If you can’t get enough of Halloween, then you should try staying in one of these spooky haunts. We’ve rounded up 13 hotels with hauntings spooky enough to test anyone’s nerves.
The Villisca Axe Murder House
Villisca, Iowa
The name says it all. In 1912, an entire family and 2 guests were murdered with an axe and the murderer was never found. Today, there are reports of a malignant spirit, children’s voices and furniture that has a tendency to move.
$428 gets you in for a night with up to 6 people .
Shanley Hotel
Napanoch, New York
This hotel looks like it’s strait out of Stephen King novel. Nestled in an equally cute/creepy small town, the Shanley Hotel supposedly has a history of covered up murders and mysteries dating back to the 1800s.
$95 gets you an overnight stay in one of the 35 rooms or if you’re ready to conduct a full investigation, $1200 gets you the entire hotel to yourself.
Stanley Hotel
Estes Park, Colorado
No list would be complete without the classic hotel that inspired “The Shining.” The Stanley Hotel is haunted by the original owners, Freelan Oscar and Flora Stanley. You might hear the piano playing when no one is around and you can take part in Victorian séances.
Rates start at around $250.
The Myrtles Plantation
St. Francisville, Louisiana
The Myrtles Plantation bills itself as “one of America’s most haunted homes,” and for good reason. This beautiful antebellum house is said to be built on top of an ancient Tunica Indian burial ground. There are around 12 ghosts that reportedly haunt the grounds, including the ghost of a man murdered outside the house who staggered inside and climbed the steps. Visitors say you can still hear his steps.
Rooms start at around $200 a night and tours are $15 per person.
Lemp Mansion
St. Louis, Missouri
German beer barons created an empire in St. Louis that lasted until prohibition. Strange events plagued the family, including 4 suicides, 1 death that happened with mysterious circumstances and another untimely death by heart attack.
The Lemp family is local legend in St. Louis and every year, paranormal experts visit the house for its turbulent history and many ghost sightings.
Prices start at $180 per night.
Winchester Mystery House
San Jose, California
Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Winchester had this mansion built without a floorplan and with construction that lasted, on and off, for 38 years.
Sarah Winchester claimed that the ghosts of those killed with Winchesters haunt the mansion. No one is completely sure why the mansion was built continuously. Theories include that is was a hobby to distract her from her husband and child’s death, that she was told by a medium that she had to build a house for the ghosts of those killed by Winchesters, and that the house was made to be confusing so that ghosts would have a more difficult time finding her.
You can’t stay in the mansion overnight, but you can go on tours that start at $47 per adult and $20 per child.
Farnsworth House Inn
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The garret of this house was used as a sharpshooter’s nest by confederates during the Civil War. Soldiers are said to haunt the house, leaving behind the smell of cheroot or the sound of heavy breathing. People have also reported the sensation of a mid-wife “tucking” them into bed.
Rooms start at around $139 per night.
The Don CeSar Hotel
St. Pete Beach, Florida
Also called “the pink palace” and once used as a VA hospital during the 1940s, this grand beach-side hotel is said to be haunted by restless spirits. The original owner, Thomas Rowe, has been reported to haunt the hotel with his forbidden lover, Lucinda.
Rooms start at $230.
Hotel del Coronado
Coronado, California
Kate Morgan died under mysterious circumstances in the hotel Coronado in 1892. She is now said to haunt her old room, messing with electrical equipment, causing cold spots and occasionally appearing to guests.
Overnight stays start at $300.
Lizzie Borden House
Fall River, Massachusetts
Another Victorian Ax murder story (was that a popular thing to do in Victorian times?) happened at the Lizzie Borden House. Borden’s father and stepmother were murdered in the house and Lizzie Borden was put on trial for the murder. She was acquitted and she then moved to a different house with her sister.
Guests report all sorts of strange occurrences, including slamming doors, Victorian figures, voices and the feeling of someone sitting on the bed when no one is there.
Prices start around $200 per night.
The Queen Mary
Long Beach, California
Moored on Long Beach, The Queen Mary was the way to travel in style in the early 1900s. Today, she serves as a floating hotel and event center. Plenty of unfortunate souls died while aboard the Queen Mary during her 31 years at sea. Paranormal reports include ghostly crewmen, swimmers in the pool and a man in black.
Stays at the hotel start at around $100 a night.
Bourbon Orleans Hotel
New Orleans, Louisiana
It’s no wonder this hotel is haunted– it was used as an orphanage and medical ward when a yellow fever epidemic hit and killed many of the children. There are reports of children and nuns, a confederate soldier and even a lone dancer that graces the Orleans ballroom.
Rates start at around $130 a night.
