Ready for a little chill and thrill this Halloween? Let us take you to some spooky spots to visit in the US. From creepy hotels to sprawling mansions and sinister stretches of country road, our list has the sites that only the bravest among us will dare to tread alone at night.
The Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California
More funhouse than haunted house, this first stop on our list of spooky spots to visit has been a tourist destination for many years. According to legend, Sarah Winchester built the Winchester Mystery House to preoccupy the unhappy spirits of victims who’d lost their lives to Winchester rifles (created by her late husband). Following the advice of a medium, Sarah built the sprawling mansion and never ceased construction for fear of incurring the anger of the ghosts!
The final result is the Winchester Mystery House, complete (somewhat, as construction halted the moment Sarah passed) with seven stories and funhouse-style oddities, such as staircases leading to the ceiling or doors that open to nowhere. Today, guests can visit the mansion in San Jose, California, but ticket prices and tour options vary.
The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado
Stephen King’s The Shining made this second stop on our list of spooky spots to visit infamous. And its reputedly haunted status has only increased over the years. According to stories behind the writing of the novel, King visited the hotel and became one of its only guests during an off-season in the winter of 1974. The empty corridors provided the author with the setting of his book.
In 2015, the hotel added a hedge maze to mirror the one from the famous movie adaptation. Today, guests can now wander the maze, visit the hotel or stay in the room that Stephen King had slept in during his stay. Check out the hotel’s scheduled night tours for some (thankfully, guided) spooky walks. Tours cost $25 for hotel guests.
Clinton Road, West Milford, New Jersey
Our next stop on our list of spooky spots to visit is supposedly the most “haunted road in America.” From paranormal activity to rumors of witchy gatherings, local legend suggests that Clinton Road sees all sorts of eerie foot traffic. Car traffic is also spooky on this desolate road, with phantom trucks being a somewhat regular sighting.
The strip of road also includes a site called the Ghost Boy Bridge, where supposedly the ghost of a child lingers. Legend says that if you place a quarter in the middle of the road at midnight, the ghost will return the quarter to you. In some versions, the ghost is more malevolent, pushing visitors into the water below. Whether any of this is true, visitors to Clinton Road will have to determine themselves. What is undebatable, however, is Clinton Road’s status as having the longest traffic light wait in the US. Spooky indeed!
The Lizzie Borden House, Fall River, Massachusetts
In 1892, someone murdered a husband and wife with an axe. The nature of their deaths and the intrigue of who might have done it became the fodder of widespread news coverage. Later, there came a subsequent trial comparable to some of today’s infamous cases.
Lizzie Borden, the daughter and stepdaughter of the victims, was eventually tried and acquitted. But a looming cloud of suspicion remained over her for the rest of her life. Today, guests can stay in the infamous Borden house, which is now a bed and breakfast, gift shop and museum. Tours cost $20, while rooms are reserved months in advance. So, be sure to plan your stay accordingly.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville, Kentucky
Known today as one of the most haunted hospitals in the eastern United States, this spooky spot to visit originally held fewer than 50 tuberculosis patients. But an outbreak of the infection hit the region soon afterward, forcing the hospital’s expansion. The additions made it possible to hold as many as 400 patients at once. Eventually, antibiotics for the condition made the hospital unnecessary, and Waverly Hills closed in 1962. But local legends suggest that victims of the tuberculosis outbreak still haunt the hospital’s halls. Today, visitors can arrange for a tour through the site’s tour season, from March to August.
Want more spooky thrills? Check out these American ghost stories of the Wild West. Of course, don’t forget to follow us onInstagram,FacebookandPinterest for more daily inspiration and farmhouse style.
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