While some people prefer to visit museums for history, others enjoy locations with a more eerie ambiance. A new list highlighting the most haunted places in America has plenty of suggestions. It includes locations across the country that draw in visitors with their tragic backstories and reported ghostly encounters.
Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, these would make perfect spooky season getaways for those who aren’t afraid of a brush with the unexplained, or those who welcome one.
- Eastern State Penitentiary - This former prison in Philadelphia is infamous for the brutal punishments and solitary confinement that went on there. Built way back in 1829, paranormal investigators say it’s one of the most haunted spots in the country, where visitors have experienced cold spots, distant whispers and shadowy figures.
- Stanley Hotel - Stephen King’s stay in Room 217 at the Estes Park, Colorado, hotel inspired his book, “The Shining.” Both guests and staff have reported seeing ghostly children running in the halls and hearing piano music, making it a hot spot for ghost hunters.
- RMS Queen Mary - This retired ocean liner has been turned into a hotel in Long Beach, California, and it has a reputation for ghostly encounters, sudden cold drafts and unexplained voices.
- Myrtles Plantation - Rumor has it this mansion in St. Francisville, Louisiana, was built on a Native American burial ground, and it’s allegedly the site of several untimely deaths. Its haunted history includes mysterious handprints on mirrors and spooky sightings of a ghostly woman named Chloe.
- Lizzie Borden House - One of America’s most famous murders happened at this home in Fall River, Massachusetts, which is now a bed and breakfast and museum. Visitors and staff claim to have seen ghostly apparitions, heard disembodied sounds and even the voice of Lizzie Borden, the axe murderer herself.
- Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum - The former mental hospital in Weston, West Virginia, was known for overcrowding and abuse, and people report experiencing paranormal activity including shadow figures, unexplained screams and contact with restless spirits of former patients.
- St. Augustine Lighthouse - Some visitors to this Florida landmark claim to have heard laughter and mysterious footsteps, as it’s said to be haunted by the ghosts of kids who died during an accident when it was built.
- Winchester Mystery House - This maze-like mansion in San Jose, California, was commissioned by Sarah Winchester, widow of the gun magnate William Wirt Winchester. It’s filled with staircases to nowhere and doors that open into walls and some believe it’s haunted by ghosts of those killed by Winchester rifles.
- LaLaurie Mansion - Located in the heart of the French Quarter in New Orleans, the former home of Madame Delphine LaLaurie is known for horrible things that happened there in the 1800s and ghostly moans reportedly still haunt the rooms.
- The Pine Barrens - This forested area in New Jersey is home to the mysterious Jersey Devil, which has reportedly roamed the woods for centuries.
Source: How Stuff Works