1. The Myrtles Plantation, Louisiana
Ask just about anyone in St. Francisville, and they’ll tell you the Myrtles Plantation isn’t just another old Southern home, it’s one of the most haunted places in the country. Locals still whisper about Chloe, a former enslaved woman said to roam the grounds in a green turban, and many guests have reported strange cold spots, flickering lights, and even ghostly figures in their photos shares ETSN.fm.
People around town treat the tales like fact, not folklore. One local tour guide claimed she saw a child’s handprint appear on a mirror that had just been cleaned. Some even avoid walking past the house after dark. Even skeptics admit there’s a strange energy to the place. Whether it’s the stories or something more, the Myrtles keeps its grip on the town. Visitors leave uneasy, and locals never roll their eyes at the stories adds 97.3 the Dawg. That says something.
2. The Whaley House, California
In San Diego’s Old Town, the Whaley House isn’t just a tourist stop, it’s a place locals refuse to mess with. Built on the site of a former gallows, it’s said to be haunted by everyone from the Whaley family themselves to the criminals executed right on the land says KPBS.
Neighbors talk about eerie crying sounds and strange figures moving past the windows when no one’s inside. Some say they’ve felt hands on their backs while touring, only to turn around and find no one there. The house has seen suicides, hangings, and tragic deaths, and it seems like none of it really left. Even longtime residents admit the air feels heavier there. Locals don’t joke about the Whaley House, and they don’t need to. Its reputation is more than enough adds TODAY.
3. Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Kentucky
Louisville residents have heard the stories their whole lives, and they know better than to brush off Waverly Hills as just urban legend. The former tuberculosis hospital saw thousands of deaths in the early 1900s, and many believe some of those souls never left.
People driving by report lights turning on in empty rooms, and former tour guides have quit after witnessing unexplained screams and shadowy figures. The infamous “body chute” gives even seasoned investigators the chills. Residents nearby say they sometimes hear coughing at night, despite no one being there. It’s so well-known that even skeptics tend to steer clear. If you ask around town, most people won’t even consider spending the night there.
4. The Stanley Hotel, Colorado
Estes Park locals love their scenic mountain views, but they also have a healthy respect for the Stanley Hotel and its haunted reputation. Known for inspiring Stephen King’s The Shining, the hotel has long been a hotspot for unexplained activity, and people in town take those stories seriously.
Staff talk about piano music coming from empty rooms and luggage moving on its own. Some guests wake up to voices with no clear source. Longtime residents say they’ve heard things too, even from outside the building. Despite the ghost tours and cameras, locals don’t think it’s just a tourist trap. Some have grown up with family stories of encounters inside those halls. They’ll smile when they talk about it, but they’re not joking.
5. Eastern State Penitentiary, Pennsylvania
In Philadelphia, Eastern State Penitentiary is more than a crumbling relic, it’s a place that still gives people the creeps. Built in the 1800s with a design meant to inspire isolation, the energy inside has never quite settled.
Locals say they’ve heard whispers while walking near the building, even in broad daylight. Former guards and workers speak of footsteps and doors slamming when no one’s around. Paranormal investigators come from all over, but it’s the residents who live nearby that have the most convincing stories. They’ve seen lights flicker at night, heard screams, and even seen shadowy figures pacing the empty cellblocks. The building might be closed, but something inside still lingers. And people around here don’t doubt it for a second.
6. The Crescent Hotel, Arkansas
Eureka Springs is a quirky town, but one thing locals agree on is that the Crescent Hotel is seriously haunted. Once a hospital run by a fraudulent doctor in the 1930s, it’s believed many patients died there under suspicious circumstances, and some say their spirits never left.
Hotel employees report locked doors flying open and guests vanishing from camera footage. There’s even a room so haunted, some staff refuse to enter it alone. Residents who live nearby have stories about glowing figures on the upper floors late at night. It’s become part of the town’s DNA. People know the history, and they believe in it. No one in Eureka Springs rolls their eyes when you bring up ghosts at the Crescent.
7. Bobby Mackey’s Music World, Kentucky
In Wilder, Kentucky, Bobby Mackey’s isn’t just a honky-tonk bar, it’s a place so haunted that some locals won’t even drive past it after dark. Built over what was supposedly a slaughterhouse in the 1800s, the bar is known for ghost sightings and even alleged possessions.
Staff have reported being scratched, pushed, and overwhelmed with nausea for no reason. The basement, once believed to house a “portal to hell,” is a no-go zone for many. Paranormal experts flood in, but it’s the locals who have the most chilling tales. One woman swears she heard a voice whisper her name when she walked by late one night. Whether it’s ghost stories or something darker, people here believe every word.
8. The Lemp Mansion, Missouri
In St. Louis, the Lemp Mansion is more than a bed and breakfast, it’s a part of the city’s haunted history. The Lemp family suffered a string of tragic suicides, and many believe the spirits of those family members never left the house.
Visitors have described doors locking on their own, lights flickering, and voices whispering from empty rooms. The atmosphere feels heavy, and even the bravest guests don’t always stay the night. Locals who grew up near the mansion say they’ve always known to keep their distance. Some even claim to have seen a figure peering out the upstairs window when the building was locked up. In St. Louis, no one calls it superstition. It’s just accepted fact.
9. St. Augustine Lighthouse, Florida
The oldest city in America has its fair share of spooky spots, but the St. Augustine Lighthouse stands out. Locals talk about the ghostly figures of three little girls who died in a tragic accident there, and many believe they still play on the stairs.
People have heard giggling when no one is around and footsteps that follow them up the spiral staircase. One lighthouse keeper even reported seeing a shadowy figure staring out to sea. Residents don’t think it’s just history—they treat it as active. Ask anyone who’s lived there long enough, and they’ll share stories passed down through generations. It’s part of what makes the town so hauntingly unique.
10. The Ridges, Ohio
In Athens, Ohio, The Ridges—formerly the Athens Lunatic Asylum—isn’t just college lore, it’s something locals genuinely fear. The building, abandoned and eerie, still carries the weight of the patients who once lived there.
Locals speak of hearing screams and seeing lights inside, despite no electricity being hooked up. The most chilling tale is of a woman who went missing and was found weeks later, her body leaving a permanent stain on the floor. That stain is still visible, and people swear it won’t wash out. Students at nearby Ohio University avoid the area after dark. Longtime residents don’t laugh off the stories. If anything, they pass them on.
11. Villisca Axe Murder House, Iowa
Villisca is a small town, but everyone there knows about the house where an entire family was murdered in 1912. The crime was never solved, and many believe the spirits of the victims—and possibly the killer—still linger in the home.
Locals have reported children’s laughter, doors slamming, and even full-bodied apparitions. One neighbor swears she saw a shadow figure watching from the upstairs window when the house was empty. People who live nearby keep their distance and speak of strange nightmares after passing too close. It’s not just morbid curiosity, it’s a lingering fear. And that fear has lasted more than a century.
12. Jerome Grand Hotel, Arizona
The tiny mountain town of Jerome is packed with old mining charm, but at its center is the Grand Hotel, which used to be a hospital. Locals say it never really stopped being one—because the patients never left.
Guests have reported wheeled gurneys moving on their own, distant cries, and cold spots that seem to follow you. A few staff members have even quit after too many unexplained encounters. Residents of Jerome have heard these stories for decades, and many have their own to add. Some won’t set foot inside, others only go during the day. They don’t say it’s haunted like it’s a gimmick. They say it like it’s the truth.