13 Best Paranormal Places for Your Next Road Trip

If you love paranormal places, why not make your next road trip a spooky one?

The places on this list are some of the most haunted locations in the U.S. From hotels to abandoned asylums, add one (or all) of these locations to your next road trip route for chills and thrills.

Let’s see some of the spooky, paranormal places you can cruise!

1: St. Augustine Lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida – Tragic Paranormal

The hauntings of the St. Augustine lighthouse trace back to the tragic deaths of three young girls in 1873. Construction of the St Augustine lighthouse was well underway in the summer of 1873, and the superintendent’s children loved to play on the equipment. The children used an old railway car as a toy.

On July 10, 1873, their fun roller coaster ride turned tragic when it dumped the girls into the sea and trapped them underneath it, drowning them. 

Since the drownings, people have attributed strange occurrences at the lighthouse to the girls’ spirits. Today, you can visit the St. Augustine lighthouse and choose from various spooky ghost tours, paranormal investigations, and experiences. 

2: Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts

The Lizzie Borden House Bed and Breakfast is home to one of the greatest unsolved murder cases in the U.S. Lizzie Borden was a 32-year-old Sunday school teacher and spinster who lived with her father and stepmother. On Aug. 4, 1892, Lizzie’s father and stepmother, Abby and Andrew Borden, were found brutally murdered.

The only person home other than the maid was Lizzie, who became a prime suspect because her story kept changing. 

While there is still speculation about the crime, it was never officially solved. Today, you can visit and even book a room in the Borden house. It’s a hotbed of paranormal activity, making it the perfect overnight place for a haunted road trip.

3: The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas – Horrifying Paranormal

The Crescent Hotel may be the most haunted hotel in the country. It started as a hotel, then turned into a college for women because business was slow. In 1937, Norman Baker purchased the building and turned it into a cancer facility. Dying cancer patients came from everywhere to receive Baker’s miracle cures.

However, Baker wasn’t a doctor, there was no cure, and many people died excruciating deaths after being experimented on at the Baker Cancer Hospital. Baker made what would be millions today off of terminal cancer patients and their families. He was later arrested, but the dark history of what’s now the Crescent Hotel lingers, with ghost stories on every floor. 

Today, guests can book rooms at the Crescent Hotel and enjoy the beautiful grounds, spa, and scenery. Take a nightly ghost tour or check out the professional paranormal investigation one weekend per year. 

4: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, West Virginia

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia is a National Historic Landmark. This abandoned building served as an asylum for the mentally ill from the late 1800s until 1994. 

Designed for 250 patients, at one point, it housed more than 2,400. During its peak, patients suffered unsanitary and unsafe conditions, as well as malnutrition. There are more than 2,000 people buried in the on-site cemetery, and rumors that many more died in this creepy building.

Today, visitors can take ghost tours, participate in ghost hunts, and even spend a night locked inside.

Pro Tip: Have no fear when it comes to a scare? Then check out these 13 Most Haunted Places in the U.S.

5: The Amityville Horror House, New York – Famous Paranormal

The Amityville Horror House is home to one of the most famous and well-documented paranormal places in American history. It even inspired the film “The Amityville Horror.” Here, Ronald DeFeo Jr. killed his parents and four of his siblings in their sleep. He later claimed that evil voices and spirits in the house urged him to kill his family. 

The first family to purchase the home after the murders lasted only 28 days before moving out because of “supernatural phenomena.” The family saw images of a demon, the youngest member of the family befriended a demonic pig, they found cloven hoofprints in the snow, and much more. 

Today, the house is a private residence, so you can’t take a tour. But this massive house is stunning and a great sight to see on a haunted road trip.

6: Savannah, Georgia – Paranormal City

This charming southern town has a dark history: It sits on top of the dead. Builders constructed parts of Savannah on top of cemeteries and Native American burial grounds.

The city suffered natural disasters, fires, and diseases in its early years. When you visit Savannah, be sure to check out local guided ghost tours to get the scoop on Savannah’s history and paranormal legends.

7: New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is no stranger to disasters, witchcraft, and death. And if that’s not enough, the city is home to plenty of vampire lore and is home to a modern-day population of human blood-drinking “real vampires.”

New Orleans is a hotbed of paranormal activity, home to Voodoo Queen Marie Laveau and a host of other creepy ghost stories. Take a guided ghost tour or just wander the streets at night.

You’re certain to feel a creepy vibe if you’re paying close attention. You can stroll through some of New Orleans’ famous above-ground cemeteries, visit witchy and occult-themed shops, and take in all the creepiness the Crescent City has to offer. 

8: The Sallie House in Atchison, Kansas

Have you heard of the Sallie House in Atchison, Kansas? The house was originally the home of an Atchison physician, and the front of the house served as office space and exam rooms. One day a woman brought in her six-year-old daughter, Sallie, to see the doctor for severe stomach pain. 

The doctor diagnosed her with appendicitis and had to perform emergency surgery. He couldn’t wait for her anesthesia to take effect for fear her appendix would burst, so he began operating on her at once. Sallie died on the operating table, most likely in severe pain and believing a man cut her up and tortured her. 

According to local legend, Sallie never left the house and haunts it to this day. In 1993, the haunting grew increasingly violent. Fires broke out, the male owner would get scratches on his chest and abdomen, and the family dog growled at nothing. Today, visitors can take self-guided tours of the Sallie House. If you’re feeling really brave, you can book an overnight stay. 

9: The Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California – Odd Paranormal

Sarah Winchester, the widow of William Winchester and heiress to a large portion of the Winchester Repeating Arms fortune, built the Winchester House. Sarah, either driven mad by her husband’s passing or by ghosts, built the mansion to appease the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles. 

Work on the house started in 1886 and continued until Sarah died in 1922. What was once an eight-room farmhouse grew into a sprawling, weird mansion. The mansion is a monstrous 24,000 square feet and has 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 160 rooms, 13 bathrooms, six kitchens, and more. Both visitors and employees have tales of paranormal encounters at the Winchester mansion.

Pro Tip: The mansion offers many different kinds of tours and experiences. Be sure to book in advance!

10: Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky

This hospital opened in 1910 to house tuberculosis patients, which used to be a terminal and highly contagious disease. Urban legends maintain that more than 9,000 people died at Waverly Hills during its time as a sanatorium. 

Today, the place is rife with tales of hauntings and paranormal experiences.

Visitors can choose from guided tours, historical guided tours, public paranormal investigations, private investigations, and more. 

Pro Tip: If you want to make your next adventure even scarier, listen to one of these 7 Spooky Campfire Podcasts for Your Next RV Trip.

11: New London Ledge Lighthouse, Connecticut

The New London Ledge Lighthouse is one of the most picturesque lighthouses in the country. Situated on top of a concrete pier in New London Harbor, the lighthouse sits on top of a stunning three-story building. Lighthouse keepers kept the light on from 1909 to 1939 when the U.S. Coast Guard took over. 

The light is now fully automated, and this lighthouse (and building) have many paranormal tales. Lighthouse keepers reported many strange occurrences over the years, including doors opening and closing, things moving, knocking sounds, and more. Some people have seen a ghostly apparition of a tall, bearded man in a rainhat.

Local legend maintains that one keeper of the lighthouse jumped off the roof to his death, although there are no official records of this happening. However, many attribute the hauntings to this tragic tale. This lighthouse makes an epic stop on a haunted road trip.

Know Before You Go: Since it’s in the harbor, you can’t drive to it, but you can take a ferry. 

12: Stull Cemetery, Kansas

Stull Cemetery sits between Topeka and Kansas City. This tiny town in the middle of nowhere is supposedly home to one of the seven gates to hell. Rumors started circulating widely after a 1974 University of Kansas student newspaper claimed that Satan himself appears in Stull twice a year: on Halloween and the spring equinox. 

While we may never know what they based those claims on, this urban legend still circulates today.

It’s entirely possible that bored Kansas kids made up the legend, but either way, people do report strange occurrences when visiting the Stull Cemetery. 

13: Thornewood Castle Inn and Gardens in Tacoma, Washington

Historic Thornewood Castle in Tacoma is supposedly home to many spirits. This striking building was used in the filming of the Stephen King movie “Rose Red.” One of the founders of Tacoma, Chester Thorne, built the three-story mansion. The mansion contains 54 rooms, including 22 bedrooms and 22 baths, and the 100-acre gardens required a staff of 28 gardeners. 

The house has a truly unique history. Chester Thorne purchased a 400-year old Elizabethan manor in England and had parts of it dismantled and shipped piece-by-piece for Thornewood Castle. There are more than 100 pieces of salvaged stained glass, some that may date back to the 15th and 16th centuries.

This manor is now on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a country inn. Visitors can book overnight rooms. They also allow vacation rentals and host special events at the castle.

Do You Love Paranormal Places?

Did reading about any of these haunted locations give you the creeps? If you love the paranormal or have a healthy amount of skepticism, we dare you to visit (or stay at) any of these haunted locations in the U.S.

Then let us know about your spooky road trip.

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