From the deep South to colonial New England, certain U.S. locales have developed chilling reputations for reports of apparitions and other paranormal activity. Long shadows have been cast by histories steeped in calamity, and stories abound of restless souls condemned to cemeteries and peevish poltergeists with bones to pick.
Many of these cities relish their notoriety, with multiple laying claim to the title of most haunted in the country. We detail a few of them below, but whether you use this list as a roster of places you dare not enter or as a resource for your next vacation, proceed with caution: We can’t promise that reading our roundup won’t summon the spirits mentioned within it.
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah offers all the charm of the South and all the unease of a Southern Gothic novel — if you know where to look. Lurking amid the oak-lined streets and majestic mansions are specters borne of centuries of tragedy (or so the story goes). Founded in 1733, the city played major roles in the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and was ravaged by several yellow fever outbreaks in the 1800s. The souls lost in those events are said to haunt Savannah’s historic cemeteries and buildings.
“Visitors and locals alike report unexplained phenomena across Savannah: sudden cold spots, shadow figures, voices, apparitions, and objects moving without cause,” claims local hotel Bellwether House, which was built in 1876. “Ghost sightings aren’t confined to one building — they’re woven into the city itself.” Even its own chamber of commerce boasts its reputation as “the most haunted city in America” (a title New Orleans also claims). Check out 10 of the spookiest places in Savannah.
Atchison, Kansas
Known for being the birthplace of Amelia Earhart, Atchison’s other claim to fame is its purported paranormal activity. Situated on the Missouri River, it’s home to the infamous Sallie House. Legend has it that after a young girl named Sallie died there during a failed appendicitis operation in 1905, her ghost stuck around. Though locals had long considered the abode haunted, the story truly took hold in 1993 when a couple moved in and began experiencing ominous phenomena — including a fire, objects moving around on their own, and unexplained scratches.
Other eerie sites in Atchison (called “America’s most haunted town” by its tourism department) include the McInteer Villa, an 1889 Victorian mansion that’s elicited reports of supernatural occurrences; the Rose Trunk Building, where visitors have claimed they sensed an unseen presence; and Benedictine College, said to be haunted by the spirits of monks who founded it over 150 years ago.
New Orleans, Louisiana
Welcome to New Orleans, a 308-year-old city rife with historical trauma. Its early days were marked by violence and sorrow, which continued into the 19th century as slavery, the Civil War, and several disease outbreaks took their toll. A merging of West African spiritual practices and Catholicism gave rise to its distinct voodoo tradition, and today, “the line between the living and the dead often feels surprisingly thin,” per the city’s tourism department.
If you’re looking for a hair-raising time, you should certainly visit the French Quarter. Book a stay at the Andrew Jackson Hotel — believed to be haunted by five boys who perished there in a fire when it was a boarding school — or dine at Antoine’s Restaurant, reportedly home to 19th-century spirits who peer out from the bathroom mirrors. The ghost of author William Faulkner is said to remain in the rooms he rented in the neighborhood, which have since been converted into a bookstore called Faulkner House Books. Learn about more haunted places in New Orleans.
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem’s dark history has seemingly cast a spell over the colonial New England town. The area’s notorious witch trials saw around 200 people accused of witchcraft in the 1690s. About 30 were found guilty and at least 19 were put to death. Today, this chilling past resurfaces in reports of ghost sightings and other supernatural phenomena.
Proctor’s Ledge, the trials’ primary execution site, is said to be haunted, with visitors reporting cold spots, incandescent orbs, and a disembodied voice, per Ghost City Tours. The Joshua Ward House, built on the site where George Corwin — High Sheriff during the witch trials — once lived, is also the stuff of legend: An accused man named Giles Corey is rumored to have cursed Corwin and the town of Salem with his final breath during his execution. At the Old Burying Point Cemetery, established in 1637, condemned souls are believed to be responsible for mysterious shadows, noises, mist, and an overwhelming sense of despair.
Anoka, Minnesota
Officially known as “the Halloween Capital of the World,” Anoka is rich with tales of the paranormal. Reportedly haunted buildings include the Anoka State Hospital, a psychiatric institution that opened in 1900; Colonial Hall, where furniture is said to move around inexplicably after dark; and the old Anoka library, with a known history of “books flying off of shelves,” per local outlet HometownSource.
The Anoka County Historical Society, which formerly used the library as its headquarters, offers guided ghost tours that are “60% history, 40% folklore” and based on real stories from the people who live and work in the city’s buildings.
Virginia City, Nevada
“To say everything is haunted in this old mining town is not too far from the truth,” proclaims Virginia City’s tourism department. The locale topped the ranking in the 2026 Spookiest Cities Report, a playful analysis by home security company Vivint. The ranking used seven measures, adjusted for population: haunted places, ghost sightings, funeral services, haunted houses, psychics and astrologers, spiritual shops, and spooky Google search volume.
Visitors can explore eerie places like the Gold Hill Hotel, Nevada’s oldest, where rumors persist of children’s ghosts running the halls, or bring home a bottle of Cemetery Gin, the city’s own distilled spirit. This month — dubbed Hauntober — one of the area’s top ghost experts is leading paranormal investigations at the historic St. Mary’s Art Center, which was originally a hospital and is known as one of Virginia City’s most haunted buildings.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
The Civil War’s Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 resulted in over 50,000 casualties, and many believe that the spirits of the soldiers who died on the battlefield remain there, reliving the brutal conflict. For over 100 years, visitors and locals have reported “phantom footsteps, ghostly drumbeats, and echoes of musket fire and cannon blasts,” per History.
Other spots in the city, widely known as one of the country’s most haunted places, have their own eerie history tied to the war. The Jennie Wade House Museum commemorates, and is said to be possessed by, the only civilian killed in the battle. Visitors have claimed to hear whispers, feel cold spots, and see Wade’s ghost floating through the rooms. Those daring enough to walk into the Sachs Covered Bridge — where a trio of Confederate soldiers were executed for impersonating Union troops — may encounter three disembodied heads or feel phantom fingers tapping their shoulders.
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