These are some of the most popular haunted places in America! Would you dare to visit them?
Who said that you need to wait for Halloween to have fun at some pretty but haunted places? There are lots of locations and ghost towns that are said to be haunted by ghosts and spirits, and if you’re into scary things, this one’s for you.
There are urban legends and areas where only the courageous go, and we’re going to talk about the best ones today. We’ll discuss abandoned state hospitals, crime scenes, residences with talking dolls, and eerie hotels that have been the inspiration for some of the most well-known horror films.
It doesn’t matter what haunted places make you scared; there are lots of them in the country. Are you ready to go on a bone-chilling solo walk into the dark? At least a virtual one. Okay, let’s begin!
1. Jerome Grand Hotel, Jerome, Arizona
We start off our journey through haunted places in America by talking about the Jerome Grand Hotel, once known as the United Verde Hospital. This is located in the charming hillside town of Jerome, which used to be the center of gold mining years ago. Nowadays, Jerome is considered Arizona’s coolest small town, but some of its stories are creepy.
The hospital we’ve previously mentioned was first constructed in 1917 and then reconstructed in 1926, when it was destroyed by a mine explosion. However, due to the Great Depression, the hospital had significant declines and everybody left the building by 1950. Before its reopening as the Jerome Grand in 1996, the hospital was completely abandoned. Or wasn’t it?
Legends say that while pretty much all of the original facilities and structure of the building have been restored, some of the spirits that were at the hospital didn’t want to say goodbye: a maintenance man’s ghost was discovered dead in the basement in the 1930s; human-shaped creatures that prowl the hallway were seen by guests; kids running and laughing in the hallways; and even the ghost of a cat that paws at visitors’ doors at night, pleading to be let in. Spooky, right?
Would you love to be a guest at the Jerome Grand Hotel? I would, but don’t let me alone there!
2. Maple Hill Cemetery, Huntsville, Alabama
Oh, yes, Maple Hill Cemetery isn’t one of the scariest haunted places in America, but the playground near it will get you. Why would you open a playground next to a cemetery? Is creepy. Or, at least for me.
However, this was someone’s idea in 1985, probably to give some much-needed relief to the grieving parents’ kids. But what’s spooky is that people say ghosts are the ones who like to have fun in the playground.
Many citizens say that they’ve seen unoccupied swings moving and light spheres sliding down the slide, accompanied by disembodied laughter that can give everyone cheers down their spines.
And if that’s not enough, some locals think the victims of a wave of child murders in the 1960s were buried close by, and now their ghosts get together in the playground. Is this true? We can never know, but this is one of the haunted places that are worth a visit.
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3. Turnbull Canyon, Whittier, California
California is home to many haunted places, from cult compounds, well-known murder scenes, and haunted hotels to enigmatic mansions, and the list keeps going.
However, nothing will get your heart rate up more quickly than a walk or bike adventure on the beautiful but creepy 4-mile trip through Turnbull Canyon. If you want to experience an active lifestyle in Puente Hills, this is the one for you.
Look out for some amazing landscapes, but don’t forget to pay attention to the ghosts of the 29 people who lost their lives in a plane crash in the 1950s. But the story doesn’t end here. People say that the trail is also home to several ghosts of kids who were allegedly kidnapped from a local orphanage and sacrificed in different ceremonies.
Oh, I almost forgot about the ghost of the teenager who, despite the site’s lack of electricity, fried his brain after discovering some ancient electroshock equipment from the burnt-down asylum in the canyon.
Alright, incendiary asylum? Sightings of UFOs? Multiple cult rumors? This sounds like a lot, and it makes sense why the locals referred to it as “Hutukngna,” or the Devil’s Place. Okay, have fun on your hike or walk. I’m pretty sure you’ll burn a ton of calories on your adventure.
We have many other haunted places to talk about, so keep reading!
4. Fort East Martello Museum, Key West, Florida
Robert the Haunted Doll, the original ghastly Florida Man, resides in Key West’s Fort East Martello Museum. It was a gift presented to the late artist Robert Eugene Otto, and some people say that this weird doll served as inspiration for Annabelle.
When he was a boy, Otto kept saying that the doll was creepy and responsible for many mischievous things, and the whole thing transformed from something spooky to something sinister. The worn-out, tattered, tiny sailor doll is said to be cursed – and is spooky.
Otto used to accuse the doll of all kinds of mischief when he was a youngster, but eventually, the doll turned from a nice little Calvin & Hobbes riff into something far darker.
The worn-out, tattered, tiny sailor doll is said to be cursed. People claimed that Robert the Haunted Doll changed his facial expressions from time to time, and some say he’ll let out little giggles. Oh, and some claim he’ll cause endless pain and suffering to people who disrespect him by taking his photo—which is difficult because he’s, you know, the centerpiece of an entire museum.
Which one of these haunted places in America do you think is the creepiest?
5. Waipi’o Valley, Big Island, Hawaii
There are several haunted places in America, so let’s make a pit stop in Big Island, Hawaii, shall we?
Hawaii is home to flamboyant luaus, where island dancers greet you with drumming, traditional songs, and torches blazing—all of which are incredible when those dancers are real.
But when the dancing turns into something terrifying, you better be ready to run. People say that they’ve seen ghosts of long-gone warriors charging across the islands, brandishing their weapons. These creepy silhouettes are known as fabled night marchers that prowl the islands on a never-ending march to war.
Longtime residents have tales of seeing them, usually in certain locations around the islands. Even though the park boasts some of the most breathtaking lookouts in the state, when the night marchers decide to accompany you on a hike, their drum beats and chanting reverberate loudly across the valley. Would you like the night marchers to join you? I would say pass on this one.
Would you like to visit any of these haunted places? I’m curious to know whether you’d be scared or not, so leave a comment below! If you enjoyed reading this article about haunted places in America and you’d like to read something else from us, click here: 8 Foods You Should Avoid on a Cruise — and What to Eat Instead
