6 of the Most Spooktacular American Cities
New Orleans calls itself the most haunted city in America, but there are plenty of other cities that have an eerie past of their own.
If you are looking for a different place to spend the most spine-tingling time of the year, read our recommendations of the 6 most spooktacular cities in the USA!
Savannah, GA
Take a trip to the haunted South. Savannah is known as a hub for the paranormal thanks to the spooky, devious + downright evil events that have taken place in the city. Come face to face with Civil War spirits that haunt the city or learn more about its dark history this Halloween season. Whatever you choose, Savannah has all the spooky fun you need this month!
Haunted Locations:
The Hamilton-Turner Inn was made famous by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Paranormal activities inside the inn include the sounds of children laughing, billiard balls rolling around on the upper floors, and sightings of a strange, cigar-smoking man sitting on the roof.
Check-in if you dare at the Marshall House hotel which has been in operation since 1851, this hotel has been used as a hospital three times – once for Union soldiers and twice for 19th-century Yellow Fever epidemics, so guests have reported their fair share of paranormal experiences such as seeing ghosts in the hallways, hearing nonexistent running down the halls and faucets turning on by themselves.
Washington, DC
The United States’ capital is riddled with secrets, assassinations, and deceit that define the spooky stories we know and love during this season. Join in on pop up bars, ghost tours, and parties to experience the city as you’ve never have before!
Haunted Locations:
Head to one of the oldest neighborhoods in DC and dive into the creepy past of Georgetown. Embark down the steps made famous in The Exorcist, check out Oak Hill Cemetery, and explore Halcyon House - a 1700s mansion with a bizarre history.
Sleep with one eye open at The Omni Shoreham Hotel. Built in 1930, it has overseen some key historic events of throughout the city’s history. Room 864 is officially named, “The Ghost Suite” for the strange activity reported in the room.
San Francisco, CA
Take a trip to historic San Fran for Halloween this year. A city with hippy vibes, a carefree attitude, and haunted buildings is a recipe for a perfect holiday. Dive into the eerie past of the Bay Area which may surprise you!
Haunted Locations:
Paranormal activity has been reported in two popular areas. The Presidio, a retired military base with a hospital and cemetery, has had visitors report seeing ghostly figures and army men lurking the property. At Alcatraz, some say they've heard voices from within cell walls and seen figures walking through cellblocks. Check them out + let us know what (or rather, who) you find!
Every aspect of the Nob Hill Hotel screams “paranormal” from the room decor that calls back to the high-end stylings of the original period of the hotel to the more than 20 ghosts that have apparently visited travelers over the last 100 years of business.
Philadelphia, PA
The birthplace of our nation is also the birthplace of many ghostly stories and makes one of the country’s oldest cities a great place to celebrate Halloween. A rich history beginning before the country’s inception, Philadelphia is known to be haunted. Travel to this East Coast city to take in the fall foliage, go on a ghost tour, + party the night away!
Haunted Locations:
Christ Church Burial Grounds is the current resting place of Ben Franklin. Some reports say that he steals pocket change and throws pennies at visitors. Grumblethrope is another haunted location that is said to be haunted by a general that died during the Battle of Germantown. The living room floor still shows the bloodstain where General Agnew died from a sniper’s bullet!
Cornerstone Bread and Breakfast was built in 1870 in University City and now welcomes guests to stay. Visitors report seeing a female apparition and smelling a floral perfume scent. Some even reported that they felt something sitting on the edge of the bed in the middle of the night!
Seattle, WA
Travel to the PNW for Halloween fun! Seattle makes our list for one of the spookiest cities to celebrate the holiday due to its dark + dynamic past. Enjoy the mountainous scenery as you get down with the pioneer spirits that founded the city!
Haunted Locations:
Pike Place Market is a popular hotspot for the living and the dead. An astonishing amount of visitors have claimed to have seen sightings of various apparitions. These sitings range from a Native American woman that still resides in her cabin that the market was built on to a ghost of a lady barber that would sing to her clients and rob them. Even if you do not believe in ghosts, the stories behind them are worth checking out!
Sorrento Hotel is a boutique hotel that has been called one of “the most haunted hotels in the world”. It is supposedly haunted by the ghost of a woman named Alice Toklas and her favorite spot to go is room 408!
Portland, OR
Beneath the cobblestoned streets of Portland's Old Town lies the legend of the Shanghai Tunnels, passageways that swirl with dark tales and hauntings. As the story goes, men who came to Portland to work—sailors, loggers, cowboys, and others—were "shanghaied," or kidnapped through trapdoors in saloons, smuggled through the tunnels to the waterfront, and sold to sea captains. A recent episode of Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel explored this mysterious Portland underground.
For a limited time, you can pick up our Spooky Season Destination Guide Bundle to help lead you on your ghoulish adventures. For an aesthetics-focused excursion, snag our Fall Foliage Bundle!
Last chance to book a Halloweekend adventure this year is 10/6/2023, so move fast and let us plan that trip!
Have you ever been to these spooky cities? Did we miss any haunted places in the US? Let us know below!