Editor’s Note: This guide was written by US Ghost Adventures, a tour company that runs haunted tours and overnight stays across the country. We’ve edited the piece for clarity and format. Their team draws on years of experience researching paranormal history and collecting stories from guides and guests at famously haunted locations.
The elevator stops on the third floor. No one pressed the button. Are you brave enough to find out what’s waiting in the hallway?
These seven haunted hotels and stays are not for the faint of heart—and yes, you can actually book them tonight. From inns with phantom children to hotels where ghostly soldiers still roam the halls, these real places will send shivers down your spine. Each offers a truly unique experience for those ready to test their courage and spend the night where the past refuses to stay buried.
The Villisca Axe Murder House – Villisca, Iowa
📍 Entire house rental, sleeps 1-8 | 1 hour from Des Moines
Why Our Team Recommends It: The Villisca Axe Murder House, in Villisca, Iowa, is preserved as it was when the gruesome Villisca Axe Murders took place.
One summer morning in 1912, the Moore family was discovered bludgeoned to death in their beds. Neighbors had become concerned when the Moores were not seen doing their usual morning routine, and when Josiah Moore did not answer calls from his clerk. They found somebody murdered in every bed, killed with an axe that had been taken from the Moores’ backyard.
The murders were as bizarre as they were brutal. The murderer had covered the mirrors with clothing that he took from drawers and left a four-pound piece of slab bacon leaning against the wall next to the murder weapon.
The identity of the killer remains unknown to this day. Only one person was ever tried for the crime: Rev. George Jacklin “Lyn” Kelly. He left Villisca by train the morning after the murders and had reportedly told someone that eight people had been killed—before the bodies were even discovered. That raised suspicions.
They tried the Reverend and later acquitted him—twice, in fact. The first jury reached a deadlock, resulting in the Reverend’s acquittal, while the second jury also acquitted him.
That’s not to say others weren’t also accused of the murders. One early suspect was state senator Frank Jones, a former business rival of Moore’s. Rumors of Moore’s alleged affair with Jones’s son led some to believe Jones had a motive. However, a Montgomery County grand jury found no evidence tying Jones to the crime. Jones later filed a libel suit against J.N. Wilkerson, a private investigator with the William J. Burns Detective Agency, who had pushed the accusations. The case was dismissed.
More than a century later, the murders remain unsolved. The investigation was sloppy from the start. Curious townspeople were allowed to trample through the house before the scene was secured, likely destroying key evidence.
What You’ll Experience: As it’s still preserved in its original condition, there’s no electricity or plumbing in the home, although a restroom is provided next door and a power bank is available for charging your phone. People staying overnight often feel a dark presence hanging over them. There’s a certain palpable tension in the house and a sense of foreboding.
Our Expert Assessment: If you’re looking for a luxury accommodation and comfortable night’s sleep, it’s probably not the right fit for you, but if you’re looking for the most unique and authentic haunted hotel experience in the country, this is the place for you.
The Lizzie Borden House – Fall River, Massachusetts
📍 Bed & Breakfast | 1 hour from Boston
Why Our Team Recommends It: Thirty years before the Villisca Axe Murders, the Lizzie Borden murders took place. On an idyllic summer morning in Fall River, Massachusetts, Andrew and Abby Borden were found hacked to death in their home.
The hacking nearly severed Andrew’s face in two and fractured Abby’s skull into pieces. Suspicion fell on Lizzie Borden, Andrew’s daughter. She had previously quarreled with her stepmother, Abby, claiming that Abby was after her father’s money.
Police discovered that Lizzie had purchased prussic acid the day before, and she allegedly burned one of her dresses a few days after. The maid testified that upon returning from errands, she heard Lizzie laughing at the top of the stairs.
As with the Villisca murders, forensics were botched. Investigators refused to take fingerprints—it was an emerging science at the time.
Lizzie was questioned and eventually tried, but she was acquitted by the jury. This case provides an intriguing perspective on the role of gender and social norms. Many people at the time believed that a good, white, Christian lady like Lizzie could never have committed such a gruesome and gory murder. She was, after all, a high-class individual and a respectable Sunday school teacher.
It was easier for the “native” protestants to believe that a Catholic immigrant, such as the Bordens’ Irish maid, committed the murder and that the police, which had many Irish in its ranks, were biased.
To this day, some believe that Lizzie did it. The Smithsonian published an article titled “How Lizzie Borden Got Away With Murder.” Others, though, believe that she was innocent, citing her acquittal.
What You’ll Experience: Regardless of who did it, there’s no denying that the Lizzie Borden House is one of the most haunted places in America. Overnight guests have reported strange footsteps, a man’s gasp, and a lady laughing maniacally (could it be Lizzie?).
Some journalists from People’s Magazine spent a night there. They reported that tripwires detecting electromagnetic activity (often used to detect paranormal occurrences) went off, especially when people would ask if there was anyone around who minded their presence.
Our Expert Assessment: The combination of the unresolved mystery and intense emotional trauma makes this location particularly active for paranormal encounters.
The Welty House – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
📍 Bed & Breakfast | 2 hours from Washington DC
Why Our Team Recommends It: The Welty House, built in 1838 in Gettysburg, is named after its former owner, Solomon Welty. While he wasn’t the original owner of the house, he and his family lived there during the brutal Battle of Gettysburg, a three-day battle that took the lives of thousands.
As bullets whizzed by the house, which was situated right in the epicenter of the battle, the Welty family, including the children, hunkered down in the basement. Nearby, bodies dropped like flies as pure chaos reigned.
Many of the soldiers were buried in front of the Welty House and the adjacent Brickhouse Inn. Both are haunted, in fact, with Civil War-era soldiers seen roaming around the halls and walking through walls.
What You’ll Experience: Both Union and Confederate soldiers can be seen in their respective uniforms. The smell of cigar smoke wafts through the air. These aren’t residual hauntings—guests report interactive encounters with soldiers who seem aware of modern visitors.
Our Expert Assessment: The intense trauma of battle combined with impromptu burial grounds creates one of the most historically significant paranormal experiences in America.
The Welty House is now part of the historic Brickhouse Inn B&B. Book through the Brickhouse Inn website and specify you want a room in the Welty House for the full haunted experience.
The Omni Parker House – Boston, Massachusetts
📍 Luxury hotel | Downtown Boston
Why Our Team Recommends It: Boston’s landmark Omni Parker Hotel, built in 1855, is said to be haunted by its founder, Harvey Parker. Many guests and staff report sightings of a mustached man in period clothing, nodding to them before disappearing into thin air.
As a perfectionist who was proud of the hotel he built, it’s no surprise that Mr. Parker continues to visit to ensure guests are well taken care of.
What You’ll Experience: On the 10th floor, guests have reported seeing apparitions like floating mists and orbs. Guests have called security to room 1040 more than once because of noise issues, but no one was ever there.
Charles Dickens stayed here once, on the third floor. Some believe his ghost still visits at times, as the lift often stops at the third floor, despite nobody having pressed the button for it.
Our Expert Assessment: Unlike many haunted hotels, the Parker House combines luxury accommodations with genuine paranormal activity—you don’t have to sacrifice comfort for supernatural encounters in Boston.
For the best chance at a ghostly encounter, request a room on the tenth floor or as close to Room 303 or 1012 as possible.
The Marshall House – Savannah, Georgia
📍 Historic hotel | Downtown Savannah location
Why Our Team Recommends It: Savannah, Georgia, is a particularly haunted city, and nowhere can the phenomenon be seen better than in the Marshall House. Built in 1851, the hotel has a long history and survived fires, yellow fever epidemics, and the Civil War, all of which are said to have left restless spirits behind.
Among the many ghosts reported at the Marshall House, the most memorable are the phantom children who seem to call the Marshall House home. Guests who spend the night often hear children laughing and the sound of marbles rolling down the hallways.
When you check, the halls will be empty—every time.
What You’ll Experience: Visitors frequently report seeing apparitions in the hallways and hearing children running or playing late at night. Other strange happenings include faucets turning on by themselves and flickering TVs, possibly caused by electromagnetic activity.
One of the most unsettling stories involves a child who came to his mother crying. He said he had been playing with another child in the bathroom—until that child bit him. Though no one was found upon searching, the bite mark was real.
Our Expert Assessment: The child spirits make this location unique—most guests find the encounters more playful than frightening, though no less genuine.
Rooms 414 and 420 have a reputation for the strongest paranormal activity, so staying there increases your chances of encountering something unusual.
The Maryland Inn – Annapolis, Maryland
📍 Historic inn | 45 minutes from Baltimore
Why Our Team Recommends It: The Maryland Inn, one of the Historic Inns of Annapolis, has been hosting guests in the heart of Annapolis since 1772. As the only 18th-century Annapolis hotel still in operation, it boasts a rich history.
Annapolis served as the peacetime capital of the United States, albeit quite briefly. It was here, just steps away from the Maryland Inn, where George Washington resigned his military commission.
Many prominent guests have set foot in this hotel. Some of the guests who checked in long ago seem to have never checked out, though.
What You’ll Experience: If you catch a whiff of pipe tobacco, don’t be surprised. A group of rowdy Union soldiers often irritates and annoys guests, making noise late at night. You may also spot lone soldiers wandering the halls and vanishing into the walls.
The inn’s most famous phantom is “The Bride,” the ghost of a lady who stayed there while awaiting the return of her fiancé, a Mr. Charles Campbell. On the day of his return, she anxiously waited at the window, only to have him get crushed by a horse and buggy rushing down the hill before her very eyes.
Devastated, she jumped from the window, joining him in his death. She is still visible today, peering out of the window before disappearing.
Our Expert Assessment: The combination of Revolutionary War history and tragic love story creates deeply emotional paranormal encounters that guests find both moving and unsettling.
For the best chance at a haunted stay, ask specifically for a fourth-floor room and mention your interest in the legend of The Bride when booking.
The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado
📍 Full-service resort | 90 minutes from Denver
Why Our Team Recommends It: If you’ve ever watched The Shining, you might know that it was filmed in The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. What you might not know, though, is that Stephen King’s stay at The Stanley Hotel inspired his original novel The Shining, which the film was based on.
It was the end of the season, and King and his wife were the only two guests at the hotel. This led to quite an eerie experience, as you may expect—they sat alone in the restaurant, their table the only one that was set, and after his wife retired to bed early, King wandered the long, empty halls himself.
That night, King had a terrifying dream: his son was running through the halls in fear, chased by a fire hose. He awoke in a full sweat and lit a cigarette, and it was as he smoked that cigarette that inspiration for The Shining came to him.
But why is the hotel so haunted? Perhaps the most haunted place in the hotel is room 217. It was here that a major fire started just two years after the hotel was founded.
At the time, the hotel prided itself as being the first and only hotel in the region to offer full electricity. That particular day, though, the electricity had failed, and so the hotel fired up the gas, which it had never used before but kept as a backup for such situations.
Unfortunately, the system hadn’t been fully tested, and one of the pipes contained a leak. A maid lit a candle in room 217, which created a massive explosion, costing the hotel $10,000 in damages and propelling the maid into the air. She broke both of her ankles and was rushed to the hospital but miraculously survived and continued working in the hotel.
What You’ll Experience: To this day, people report that she tidies up and cleans room 217. She seems particularly disturbed by young unmarried men and unmarried couples. If you’re a bachelor staying in this room, you might find your suitcase packed for you and placed outside the door, as if someone wants to tell you that you are not welcome.
The Stanley Hotel had accumulated numerous other ghosts over the years as well, such as the “Silent Cowboy” of room 428 and the “Mischievous Irishman” of room 407. Some allege that the hotel was built on Native American burial grounds, which further contributes to its haunted nature.
Our Expert Assessment: The Stanley offers the perfect balance of luxury resort amenities with documented paranormal activity, making it ideal for those who want supernatural encounters without sacrificing comfort.
For the most haunted experience, request Room 217, 401, 407, or 428, or simply ask for a room on the fourth floor. Let the staff know you’re a paranormal enthusiast—they’re used to such requests!
Ready for Your Supernatural Stay?
These seven locations offer more than just eerie tales; they serve as portals into some of America’s most intriguing unresolved mysteries and tragic histories. It doesn’t matter if you’re drawn to the preserved authenticity of a century-old crime scene or prefer your ghosts with room service, because each destination offers something genuinely otherworldly.
The key to a meaningful paranormal travel experience isn’t just about encountering spirits—it’s about connecting with the real human stories that created these hauntings in the first place. These locations preserve moments in time when tragedy became legend, ranging from Civil War soldiers who never left their posts to murder victims whose cases remain unsolved.
Before you book, ask yourself: are you prepared for a genuine encounter with the unexplained? Because unlike theme park scares or horror movies, what happens at these places is real—so be prepared.
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