10 Real Haunted Places in America You Can Actually Visit

Haunted attractions are built to scare you. These places didn't need the help. Each one comes with a real history, a pile of ghost stories, and doors you can walk through yourself. Check current tour schedules before you go, since many sell out in October.

No. 1: Eastern State Penitentiary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Opened in 1829 and closed in 1971, this crumbling fortress pioneered solitary confinement. Its long, decaying cellblocks are as eerie at noon as they are at midnight.

No. 2: Winchester Mystery House (San Jose, California). Sarah Winchester kept building her sprawling mansion for decades, leaving behind staircases that lead into ceilings and doors that open onto walls. Legend says she built it to confuse the spirits.

No. 3: The Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, Colorado). Stephen King's stay here in the 1970s inspired The Shining. Guests still report footsteps and voices in the halls, and the hotel leans happily into its reputation.

No. 4: Lizzie Borden House (Fall River, Massachusetts). The site of the infamous 1892 axe murders now welcomes visitors for tours, and brave guests can even spend the night.

No. 5: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (Weston, West Virginia). A massive stone hospital with a troubled past and a long list of reported apparitions. Historic and paranormal tours run regularly.

No. 6: Waverly Hills Sanatorium (Louisville, Kentucky). This former tuberculosis hospital is one of the most famous paranormal destinations in the country, best known for its long "body chute" tunnel.

No. 7: The Queen Mary (Long Beach, California). The retired ocean liner is now a hotel, and its decks, engine room and empty first-class pool are said to be among its most active spots.

No. 8: Lemp Mansion (St. Louis, Missouri). The family behind a brewing empire suffered a string of tragedies in this house, which now serves as a restaurant and inn with a ghostly reputation.

No. 9: St. Augustine Lighthouse (St. Augustine, Florida). In the nation's oldest city, the lighthouse is famous for its nighttime ghost tours and stories of the keepers' families who never left.

No. 10: Bachelor's Grove Cemetery (Midlothian, Illinois). A small, abandoned cemetery outside Chicago that has generated more ghost photos and sightings than almost anywhere in the Midwest.

Before You Go Ghost Hunting

Respect the place. Many of these sites mark real tragedies, so treat them with care.

Stick to official tours. Trespassing at night isn't just illegal, it's dangerous.

Bring a fully charged phone and a flashlight, and let someone know where you are.

Have you visited a real haunted place? Share your story in the comments. We may feature the best ones in Nightmare News.