Halloween time is around the corner and everyone’s getting ready for the season. Some go trick-or-treating, quite a few party, and some others prefer to experience “haunted” and scary attractions. But there is rather a small percentage of adventurers that take things seriously and travel to truly haunted places.
There are some cities across the nation that are known for their scary past and their present ghosts. Throughout the years, witnesses have seen them wander in particular streets, hotels, houses, landmarks, and asylums.
These are the 10 most haunted cities to visit in America…if you dare.
10. Louisville, Kentucky
Waverly Hills sanatorium as seen from a front window
Louisville makes the list due to its infamous Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Active from 1921 through 1961, this hospital mostly treated patients with tuberculosis. More than 8,000 people died in those 40 years due to the illness and the unethical experimental procedures that were implemented. Sadly, many of these bodies were dropped down a chute that became known as “the death tunnel.” It is also said that one day a nurse was found hanging from a light bulb wire in room 502.
A place like this only left negative energies and it was once called “the most haunted place on earth.” Visitors may experience door slams, cold spots, eerie voices echoing, footsteps, strange lights and shadows. Finally, let’s not forget about “The Creeper”, a spirit said to climb walls and follow visitors that dare to enter the building.
Quick Guide to Louisville | Hotel Deals near Louisville, Kentucky
9. Weston, West Virginia
One of the bathrooms at the Trans Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Weston is home to the former Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum (TALA). This asylum opened its doors to patients in 1864 with a capacity for 250 people. However, by 1950 there were around 2,400 patients being treated there. Finally, it closed it doors for good in 1994. It has been said that staff at the asylum treated its patients by locking them in cages, giving electroshock therapies and even chaining them to walls. One of the victims of the horrific treatment at TALA was Lily, an innocent little girl whose spirit waits in her room for someone to play with her.
If you are visiting, be psychologically ready for a 2-hour visit to TALA’s four main hotspots. But if you’re really ready to test yourself, try out their 8-hour overnight paranormal investigation tour. You might end up feeling the presence of Lily, or other ghosts way back from the Civil War era. Boo.
West Virginia’s Midland Trail | Hotel Deals near Weston, West Virginia
8. St. Augustine, Florida
The St. Augustine Lighthouse seen from a reported haunted park
it is not a surprise that St. Augustine makes the list being the Nation’s oldest city. Arriving to St. Augustine makes visitors feel they are in another century due to its Spaniard and colonial appearance. Whether you are just visiting the Historic Downtown or going to the beaches nearby, you can’t leave without taking one of the several ghost tours available. Pretty much every attraction in St. Augustine has a ghost story to tell. Bars, streets, houses, hotels, cemeteries, the Castillo de San Marcos and even the town’s Old City Gates are said to be haunted! For a creepy night stay, check out Casa Monica Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in the country. Staff won’t admit it, but really weird things have been reported on the 4th floor of the hotel, mostly in room 411.
However, what really makes St. Augustine stand out in the most haunted cities list is the St. Augustine Lighthouse. First built in 1824, it was threatened by shoreline erosion for which the city decided to build another lighthouse. Construction started in 1870 and ended in 1874. The man leading the project was Hezekiah Pity who brought his whole family with him while the lighthouse was being built. Sadly, his two daughters died while playing near the construction site when they fell and drowned in the bay. The ghosts of the two girls have been spotted inside the lighthouse. Also, the ghost of a former keeper named William can be found sometimes in the basement. Finally, visitors and paranormal experts have heard a woman many times crying out for help near and inside the lighthouse.
Explore St. Augustine | Hotel Deals near St. Augustine, Florida
Continue reading…
