There’s no shortage of haunted locales in the United States. From coast to coast, you’ll find spooky sites with dark pasts and spine-tingling experiences. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these tales of haunted places will make you question your resolve.
If you’re ready to embrace the unexplained and venture into the realm of the paranormal, keep reading – you won’t be disappointed.
Orpheum Theatre – Phoenix, Arizona
Considered one of the most haunted places in Arizona, the Orpheum Theatre opened back in 1929 as a vaudeville venue. Today, it hosts concerts, theatrical productions, and some say several spirits.
The most famous of which is Maddie. This apparition has been known to tap people on the shoulder, shush them during performances, and appear in photographs. Maddie is also credited with interrupting a Chinese acrobatic troupe’s performance when she appeared to step off the balcony.
Other unnamed ghosts also inhabit the theater, and English rock band Whitesnake was once so unnerved by the Orpheum’s vibe that the group left after staying only 10 minutes at the venue.
The Orpheum Theatre occasionally offers haunted history tours where you can explore the theater after dark!
Colonial Park Cemetery – Savannah, Georgia
Located in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia, Colonial Park Cemetery is notorious for its supernatural activity.
One of the most well-known ghosts is the Lady in White, who is often spotted wandering among the tombstones. Dressed in a flowing white gown, her apparition has been sighted by numerous visitors. Another ghost that is often seen is Rene Rondolier, a man convicted of murder who was hung by a tree within the cemetery. Visitors say they’ve seen the hanging ghost, and others have witnessed him walking through the tombstones.
But it’s not just the ghostly sightings that make Colonial Park Cemetery one of the most haunted places in the South. The cemetery bears witness to a dark and turbulent past, having been used as a burial ground for victims of the 1820 yellow fever epidemic and a dueling ground for disputes in the 18th century.
The Haunted Mansion – Las Vegas, Nevada
Located in a historic mansion in downtown Las Vegas is Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum, which opened to the public Oct. 2, 2017. The mansion itself was once referred to as the Witch House due to claims of dark rituals taking place in its basement in the 1970s. Since then, Bagans says almost every day someone who visits the museum is severely affected by one of the supposedly cursed objects on display, from Peggy the demon-possessed doll to the haunted Dybbuk Box.
“It’s an interesting experiment, the museum, because like a doctor, I observe everybody who has been affected like patients, and then I classify and diagnose what they were affected by and I group them together,” Bagans stated. “When things start matching up with different people who don’t know each other, and they start having the same symptoms in the same room and seeing the same thing, then that’s really compelling to me that there’s something going on.”
In addition to offering two-hour guided tours where guests can see such terrifying items as the real-life Devil’s Rocking Chair that inspired “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” the museum hosts Late Night Flashlight Ghost Tours on select dates that are intended for only the bravest of souls. Participants can explore the darkened museum for 90 minutes all by themselves, with just a flashlight and paranormal equipment to guide them.
Regardless of if you believe in paranormal activity, the museum is sure to have something that will pique everyone’s interest — and may even turn a few skeptics into believers.
“This isn’t a Halloween haunted attraction that we put animatronics and scare actors in — this is a real scare,” said the Ghost Adventures host. “These are the items that have affected many lives, and many lives have reportedly been lost to some of these items.”
Crescent Hotel – Eureka Springs, Arkansas
The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas has a dark and sinister past that continues to affect visitors to this day.
Originally built as a resort in the late 19th century, it gained infamy in the 1930s when Norman Baker, a fraudulent “doctor,” turned it into a cancer hospital, promising cures he couldn’t deliver. Instead, he subjected his patients to horrifying experiments.
Today, his malevolent spirit is said to linger in the hallways, along with other restless souls, such as Theodora. Theodora was a cancer patient who can still be seen fumbling with her keys outside room 419. A 4-year-old child named Breckie who died of appendicitis is sometimes seen bouncing a ball throughout the hotel. There’s even a ghost cat, named Morris, who was know as the Hotel General Manager for 21 years! Guests regularly see and hear a cat on the property.
Guided haunted tours are available, offering a chilling glimpse into the hotel’s unsettling history.
Hermosa Inn – Phoenix, Arizona
Cowboy artist Lon Megargee built Hermosa Inn himself, without blueprints, in 1935. While it was originally his home, he eventually turned it into a guest ranch where he hosted rowdy gambling parties. That ended in 1941 when a contentious divorce forced him to sell. He died 19 years later, and some believe his ghost now haunts Hermosa Inn.
Diners at Lon’s at Hermosa, the boutique hotel’s acclaimed restaurant, report seeing a tall, lanky figure wearing a cowboy hat. Staff routinely claim he causes glasses and beer bottles to fall off the bar. A maid supposedly saw a cowboy in the mirror, but when she turned around, he was gone.
Lon Megargee isn’t alone either. A female apparition in a pink dress, thought to be one of his mistresses, occasionally appears on the patio.
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