Not all ghost towns are tumbleweed wastelands and creaky saloon doors swinging in the wind. Some are open for business, selling spiced pickles, haunted mine tours, and possibly a cursed snow globe or two. These 8 abandoned-but-not-forgotten towns across America invite the living to poke around their half-dead histories. Bring your curiosity. And maybe sage.
Goldfield, Arizona – Where the West Refuses to Die Quietly
Once a booming 1890s gold rush town, Goldfield croaked when the mines dried up—but don’t tell the locals. Today, it’s resurrected as a kitschy Wild West theme park. There’s a reconstructed bordello (PG-rated), a narrow-gauge train, gunfight reenactments every hour, and a mine tour where you’re encouraged to believe in ghosts. Bonus: a “mystery shack” where gravity goes rogue.
Rhyolite, Nevada – Ruins, Art, and a Ghostly Last Supper
Rhyolite boomed for a moment in the early 1900s before imploding like a bad poker hand. What’s left? Crumbling banks, a roofless jail, and an outdoor art museum that looks like Burning Man’s haunted cousin. Don’t miss the ghostly statues of The Last Supper—they glow white in the desert dusk like holy phantoms.
Calico, California – Disneyland for Desert Spirits
Once a silver mining hub with over 500 residents, Calico now belongs to San Bernardino County—and yes, they’ve added restrooms. Attractions include candle-dipping, panning for “gold” (spoiler: it’s pyrite), and the Calico Odessa Railroad. The “Haunted Maggie Mine” tour blends history with jump-scares. It’s family-friendly, unless your kid sees dead people.
Terlingua, Texas – Where Ghosts Drink Beer
Abandoned after its quicksilver mining collapse, Terlingua is now a dusty bohemian hangout near Big Bend. The crumbling ruins house quirky galleries, a legendary chili cook-off, and a functional bar inside the ghost town. Visit the Boot Hill Cemetery, then grab a beer at the Starlight Theatre—where the dead might be your drinking buddies.
Bodie, California – Frozen in Abandonment
A gold rush boomtown turned ghost town by the 1940s, Bodie is preserved in “arrested decay.” That means everything looks like someone just stepped out for a cigarette in 1932… and never came back. Peek into houses with tableware still on the table. Just don’t pocket anything—Bodie’s “curse” allegedly follows thieves home.
Kennecott, Alaska – Copper, Glaciers, and Ghosts
Built into a mountainside, this copper mining town was once wildly prosperous, then abandoned by the 1930s. Today, it’s part of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and feels like a set piece from a frozen horror movie. Tour the red mill building (12 stories of vertigo) and maybe spot a ghost in a parka.
St. Elmo, Colorado – Ghost Town with Actual Ghosts (Allegedly)
This well-preserved 1880s mining town looks like it just hit pause. The general store still operates in summer, and you can feed chipmunks outside the old post office (they’re aggressively adorable). Locals whisper that the old hotel is haunted by Annabelle Stark, who never really checked out. Bonus: It’s photogenic as hell.
Cahawba, Alabama – Southern Decay with a Side of Spirits
Once Alabama’s state capital (for five whole years), Cahawba was abandoned after floods, war, and general bad luck. Now it’s a ghost town wrapped in kudzu and whispers. Walk among cemetery statuary, collapsed mansions, and a haunted slave jail. Legend says a ghostly orb floats along the riverbanks at dusk—perfect for those craving haunted Southern charm with a touch of melancholy moss.
