Looking to add a little terror to your upcoming travels? The United States is home to no shortage of spooky locales, and some of its most famous paranormal places are open to curious visitors. Between creepy hotels where you can spend the night and strange concert venues where you can catch a show to the ruins of historic prisons and suspect underground passageways, we’ve rounded up a selection of the most haunted places United States that you can actually visit — if you dare!
Eastern State Penitentiary, PA
Widely considered one of the most haunted prisons in America — albeit, an inactive one — Pennsylvania’s Eastern State Penitentiary has a history rich of suffering, unrest and blood. The perfect recipe for a haunting, this infamous site dates to 1829 and was the first prison in the United States to subject inmates to near-constant solitary confinement under what it called the “Pennsylvania model,” a newfangled method designed to break prisoners down while forcing them to reflect upon their wrongdoings with no interference from the outside world. Unsurprisingly, the method drove many inmates to the edge, but stepping out of line was met with swift, severe and unusually cruel punishment from guards. Eastern State Penitentiary saw over 85,000 prisoners in its 142+ years of operation, many of whom are said to still roam its castle-like halls today. As far as paranormal activity goes, each cell block has its own spooky reputation, with disembodied voices, maniacal laughing, eerie shadow figures and full-on ghostly encounters reported by modern visitors.
Pike Place Market, WA
A landmark that’s as synonymous with Seattle as flannels and coffee, the celebrated Pike Place Market is home to more than fresh fish, produce and flower vendors. In fact, according to locals, the waterfront venue is the unlikely residence of an array of phantom residents, the likes of which are theorized to be attracted to the building due to its historic importance to The Emerald City and general transient nature with hundreds of people passing through its halls day in and day out. Others credit abnormal activity like the songs of lullabies echoing through the halls, sightings of strange humanoid figures, stinky stairways and even items flying from the shelves to the destination’s overall gloomy weather saying rain sets the scene for all things creepy. Those who find themselves at Pike Place Market on a rare quiet day or a particularly dreary night will want to keep an eye out for some of its more famous spectral inhabitants including those locals refer to as Princess Angeline, Arthur and Frank Goodwin, “Suspender Man,” the “Fat Lady Barber” and Jacob.
Shanghai Tunnels, OR
Situated beneath the streets of Portland’s Old Town Chinatown, the Shanghai Tunnels are a network of interconnected subterranean basements, rooms and low-ceilinged passageways dating to the 1890s. A time when Oregon’s famed hipster metropolis was an essential port city for the Pacific Northwest, rumor has it the tunnels were used to transport illegal goods like opium and Prohibition-era alcohol onto visiting ships. However, some allege the tunnels were used for a more sinister purpose with many believing the name “Shanghai Tunnels” came after nefarious sailors used the passageways to “Shanghai” — aka kidnap — local victims, forcing the men to join the crew and do hard labor and selling the women into forced prostitution rings. While Travel Portland says the true history of the tunnels remains a mystery, many believe them to be haunted with visitors reporting strange bodily sensations like goosebumps and the feeling of cold hands on their bodies, lights that turn on and off on their own, items moving inexplicably and even a full-bodied apparition of a man named Sam.
The Clown Motel, NV
Picture this, you come back to your hotel room after a long day spent exploring the Mojave Desert. You slip off your shoes and set down your bag, making eye contact with a massive, life-sized painting of Pennywise in the process, his iconic red balloon and expertly applied face paint more jarring than ever. For those with Coulrophobia — the fear of clowns — the scene might sound like something out of a nightmare, but for those brave enough to book a stay at Nevada’s world-famous Clown Motel, it’s just another night in room 108, the “IT” room. Home to 6,000+ clown-themed artifacts, The Clown Motel has earned the moniker “America’s Scariest Motel,” according to the property’s website. And if all the clown memorabilia isn’t enough to deter guests from getting a good night’s sleep, the ghosts might do the trick as this quirky attraction is rumored to be one of the most haunted places in the United States — talk about hitting the creepy jackpot.
Want more creepy content? Check out these articles on The Compass on VAX:
- I Stayed at the Hotel That Inspired Stephen King’s ‘The Shining’
- Visit These Creepy US Cryptids
- Spooky Destinations to Add to Your Paranormal Bucket List
- Fall Foliage and Ghoulish Getaways
- Things Go Bump in the Night at These Haunted US Hotels
The Rave/Eagles Club, WI
A popular music venue in Milwaukee, WI, The Rave/Eagles Club has been at the center of ghoulish chatter since it opened in 1926. While its location just footsteps from a hotel where contemptible serial killer Jeffery Dahmer took the life of one of his first victims certainly adds credibility to the club’s creepy reputation, the eerie energy that radiates from its many ballrooms and corridors certainly seals the deal. There are many things that are strange about The Rave, as Wisconsinites call it, but the most notorious spot for bizarre happenings is the property’s abandoned swimming pool, the remains of which sit empty, unused and far from the eyes of curious concert goers. Instead, the pool is only accessible from green room areas or on a guided tour, and performers have made a habit out of climbing down into the vacant pool to scribble their names on its walls — Bands and performers like The 1975, All Time Low, The Killers, Olivia Rodrigo, T-Pain, Machine Gun Kelly, Mac Miller and more have all left their mark — while trying to avoid run ins with the spirit of a young girl who is theorized to have drowned there many years ago.
The Copper Queen Hotel, AZ
As the longest continually operating hotel in Arizona, it goes without saying that The Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee has no shortage of stories to tell (and not all of them are pretty). Dating to 1902, The Copper Queen is a 48-room hotel and restaurant that was built by the Phelps Dodge Mining Company during the height of copper mining in the domestic South. The property was the pinnacle of 19th-century wealth, boasting intricate tile flooring, a Tiffany glass ceiling and a front desk adorned with Tiger Oak. As such, The Copper Queen was a top choice for visiting businesspeople and dignitaries, a stark contrast to the underpaid and overworked miners who could be thanked for Phelps Dodge Mining’s soaring profits. Upset by the inequity, the miners organized a strike in 1917, but the results were unfavorable as more than 1300 workers were arrested and deported as a result. The mine closed in 1975, but its ghosts are said to remain with guests reporting sightings of a young boy named Billy, an older man dressed in a cape and top hat and a spirit referred to as “Julia” who many believe was a lady of the night. Julia is most active in room 315 at The Copper Queen Hotel and visitors say they hear her whispering in their ears and playing with their feet.
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