Boo’s Clues: America's Scariest Spots Ranked
Paranormal experts have investigated hundreds of creepy locales across the U.S.—from crumbling asylums to historic mansions with tragic pasts. But which haunted spots are truly the most terrifying?
To find out, we analyzed expert opinions, number of reported sightings, historical deaths or traumatic events, and frequency of paranormal investigations to rank the 25 most haunted places in the country.
Enter if you dare...
25. Stull Cemetery (Stull, Kansas)
This small cemetery’s hellish reputation earns it a chilling spot on our haunted list.
Type of Haunting: Gateway-to-hell legend
Historical Background: Legends claim the cemetery is one of seven gateways to hell
Reported Activity: Time slips, dark figures, demonic presence
Paranormal Significance: So feared, even Pope John Paul II allegedly avoided flying over it
Ayleen Gaspar, Wikimedia Commons
24. Riddle House (West Palm Beach, Florida)
The Riddle House’s violent paranormal activity makes it Florida’s creepiest hotspot.
Type of Haunting: Poltergeist, aggressive male spirit
Historical Background: Former funeral parlor and private residence moved to a history park
Reported Activity: Apparitions, items flying across rooms, male entity dislikes men
Paranormal Significance: Featured on Ghost Adventures and other paranormal series
Palm Beach Post, Wikimedia Commons
23. Moon River Brewing Company (Savannah, Georgia)
Booze and boos go hand in hand at this famously haunted Georgia brewery.
Type of Haunting: Bar brawls from beyond
Historical Background: Built in 1821; used as hospital during Civil War and yellow fever epidemics
Reported Activity: Bottles thrown by unseen forces, shadowy men, temperature drops
Paranormal Significance: Ghost hunters regularly investigate the basement and upper floors
22. Pine Barrens & The Jersey Devil (Southern New Jersey)
This sprawling forest harbors one of the most terrifying legends in U.S. folklore.
Type of Haunting: Cryptid/paranormal hybrid
Historical Background: Legend dates back to 1700s; creature allegedly born to Mother Leeds
Reported Activity: Screeches, hoofprints, flying creature sightings
Paranormal Significance: One of America’s most enduring supernatural legends
21. Hotel Monte Vista (Flagstaff, Arizona)
Paranormal reports from this vintage hotel just won’t check out.
Type of Haunting: Ghostly guests, phantom bellboys
Historical Background: Opened in 1927; famous guests included John Wayne and Humphrey Bogart
Reported Activity: Room 305 has ghostly rocking chair, disembodied voices, phantom knockers
Paranormal Significance: Frequently appears on haunted hotel lists in the Southwest
20. Dock Street Theatre (Charleston, South Carolina)
Curtain calls aren’t the only echoes that haunt this historic playhouse.
Type of Haunting: Actor spirits, jilted lovers
Historical Background: Built in 1809, burned down and rebuilt
Reported Activity: Apparitions in balcony, ghost named “Nettie”
Paranormal Significance: Active site for both performances and paranormal sightings
Ellen Stipo, Wikimedia Commons
19. The Pfister Hotel (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
The Pfister proves luxury and the paranormal are not mutually exclusive.
Type of Haunting: Intelligent hauntings, trickster ghost
Historical Background: Luxurious hotel dating to 1893
Reported Activity: TVs turning on, furniture moving, whispering voices
Paranormal Significance: Pro athletes have even fled mid-stay due to eerie experiences
Michael Barera, Wikimedia Commons
18. Lemp Mansion (St. Louis, Missouri)
Tragedy has soaked into every haunted brick of this once-prominent home.
Type of Haunting: Family tragedy spirits
Historical Background: Four family members died by suicide
Reported Activity: Phantom voices, moving objects, ghost dog
Paranormal Significance: Considered one of the Midwest’s most haunted homes
17. Fort Mifflin (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
America's fight for independence left behind more than cannonballs at this fort.
Type of Haunting: Revolutionary War spirits
Historical Background: Oldest active military fort; saw battle in 1777
Reported Activity: Screaming woman, ghost soldiers, flickering lanterns
Paranormal Significance: Offers candlelight ghost tours and reenactments
16. Jerome Grand Hotel (Jerome, Arizona)
A haunted hospital high above Arizona with ghosts that never left.
Type of Haunting: Former patients and miners
Historical Background: Former hospital in a copper mining town
Reported Activity: Gurney sounds, ghost cat, whispers in halls
Paranormal Significance: Hotspot for ghost hunters in the Southwest
Noel Stanley, Wikimedia Commons
15. Winchester Mystery House (San Jose, California)
This place was literally built to confuse (and placate) the dead.
Type of Haunting: Residual hauntings and architectural anomalies
Historical Background: Built by Sarah Winchester to appease spirits
Reported Activity: Phantom footsteps, cold drafts, ghostly sightings
Paranormal Significance: Has an odd layout with doors that open to walls and stairs leading nowhere.
Ben Franske, Wikimedia Commons
14. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery (Midlothian, Illinois)
This overgrown cemetery is the final resting place for peace of mind.
Type of Haunting: Phantom monks, ghost cars
Historical Background: Abandoned cemetery dating back to the 1800s
Reported Activity: Floating orbs, disappearing buildings, ghost dog
Paranormal Significance: One of America’s most actively haunted graveyards
13. Lizzie Borden House (Fall River, Massachusetts)
The ghostly echoes of an unsolved axe murder still haunt every room.
Type of Haunting: Residual and intelligent hauntings
Historical Background: 1892 double homicide site; Borden was acquitted
Reported Activity: Apparitions, giggles, shadowy figures
Paranormal Significance: Popular B&B for paranormal tourism
dbking from Washington, DC, Wikimedia Commons
12. Crescent Hotel (Eureka Springs, Arkansas)
What was once a health resort is now a haunted house of horrors.
Type of Haunting: Medical malpractice victims
Historical Background: Former hospital run by fraudulent doctor Norman Baker
Reported Activity: Ghost nurse sightings, strange lights, room 218 activity
Paranormal Significance: Declares itself “America’s Most Haunted Hotel”
Unknown authorUnknown author, Wikimedia Commons
11. St. Augustine Lighthouse (St. Augustine, Florida)
This coastal landmark still guides spirits as well as ships.
Type of Haunting: Intelligent and residual spirits
Historical Background: Several deaths during construction in 1800s
Reported Activity: Apparitions of young girls, footsteps, shadowy figures
Paranormal Significance: Regularly featured on ghost-hunting TV shows
JRetherfordHunter, Wikimedia Commons
10. Villisca Axe Murder House (Villisca, Iowa)
This modest home hides one of the most horrifying crimes in U.S. history.
Type of Haunting: Residual energy, child spirits
Historical Background: Site of 1912 axe murder of eight people
Reported Activity: Children laughing, doors opening, feelings of dread
Paranormal Significance: Offers overnight stays for brave visitors
Jason McLaren, Wikimedia Commons
9. Bell Witch Cave (Adams, Tennessee)
The Bell Witch legend is so intense, it allegedly scared Andrew Jackson.
Type of Haunting: Poltergeist, demonic presence
Historical Background: Home of the infamous Bell Witch legend from the 1800s
Reported Activity: Disembodied voices, touching, violent scratching
Paranormal Significance: Subject of books, films, and ongoing research
8. The Whaley House (San Diego, California)
A house built on death remains one of America’s most chilling destinations.
Type of Haunting: Family spirits, hanging victims
Historical Background: Built on former gallows site; multiple family tragedies
Reported Activity: Ghosts of Thomas Whaley and daughter Violet, footsteps
Paranormal Significance: Named “most haunted house in the U.S.” by the Travel Channel
7. Gettysburg Battlefield (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania)
The dead still march at this Civil War site soaked in tragedy.
Type of Haunting: Residual wartime hauntings
Historical Background: Site of over 50,000 Civil War casualties
Reported Activity: Phantom soldiers, cannon fire, ghostly moans
Paranormal Significance: Frequently cited by historians and ghost hunters alike
6. The Queen Mary (Long Beach, California)
Ghosts have taken permanent residence on this haunted luxury liner.
Type of Haunting: Maritime spirits, playful and aggressive
Historical Background: Ocean liner turned hotel; many onboard deaths during WWII
Reported Activity: Ghosts of sailors and children, footsteps, knocking sounds
Paranormal Significance: Offers ghost tours and is a popular filming location for paranormal shows
Anthony Kernich from Adelaide, Australia, Wikimedia Commons
5. Waverly Hills Sanatorium (Louisville, Kentucky)
Death and disease have made this former hospital a ghost magnet.
Type of Haunting: Shadow people, disembodied voices
Historical Background: Former tuberculosis hospital with thousands of deaths
Reported Activity: “Creeper” shadow entity, cold spots, room 502 sightings
Paranormal Significance: Consistently ranked as one of the scariest places in the world
Royasfoto73, Wikimedia Commons
4. The Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, Colorado)
This iconic hotel made fear famous—and continues to live up to its legacy.
Type of Haunting: Poltergeist activity, ghostly figures
Historical Background: Built in 1909; inspired Stephen King’s *The Shining*
Reported Activity: Piano playing itself, ghost children laughing, shadow figures
Paranormal Significance: Popular destination for ghost tours and paranormal conventions
Carol M. Highsmith, Wikimedia Commons
3. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (Weston, West Virginia)
This sprawling asylum is packed with history—and restless souls.
Type of Haunting: Intelligent and residual hauntings
Historical Background: Operated from 1864 to 1994; site of numerous lobotomies and deaths
Reported Activity: Apparitions, screams, objects moving on their own
Paranormal Significance: Hosts regular ghost hunts and overnight investigations
Tim Kiser (w:User:Malepheasant), Wikimedia Commons
2. The Myrtles Plantation (St. Francisville, Louisiana)
One of America’s oldest plantations also happens to be one of its most cursed.
Type of Haunting: Residual hauntings, spirit sightings
Historical Background: Built in 1796; allegedly built on Native American burial ground
Reported Activity: Ghost of slave girl Chloe, handprints on mirrors, phantom piano music
Paranormal Significance: Called one of the “most haunted homes in America” by experts
Bnet504~commonswiki, Wikimedia Commons
1. Eastern State Penitentiary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
With torture, isolation, and thousands of broken souls—this place tops our haunted list.
Type of Haunting: Prison ghosts, shadowy figures
Historical Background: Opened in 1829, known for solitary confinement and harsh punishments
Reported Activity: Disembodied laughter, footsteps, cell doors slamming
Paranormal Significance: Featured in nearly every major ghost-hunting show and documentary
Adam Jones, Ph.D., Wikimedia Commons
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