be the Cunard-White Star Building, and that’s exactly where survivors of the Titanic disaster arrived to safety in 1912 aboard the RMS Carpathia rescue liner. The so-called “unsinkable” ship was meant to arrive at the nearby Pier 59, but its plans and the course of history changed on that journey.

Rossilynne Skena Culgan is a Time Out contributor, former Things to Do Editor and a certified NYC tour guide. She’s the author of Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, which is full of even more NYC secrets—spooky and otherwise. She visits the Central Park witch every Halloween.