Halloween is just around the corner, and haunted houses nationwide have sprung up to induce screams of terror in those willing to cross their fearsome thresholds. If you’re a Halloween fiend, you might want to take things a step further and drive America’s most haunted roads or stay in a haunted Airbnb. For an even deeper dive into the spirit of the season, Smokymountains.com has just revealed a ranking of the spookiest states in the U.S., where you can experience the most scares in one spot.
To determine the spookiest states, Smokymountains.com tallied up the number of Halloween stores, haunted houses, actual haunted locations (including tales of ghostly sightings), and Google searches for info about hauntings in each state, assigning a ranking on their Spookymeter. They’ve identified the most haunted locations in the U.S., as well as a few haunted hotels where you can stay on your ghostly galavant.
California tops the list of spookiest states, with 172 Spirit Halloween stores and 128 haunted houses. It’s also home to Alcatraz, the abandoned prison that’s officially the most haunted location in the country. Alcatraz housed notorious criminals like Al Capone, and it seems to be very active with restless ghosts. You can take a haunted tour of the facility at night, if you dare. The second most haunted location in the U.S. is Union Station in Utah, which is reportedly the site of high paranormal activity as well as many stories of terrifying ghosts. Utah comes in second on the list of spookiest states, ranking high due to its number of haunted houses and searches for paranormal activity.
Following California and Utah on the spooky scale are Ohio and New Hampshire, with high ratings based on number of haunted houses (Ohio has the most, with 135), haunted house ratings and searches for hauntings. New Hampshire also claims the second most haunted location, the University of New Hampshire. Here, a lady in white roams around, stomping and whispering.
The U.S. is full of spooky stories, top-notch haunted houses and serious hauntings, so take a look at the full report for inspiration for your Halloween road trip. And if you’re looking for a haunted place to stay? Smokymountains.com has some recommendations too, including the Plaza Hotel in New Mexico and the Queen Mary in California.