The most haunted places in America for a creepy ghost hunt

San Diego’s Whaley House has lived many lives since it was built in 1857. It was the city’s first commercial theater, a county courthouse and general store, but it was also primarily the place where the Whaley family lived—although some say they’re still there. There have been reports of mists, lights turning on and off, and crystals swinging unexpectedly from chandeliers in “America’s Most Haunted House.” Many guests have also reported hearing the footsteps, cries or giggles of the young Thomas Whaley, who died in the home of scarlet fever.

Time Out tip: If you’re ready to go all in on spirits, the Whaley House offers a paranormal investigation package that includes ghost-hunting equipment.

Imagine a place spooky enough to give Stephen King nightmares. King spent the night at the Stanley Hotel, and the creepiness inspired him to write The Shining. If that weren’t enough to completely freak you out, many guests have reported seeing or hearing spirits while staying at the hotel. Some of the more famous spectral residents include Elizabeth Wilson, a former maid known to visit the infamous room 217 and a cowboy spirit in room 428.

Time Out tip: The Stanley offers tours that explore the hotel’s connection to The Shining. They recently added a hedge maze, although it’s still growing to full size.

Sure, it’s easy to make jokes about the current administration “haunting” D.C. (and America), but there are supposedly real ghosts that haunt the White House! Abraham Lincoln is the most commonly cited presence—often seen or felt (where else) in the Lincoln Bedroom. Others have reported Andrew Jackson laughing and swearing in the Rose Room, Thomas Jefferson playing violin in the Yellow Oval Room, William Henry Harrison haunting the attic or Abigail Adams hanging laundry in the East Room.

Time Out tip: Unfortunately, the U.S. government doesn’t offer ghost tours. There are private companies that cover the haunted history of the area, but don’t expect to see any presidential spirits unless you’re extremely well connected.

Home of the Salem Witch Trials, this storied town in Massachusetts draws ghost hunters from all over the globe. Those looking to gather goosebumps can explore the Witch House (home to Judge Corwin, an investigator from the infamous trials), Gallows Hill (where the wrongfully accused were executed) and Old Burying Point (where the accusers are buried). There’s even a spirit said to visit the House of the Seven Gables, the same house that inspired the novel by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

Time Out tip: Halloween in “The Witch City” is so big that it lasts the entire month of October. Salem’s Haunted Happenings features events all month long!

Thousands of soldiers died at the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, but some of their spirits remain. The ghosts of soldiers are often seen in multiple hotels and restaurants in town, and they’re even known to run across the battlefield at night—people also claim to hear cannons and smell gunpowder during their visits. The Gettysburg National Military Park has many infamous sites that have seen paranormal activity, like strange floating orbs spotted around the Gettysburg National Cemetery. There’s also Sachs Covered Bridge, where people previously claimed to see three disembodied heads floating, rumored to be the ghosts of three Confederate soldiers hanged there.

Time Out tip: Book a stay at the Farnsworth House Inn, which was used as a makeshift field hospital for Confederate Soldiers, for additional haunts.

Don’t journey to Bonaventure Cemetery if you’re not ready to see statues in a stone-cold state of bliss—visitors have reported grinning granite, not to mention spooky sounds of crying children and barking dogs. If you do go, stop by the grave of young Gracie Watson and leave a toy at her marker (it might just lure out her oft-seen ghost, as a gift is known to do the trick). If Gracie doesn’t fill your ghost quota, head to Kehoe House, an inn that’s choked with them; if you believe their stories, guests claim they’ve awoken to gentle caresses in the middle of the night, and they’ve also witnessed ghostly mourners (likely from the house’s time as a funeral parlor) standing above them as if they were in a coffin. The Kehoe twins, who died playing in the house’s chimney, also make appearances—try not to stoke these ghosts if you want a peaceful night’s sleep.

Time Out tip: Sign up for a guided tour for in-depth information about Bonaventure’s most famous residents.

In between New York and Philadelphia lay 1.1 million acres of uninhabited woodland and its most famous resident: the Jersey Devil. Depending on who you ask, the Jersey Devil is either a livestock-killing animal with red eyes, a Bigfoot-type phenomenon or the actual spawn of Satan (a.k.a. the 13th child of a New Jersey woman named Jane Leeds, born in 1735). The elusive Jersey Devil is nearly impossible to track down. Still, there are plenty of opportunities to catch other New Jersey legends like the Golden-Haired Girl, a demonic black dog, and the headless ghost of Captain Kidd. Look for spirits on a haunted hike through the woods—but only if you dare. 

Time Out tip: Explore the area’s abandoned mining and mill towns, including Batsto, which offers guided walking tours of the village and its mansions.

Usually known as a summer vacation destination, Mackinac Island, Michigan, isn’t lacking in the spook department. A curly-haired girl in a sundress, Lucy, infiltrated local lore with sightings all over the island, while a teenage boy, Harvey, is also said to haunt the area. Though Harvey’s death was declared a suicide, locals say his spirit remains on the island to tell the truth: he was murdered. Thankfully, all ghosts on the island are said to be harmless—even the spirits of seven women killed at the Drowning Pool after being tried for witchcraft aren’t known to cause much of a stir.

Time Out tip: The island’s Grand Hotel is supposedly built on a Native American burial ground, with construction workers finding human skeletons when they dug the foundation in 1887. Guests have reported spirit sightings and eerie feelings.

This small town in Maryland (specifically, the woods nearby) was the setting for perhaps the ’90s’ freakiest movie: The Blair Witch Project. If flashbacks of the film aren’t enough to keep you from camping overnight, there are also creepy real-life stories about the area. In 1886, a search party went missing on the hunt for an eight-year-old boy who eventually returned to town—but the searchers vanished. A second search party found disemboweled bodies with bound hands and feet on Coffin Rock, which were nowhere to be found when they returned.

Time Out tip: Anyway… Burkittsville isn’t just known for its witch. The small town was also pivotal in the U.S. Civil War, so when you go, make sure to check out this trail of notable historic sites.

The oldest city in America is sure to host some ghosts, right? You bet. In St. Augustine, one of the spookiest places in Florida, a range of ghosts count among the city’s local characters. Chief among them is a Spanish soldier spotted sitting atop an old fort, watching for ships along the shore. Nearby, former patients of the Spanish Military Hospital (who passed away long ago) still linger within the historic building, moaning and crying. Over in Huguenot Cemetery, the ghost of Judge John B. Stickney roams, visibly unhappy after thieves snatched his gold teeth while his coffin was being relocated closer to his family. And, of course, St. Augustine’s iconic lighthouse is home to lighthouse keeper Mr. Andreu, who fell to his death while painting the tower—so yeah, you could say this town is cursed.

Time Out tip: St. Augustine isn’t all spooky. The Lightner Museum has history without the ghosts (that we know of). It’s delightful to wander through the halls of glass and art.

The spirits of McInteer Villa in Atchison, Kansas, bring all the chills. Drastic temperature changes, the whiff of a powdery women’s perfume, voices of past inhabitants, lights flickering on and off, and shadowy figures seen from windows… these are just a few of the reported supernatural experiences visitors report after walking through the old boarding house. Five minutes away, even creepier hauntings happen at Sallie House, an old physician’s office haunted by the supposed ghost of a six-year-old girl who died on the operating table.

Time Out tip: Rumors about Amelia Earhart’s ghosts are muttered around the world, but because her childhood home sits nearby Sallie House, think about paying her a visit too!

This small abandoned cemetery in the Chicago suburbs wasn’t just an alleged dumping ground for bodies—it was supposedly used by none other than Chicago’s organized crime gangs of the 1920s and ’30s. Not surprisingly, it’s home to some seriously creepy stuff, from near collisions with vehicles that aren’t there to a spirit who walks the grounds holding her baby during the full moon. There have even been reports of a phantom farmhouse that shrinks as you get close and then disappears entirely—real estate is hard to get your hands on, eh?

Time Out tip: Be respectful. Stay on paths. You’ll need to walk from a forest preserve bike path to reach the cemetery, crossing a former car road that is now for foot traffic only.

The Ohio State Reformatory closed in 1990, but that doesn’t mean it’s entirely empty. The prison, the exact location where The Shawshank Redemption was filmed, now holds regular ghost hunts where visitors report hearing shrieks and the sound of doors slamming. However, the most terrifying part of this prison is the solitary confinement wing; here, people have seen shadowy figures and felt the club of a murdered guard still on patrol. Other haunted sites in the city include the Bissman Building (home of a specter with a top hat and a little girl ghost) and the Renaissance Theatre (where you might hear disembodied laughter and creepy music).

Time Out tip: From October 26 to November 2, the site hosts Blood Prison, a haunted house of the theatrical type. Not sure how the resident ghosts feel about it though…

When Hannes Tiedemann built his “castle” in 1864, it was a beautiful home for the well-to-do German family… until the deaths started, purportedly of natural causes—first his 15-year-old daughter, Emma, then his mother, then three more children. When Tiedemann’s wife died and he quickly remarried, Cleveland society grew suspicious. Was Tiedemann behind the deaths? Subsequent owners have reported multiple hauntings from Emma and the “Woman in Black” that watches over the house. You can book a stay in Emma’s old room, if you’re morbid like that. Leave your observations in the book by the bed.

Time Out tip: Horror seekers, if you can’t get into Franklin Castle (it tends to book up), check out the Cleveland History Center. Not only do they have great standing exhibits, but they’ll be hosting History on Tap: Behind the Screams, a happy hour dedicated to scary movies.

The Hotel Monte Vista hosted living celebrities all the time in Arizona (Bing Crosby, Jane Russell and Spencer Tracy were just a few of their starred guests). And if you’re interested, you can relive John Wayne’s stay in room 210—but beware, because he supposedly had a run-in with the bellboy, one of the hotel’s many ghosts. The young man in a red coat and brass buttons is known to tap on the door, yelping “Room service!” before disappearing without a trace. But you should be warier of room 220, where the ghost of a former renter (who absurdly hung meat from his chandelier), still turns on the TV and scatters the bedding—no one wants to deal with that mess! 

Time Out tip: Have a drink at the Monte V (operated by the hotel), Flagstaff’s first speakeasy—as in an actual speakeasy that was raided during Prohibition in 1931.

Don’t let the colorful buildings in Yazoo City fool you. Beyond the iron arch of Glenwood Cemetery lies the town’s greatest mystery: a gravestone broken in two with chains left in pieces. Legend recalls the story of “The Witch” who was supposedly buried in the plot in this historic cemetery—the witch allegedly tortured local fishermen, and as the sheriff chased after her, she sank in quicksand, promising to burn the town down in 20 years. Sure enough, 20 years passed, and Yazoo City lost 200 buildings after a fire. What else? The chains around her grave were broken, too. The groundskeeper repairs the chains to this day, but they often break shortly after.

Time Out tip: Yazoo County is considered one of the birthplaces of Delta blues. The nearby town of Bentonia has held an annual blues festival since 1972.

This gothic-looking building is one of the best examples of life imitating art; it looks exactly what you’d imagine a haunted hospital or insane asylum should look like! It’s on a windswept hill on the edge of Louisville, Kentucky. It was built in 1910 to treat those suffering from the “white plague” of tuberculosis ravaging the country. Back then, there was no cure, and contracting the disease often proved fatal. While the number of people who actually died here has been exaggerated over the years, historians say the real number was likely closer to 8,000, with a total of 152 deaths in 1945, the worst year of the epidemic. In the past, visitors have reported hearing slamming doors, footsteps and the screams of patients from empty rooms…

Time Out tip: Book a paranormal tour or a group investigation, depending on your skill level. For theatrical frights, check out their annual haunted house.

A small town known as the “Ski Capital of the East” has plenty of powder, but also has its own share of haunted history. The best-known spooky site in Stowe is Emily’s Bridge, a covered bridge that, according to legend, was the site of a suicide spurred by unrequited love—people have reported claw-like marks on their cars and audible screams when driving over the bridge. There’s also Green Mountain Inn, where some say the ghost of Boots Berry can be heard tap dancing on the roof during snowstorms, and the Brass Lantern Inn, an 1810 farmhouse turned B&B where guests have heard loud voices from vacant rooms.

Time Out tip: The Ben & Jerry’s factory is only a few miles away from Stowe, and is luckily not haunted. Their selection includes non-dairy flavors, so it’s not scary—even if you’re lactose intolerant.

If you grew up in Philly, you have a story about the former prison where notorious criminals Al Capone and Willie Sutton were incarcerated. The penitentiary, in operation from 1829 to 1971, has the usual creepy activity: cool spots, strange noises, unexplained figures. But the seriously scary areas of the historic building are in the “Cellblock of Death Row” and the solitary confinement cells. Those who have reported seeing figures of inmates say the ghosts had unfinished business. The prison-turned-museum leans into its spooky past, hosting a network of performed “haunted houses” on its 10 acres. So go catch a thrill at an old prison—just don’t wander off too far…

Time Out tip: Sure, we can romanticize the ghosts of prisoners all we want, but Eastern State Center for Justice Education takes a deeper look into the past, present and future of the justice system. Don’t miss their exhibit at the penitentiary.