10 best haunted destinations in the US

Photo courtesy of Natalya Bosyak // Getty Images

The United States is filled with purportedly haunted locations, each with its own ghost stories and paranormal occurrences, ready for visitors to experience and come back with their own stories. Here are 10 of the best haunted destinations in the United States, as voted by our readers.

Photo courtesy of St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum

No. 10: St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum – St. Augustine, Florida

Paranormal activity reported at the St. Augustine Lighthouse includes the disembodied voice of a woman asking for help. Dark of the Moon ghost tours take visitors into the lighthouse at night to learn about the spirits that may still haunt the 1876 Keepers’ House and 1874 lighthouse tower.

Photo courtesy of J. Fusco for Eastern State Penitentiary

No. 9: Eastern State Penitentiary – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary was one the most expensive prisons in the world. Today, the crumbling ruins host visitors of the mortal and ghostly variety.

Photo courtesy of Fort Mifflin on the Delaware

No. 8: Fort Mifflin on the Delaware – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Fort Mifflin, a National Historic Landmark, was the site of a major battle in the Revolutionary War, where hundreds of soldiers on both sides lost their lives. Some believe those spirits never left and continue to haunt the battlefield to this day. Visitors can see for themselves by joining a candlelight ghost tour, paranormal investigation or overnight stay.

Photo courtesy of Winchester Mystery House

No. 7: Winchester Mystery House – San Jose, California

This peculiar mansion in San Jose has more than 160 rooms and 2,000 doors, many that cannot be walked through. Some believe Mrs. Winchester continued modifying her home to escape the spirits of those killed by the Winchester rifle.

Photo courtesy of Fort East Martello Museum

No. 6: Fort East Martello Museum – Key West, Florida

The Fort East Martello Museum in Key West protects and preserves the unfinished remains of a fort dating back to the Civil War. The fort has its fair share of ghost stories, but none are quite as famous (or mysterious) as Robert the Doll. This handmade doll, made at the turn of the 20th century, purportedly causes electronic devices to malfunction, and staff members have reported creepy giggling in the museum and swear that his facial expressions have changed.

Photo courtesy of Shutterbugs4Charity

No. 5: Wood Island Lighthouse – Biddeford, Maine

Many visitors or residents to Wood Island Lighthouse in Maine believe ghosts roam the island and inhabit the building. A murder/suicide took place there in 1896, and many have encountered a spirit at the top of the lighthouse expressing remorse – could it be the murderer? Others have heard voices in the wind or found objects inside the lighthouse unexpectedly rearranged, while one lighthouse keeper’s wife swears that she bumped into a ghost inside a closet.

Photo courtesy of The Grove

No. 4: The Grove – Jefferson, Texas

This historic property in the river port city of Jefferson, Texas was built in 1861 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ghost stories at the house, now a privately owned residence open for tours, date back more than a century. Common sightings include a lady in a white dress, a man walking through the lily beds in the garden and an entity in the den.

Photo courtesy of Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum

No. 3: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum – Weston, West Virginia

Purportedly one of West Virginia’s most haunted sites, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum opened its doors in 1864. By the 1950s, the facility was operating way over capacity with inhumane conditions. Visitors can spend the night in the asylum during free ghost hunts open to the public.

Photo courtesy of Waverly Hills Sanatorium

No. 2: Waverly Hills Sanatorium – Louisville, Kentucky

Considered one of the most haunted locations on the planet, this closed sanatorium outside Louisville is believed to be haunted by the ghosts of former patients treated for tuberculosis during the early 20th century.

Photo courtesy of Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum

No. 1: Zak Bagans’ The Haunted Museum – Las Vegas, Nevada

This quirky Las Vegas museum showcases original collectibles from supposedly haunted destinations around the United States in a 1938 property that is itself believed to be haunted. Explore more than 30 rooms filled with artifacts – and keep an eye out for spirits roaming the halls.