In a quick Google search, you can find a myriad of accredited websites boasting the top ten most haunted places in America. Locations rife with paranormal activity just waiting to be explored, which is an enticing proposition – though most of us won’t go much further than watching our favorite episode of Ghost Hunters on SYFY. So, for those of us who are dying to experience these haunts firsthand, and with summer on the horizon, just waiting for a good vacation plan, there’s an old American rite of passage that will fulfill your darkest fantasies: the cross-country road trip with a haunted twist!
In planning a macabre jaunt across this great nation, the question of what to see and where to stop can be daunting. So we’ve done it for you! The ten most haunted locations on a cross-country excursion are sure to bring you to a dead stop.
CAUTION: Keep in mind before you plan a road trip that while some places may be open to the public, it may not always be the case. Check ahead and be sure to always respect private property.
Starting Point (West Coast): San Diego, California
Checkpoint #1: The Whaley House (San Diego, CA)
The Whaley House (now the Whaley House Museum) was built in 1857 by Thomas Whaley. One of the most historic landmarks within San Diego limits, the house is a first-of-its-kind two-story Greek Revival that, in its time, served as a granary, a courthouse, and a theater. It also holds the claim of being the most haunted house in America. Six years before the house was built, the ground was the location of makeshift gallows for the “Yankee” Jim Robinson for attempted grand larceny. From there, the history of tragedy surrounding the house began.
Baby Thomas Whaley died of scarlet fever shortly after the family moved in, wife Anna Whaley was held at gunpoint by armed robbers in 1971, and daughter Violet shot herself in the chest with a shotgun after divorcing her husband in 1885. To this day, there are reports of footsteps and disembodied footprints, aromas, cold spots, and doors and windows opening and closing by themselves. Multiple apparitions have been seen: a young girl residing in the dining room, a matronly woman who haunts the old courtroom, an older man (supposedly Thomas Whaley himself), and even a dog (believed to be the Whaley’s fox terrier, Dolly).
If you hang around late enough, you may even catch a glimpse of the Witch. She haunts the grounds after midnight and is known to hang an effigy of Yankee Jim from the old oak tree to scare any would-be trespassers from disturbing his peace late at night (or so my dad tells me, who claims to have seen her once long ago…).
To Die For: Call ahead and book an after-hours tour. You and a friend can tour the home alone after 10 pm for up to three hours. This is the best opportunity for maximum fright potential!
The road trip begins on a desert route through Glamis on the I-8 E. Our next stop is Jerome, AZ, the “Wickedest City in the West.” (Approx. 7 hrs)
Checkout #2: Jerome Grand Hotel (Jerome, AZ)
While you’re driving 7 hours through the desert, make sure to call and book your reservation at the Jerome Grand Hotel. Previously the United Verde Hospital, the hotel was opened in 1996 after a 46-year vacancy – plenty of time for the spirits to get nice and restless. And there are spirits. During its years as a hospital, there were approximately 9,000 deaths, most happening in the operating room on the third floor. Consequently, the floor is home to a ghost gurney that rolls through the halls almost nightly. Room 32 is of particular note as two suicidal patients flew from its balcony, but like to return and enjoy the view.
Perhaps the most ghastly tale comes from 1935 when a man named Claude Harvey was caught and crushed under the hospital elevator. During the renovation, workers reported the elevator shaft lights turning on by themselves and hearing the vacant elevator moving up and down. Hotel personnel claim Claude still rides the shaft today. Doors slamming and midnight moans are all trademark occurrences at the Jerome Grand. The caretakers keep guest journals, 300 pages each, in which visitors record their ghostly encounters – as of 2016, they had five filled (that’s 1,500 pages of scares!).
To Die For: The town of Jerome has more than just one of the most haunted hotels in America. It was the first town to advertise itself as a Ghost Town, drawing on tourism after the copper was all mined. Jerome offers several ghost tours, including that of the old Phelps Dodge mine, where you might just catch a glimpse of “Headless Charlie,” a decapitated miner. His head was recovered after the accident, but his body was never found. And so Headless Charlie roams the mines to this day…looking for his missing head. Also, if you’re still trying to fill out your Pokemon Go! roster, I hear it’s a great place to locate ghost types!
The next jaunt takes you into the Coconino National Forest on the I-40 E and across state lines to New Mexico for a theater-lovers tourist stop with a spooky history. (Approx. 6 hrs)
Checkpoint #3: KiMo Theatre (Albuquerque, NM)
As far as road trips go, driving the historic Route 66 is par for the course. Luckily, our next stop is on part of the now-defunct interstate, adding to that old Americana road trip mystique! The KiMo Theatre was opened in 1927 as a silent film house and later would host vaudeville acts, and road shows through the 1940s. Then, in 1951, tragedy struck. The basement boiler exploded just as Bobby Darnell, a six-year-old theatre attendee, ran into the lobby after being scared by that day’s matinee. The boiler exploded part of the lobby and took young Bobby with it. His spirit has haunted the cinema ever since.
Even after renovations, which began when the town purchased the KiMo as a historical landmark in 1977, Bobby lingers, playing peevish games with employees and patrons alike. Another spirit, a woman in a bonnet, is less than a physical presence than Bobby. She has been seen walking the hallways of the theater at all hours, though little is known of her origins in the Art Deco building.
The legend of the KiMo Theatre has led to one of the most irreverent superstitious practices on the list. Bobby is a ghost with a proclivity for sweets, so the staff hangs donuts behind the screen every night – only to find them nibbled or gone by morning. Once, during a Christmas road show, the crew took the donuts down only to be struck with constant bad luck, lighting rigs failing and sandbags falling near the talent until the donuts were replaced and Bobby was once again satiated. Tours of the theatre are available, just make sure you bring some sweets of your own!
To Die For: If you’re looking to stay the night in Albuquerque, check into the Hotel Andaluz. The location is the fourth hotel Conrad Hilton (yes, that Hilton) ever owned, and guests often complain of their belongings moving in the night. On witchier evenings, you can hear a woman screaming into the New Mexico night.
Driving through beautiful Texas could conjure up some Tobe Hooper Chainsaw vibes, so make sure you’re gassed up on your way across the I-40 E to Lubbock, Texas, the “Friendliest City in America.” (Approx. 6 hrs)
Checkpoint #4: Hell’s Gate (Lubbock, TX)
Lubbock is a thriving city, a hub of ranches, unique wines, and music. It’s a solid stop for the middle-ground, just outside of Dallas’s “big city” sensibilities with just a twang of the dark to the East. Friendliest could easily be replaced with “fiendish” as you detour behind the Lubbock Cemetery to the old train trestle dubbed by locals as “Hell’s Gate.” Seek, and ye shall find, kiddies because lore indicates this place might as well be where Sam and Dean first saw the gates of hell open.
In the 1970s, the location was allegedly used in satanic rituals and devil worship, being dubbed a crossroads between our world and the spirit realm. Train robbers threw hostages off the bridge to their deaths, and it was a favorite site of lynchings in pre-segregation Texas. The haunted trail, located at the south end of Dunbar Park, runs right under the bridge, which, over the years, has been a prominent location for suicidal falls.
During the day, it’s a gorgeous nature walk with an eerie vibe, but after hours is a different spook. A particularly territorial spirit, known as “The Hunter” by the local paranormal society, will stalk visitors with naughty intent. If you’re a good boy or girl, you’ll be rewarded with spiritual orbs and visages of the more friendly spirits in your cemetery selfies. The cemetery itself is a happening place, with party-like energy akin to the rockin’-rollin’ spirit of Buddy Holly, who has called the place his home since 1959.
To Die For: If you need something extra, why not try terrestrial? Hell’s Gate has a strong history of alleged UFO sightings. Whether these are just the spirits playing tricks or actual little green men, you’ll just have to go and see.
It’s a straight shot on the I-20 E through Fort Worth to our next destination. From the friendliest town to the “most haunted in Texas”: Jefferson. (Approx 7.5 hrs)
Checkpoint #5: The Grove (Jefferson, TX)
Jefferson is a small town with a big reputation: for being the site of the most haunted house in Texas. The Grove has a laundry list of previous owners, most of whom were driven out by the spiritual energies surrounding the grounds. Perhaps the longest ownership was by Miss Louise Young, who lived there until her death in 1983. She would tell her friends stories of the friendly “haints” in the early years in the home, but she soon became frightened.
She installed heavy bolts to keep the garden ghosts out of the home and installed security lights which served more to illuminate the specters than scare them away. Accounts of young girls playing, men in suits and bonneted maidens came from visitors in the guest home, neighbors, and Miss Young herself. She would call the cops on intruders that were often never there.
After her passing, the Groves (no relation to the house’s nickname) moved in and moved out soon after, supposedly due to an encounter with a swirling black mass above her bed and disembodied footprints stomping through the halls. The stories go on: a spectral dog knocking over a patron during the house’s years as a restaurant, mirrors falling off walls with no explanation, and ghostly figures appearing in guest photographs. The current owner, a writer and paranormal researcher, offer tours on the weekends that are both historical and supernatural.
To Die For: The town of Jefferson offers a Ghost Walk that takes you inside historically haunted locations around town. While you can only enter The Grove through reservations with the homeowners, this tour gives you a little more boo for your buck!
Enough small-town nonsense. Travel the I-30 E to I-40 E through Arkansas on to Memphis, Tennessee, the Home of the Blues. (Approx. 5 hrs)
Checkpoint #6: Orpheum Theatre (Memphis, TN)
Memphis is known for exceptional nightlife, but we’re here for the night afterlife. The Orpheum Theatre on Beale Street is a historic monument to the performing arts, and catching a show there is a smart move for an out-of-towner looking to add to their roster of ghostly experiences. Hit the box office and ask for the Mezzanine, seat C6. C5 is reserved for Mary. It’s always reserved for Mary. Dear little Mary was hit by a trolley outside the Orpheum in 1921 (though some reports say she perished in the 1923 fire).
She has performed in the theatre ever since. She can be heard singing and playing the pipe organ between performances, calling out to guests to watch her play. She’s a friendly spirit, more attracted to exploring the facility and flickering lights on and off than little Bobby back at the KiMo. She’s also respectful of performers and often sits quietly in her seat during the shows.
After your date with Mary, head over to the most haunted spot in town, a dive bar called Earnestine & Hazel’s. The famous location is a beautiful tribute to historic Memphis music. Abe Plough’s daughters, namesakes of the bar, opened the cafe in the 1950s through the 1970s was the favorite haunt of musicians like Tina Turner, Jackie Wilson, and Ray Charles. It was also a brothel, and approximately thirteen deaths occurred in the pharmacy turned cafe since its opening in the 1930s.
When Russell George reopened the cafe as a bar in 1993, the paranormal occurrences started as soon as it opened. The bar houses a haunted jukebox that always knows just what to play (no quarters required). The staff often shares their spooktacular encounters, from seeing apparitions in the basement to floating tables and chairs. The best part about Earnestine & Hazel’s is they’re proud of their spirits, both boozy and otherwise, so there is no need to tip-toe around it!
To Die For: Come for the ghosts, stay for the Soul Burger! Listed as the best burger in Memphis, it’s a simple lettuce-cheese-pickle combo with the addition of the signature “soul sauce,” which makes this a deadly good treat on an already divine pit stop.
From the Home of the Blues on I-40 through another Musical Mecca, Nashville, travelers will take a sharp turn north to Adams, TN. (Approx. 4 hrs)
Checkpoint #7: The Bell Witch Cave (Adams, TN)
Any supernatural seeker worth their salt has done some digging into the Bell Witch Cave. An American legend dating back to 1817, John Bell and his family began seeing strange animals on their farm. Noises in the night, like rats gnawing and chains being dragged, became common over the course of a year. The terrified family invited guests to come to witness the occurrences themselves. Folks began to come for miles to experience the horrific haunts of the Bell Farm. The entity was not one for keeping secrets either. It would often talk to those who visited, giving different names and reasons for its torment of John Bell and his daughter, Betsy.
The most popular and enduring theory is that the Bell Witch, as she is now infamously known, was neighbor Kate Batts – back from the dead. Her witchery physically abused John and Betsy, eventually taking credit for killing John with poison. Some say she has never returned, others say she never left. Ever since, visitors to the cave (oh yes, and you can visit, tour, and all) report paranormal phenomena: raspy breathing, electronics stopping working, heat spots, and terrified puppies!
One woman, leading a group of about 15 people, abruptly sat down in the middle of the cave, and when asked why, she exclaimed, “I’m not!” She claimed a heavy weight was holding her there, and it took several of the tour group members to lift her to her feet and out of the cave. Others have reported physical phenomena as well, from light touches and gusts of wind to scratches and hair pulling. Local lore says if you remove a part of the cave, bad luck travels with you.
To Die For: Tubing! Advertised on the Bell Witch Cave website, you can hop in a tube and float some of your more natural worries away down Red River. It’s an added bonus to an already exhilarating location.
In true road trip fashion, we’re going a little off the straight and narrow I-40 E to I-81 N with the next ca n’t-miss stop in Rock, West Virginia. (Approx. 7 hrs)
Checkpoint #8: Shawnee Amusement Park (Rock, WV)
What’s a haunted road trip without a haunted amusement park? The rusted remains of a rickety Ferris wheel cut the horizon with eerie authority, surrounded by the graveyard of a dead carnival. As with so many of our scariest sojourns, the dark past of Shawnee Amusement park dates back to prairie days. In 1783, the park was just a farmhouse, the home of Mitchell Clay and his family. While hunting one day, his son and daughter were slain by Native Americans, and his other son was kidnapped only to be burned at the stake. Clay repaid the debt, and the soil was soured from then on.
In 1920, the Amusement Park opened, and it didn’t take long before the first “accident” took a young girl’s life when a truck backed into the path of her swing. Another boy drowned in the amusement park swimming pond (paging Jason Voorhees, Jason Voorhees to Rock, West Virginia, please). In total, the park was responsible for six deaths before closing its doors, but not for good.
To Die For: The current owner holds tours throughout the year and will arrange private tours if you call ahead. Both proprietor and son have had their share of freaky apparitions, noting hot and cold spots and visible manifestations of the girl on the swing, her dress still soaked in blood. Even if you’re not lucky enough to experience the phenomena, the overgrown, abandoned silhouettes are morbidly attractive and unsettling enough to fulfill any horror fanatics’ fantasies.
Get ready for a long, beautiful stretch to some of the most haunted hallows! Via I-81 N to I-95 N, through Virginia National Forests along the way to Philadelphia, PA. (Approx. 7.5 hrs)
Checkpoint #9: Eastern State Penitentiary (Philadelphia, PA)
As gorgeous Gothic architecture goes, Eastern State Pen has some of the most haunted and haunting stones on this side of the Atlantic. Thirty-foot high walls designed to keep the penitent secluded and isolated, the facility used to be the finest and most expensive prison in all of America. It stands today as a historical ruin, leaving only echoes of its former residents screaming to be let out. And why wouldn’t they? The facility is racked with tales of torture from the mad chair, which bound prisoners so tightly circulation was cut off and resulted in amputations, to the “Hole,” a dank underground cell completely isolated, black, cold, and with little water or air.
One of the most feared devices, the iron gag, prevented speech by chaining the tongue to other parts of the body so that any movement would crush and mangle. The worst of the worst were sent here, and many of them remain in hallowed halls. Almost every paranormal phenomenon imaginable has been reported somewhere in Eastern State’s walls. Here for wails and moans? Cellblock 12. Ready to finally see an apparition, head over to cellblock 6, if you, please. The location offers standard historical tours and does rent time for paranormal investigation groups in the off hours. (These groups often offer visitor spots for the curious, amateur ghost-hunter, like ourselves…)
To Die For: Terror Behind the Walls is a haunted attraction that runs from September to Halloween. It has cinema-level scares, animatronics, and a cohesive story that plays in each section of the prison walls. The haunt boasts realism, horror, and a history that cannot be exorcised.
Off to the races! We’re closing in on our final destination, and we’re taking the long way ‘round. I-287 N to a satanic little sideshow in New Jersey (Approx. 2.5 hrs)
The Scenic Route: Clinton Road (West Milford, NJ)
Clinton Road is a picturesque, splendid 10-mile stretch of the normal highways and byways a cross-country road trip lives on. You’d think you were taking the scenic route, stopping to smell the roses, until a faint eeriness begins to settle over the lonesome gravel. You’ll come across a bridge – stop. Legend has it, a boy drowned in the river below, and now he haunts the waters.
If you throw a penny into the water, he’ll throw it back to you (though most of the time, he tends to keep them for himself). Next up is the Clinton Ironworks, a small, brick, pyramid-shaped building that looks like it was removed from the set of the Blair Witch Project.
Follow that up with a genuine Dead Man’s curve, and you’ve got yourself a bonafide creepy cruise through an occupy occultism rally, complete with rusted “Keep Out” signage, druidic graffiti, and dilapidated furniture. If you happen to be the brave soul who travels the road between midnight and 3 am, you may even find yourself chased by an oil-black pickup truck that mysteriously disappears after a couple of miles. But just keep on driving, thrill seekers, we’re heading to our final destination.
The last leg of the journey takes us through Boston way, I-84 E. (4.5 hrs)
Last Checkpoint: Salem, MA
Start with a wail and end with a witch, that’s what I always say! Actually, no one says that. But they will after concluding this two-week excursion across the great U.S. of A. Salem is one of the most idiosyncratic towns in America, with a mood that changes every street like a Gemini on a full moon. Down ol’ waterfront way, the city’s rich maritime history is on display, with replica ships and a harbor full of functional fishers, where the home Nathaniel Hawthorne built treats literary buffs to a peek behind The Scarlet Letter.
Turn onto Chestnut Street, and the Northeastern charm of federal buildings and tree-lined roads evokes a place frozen in time, cultured and curated by brick and ivory. But Essex Street, the eccentric epicenter of supernatural happenings in Salem, is a witch and warlock playground. The sheer number of ghost tours, psychics, and honest-to-Hecate witchcraft shops could fill a tarot deck. The history of witchcraft is celebrated, revered, and decidedly built on correcting any misunderstandings about Wicca and other Pagan practices.
While the witches may be on display, the spirits are also in full swing! A prohibition-era funeral parlor/speakeasy with a spectral cat that roams behind the wine racks, an old Jail-turned-eatery haunted by a diligent ghost guard who still holds his clipboard, and an independent cinema playing movies for the undead. And everywhere you walk, under your feet are the tunnels, leftover from Prohibition, where evidence suggests some who went down never came back up. These are just a few of the haunted establishments built on Salem’s streets.
To Die For: The witch trials memorial and the Salem’s Witch Museum are a can’t-miss. The Proctor’s Ledge memorial was erected in 2017 (a year after it was confirmed as the site of the 19 hangings and one stoning of alleged witches in 1693).
Total Drive Time: 57 hours (approx. 2.37 days)
There you have it: the most haunted route from San Diego to Salem with all the bell witches and whistles. We recommend two weeks of travel to experience each location to the fullest. And don’t forget, the scariest things are unexpected…like hotel parking fees. Enjoy the ride!
We hope you enjoyed the first part of a two-part series.
