Prisons, Asylums, Hotels & Mansions You Can Actually Visit
From a crumbling penitentiary where Al Capone's ghost still paces his cell, to a 160-room mansion built to appease restless spirits, explore America's most terrifying haunted locations mapped across the country.
The United States is home to some of the most haunted places on Earth. From abandoned asylums where thousands perished to elegant hotels where guests never checked out, these locations have drawn paranormal investigators, thrill-seekers, and history buffs for generations.
What makes a place haunted? Often it's a combination of tragic history, violent deaths, and buildings old enough to carry centuries of energy. The locations on this map share one thing in common: documented reports of unexplained phenomena spanning decades, from shadow figures and disembodied voices to objects moving on their own and full-body apparitions.
Once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, Eastern State Penitentiary pioneered the concept of solitary confinement. Prisoners including Al Capone lived in complete isolation in their cells. Today, the crumbling Gothic fortress offers daytime history tours and nighttime ghost tours. Guards and visitors regularly report shadowy figures darting through cellblocks, cackling laughter echoing from empty cells, and the feeling of being watched from behind cell doors.
Built as a tuberculosis hospital during the deadliest outbreak of the "White Plague," Waverly Hills saw an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 patient deaths during its operation. The most chilling feature is the "Body Chute" — a 500-foot underground tunnel used to secretly transport corpses down the hillside so that other patients couldn't see the death toll. Room 502, where a nurse allegedly hanged herself, is considered one of the most actively haunted spots in America.
When Stephen King checked into Room 217 of the Stanley Hotel in 1974, it was nearly empty for the off-season. That night, he had a nightmare about his young son being chased through the hotel's corridors by a fire hose. He woke up, lit a cigarette, and had the entire plot of The Shining mapped out before he finished smoking. The hotel embraces its haunted reputation, offering ghost tours and "Shining" themed stays.
Sarah Winchester, heir to the Winchester rifle fortune, believed she was haunted by the ghosts of everyone killed by Winchester rifles. A Boston medium allegedly told her to build continuously or the spirits would kill her. The result: 38 years of non-stop construction creating a 160-room Victorian maze with staircases leading to ceilings, doors opening to walls, and windows overlooking other rooms. Construction only stopped when Sarah died in 1922.
Al Capone claimed ghosts tormented him in Cellblock 7. Paranormal investigators say the whole place is crawling with spirits.
63,000 patients died of TB. Bodies were secretly slid down a 500-foot underground "Death Tunnel" to hide the death toll.
Stephen King checked into Room 217 and woke up with the entire plot of The Shining. Flora Stanley's ghost plays the piano.
In 1834, a fire revealed enslaved people chained and tortured in the attic. The horrors shocked even a city built on slavery.
Built on a Tunica burial ground. At least 12 ghosts, including Chloe in her green turban - captured in one of the most famous ghost photos ever.
Sarah Winchester built non-stop for 38 years to appease the dead. 161 rooms, stairs to ceilings, doors to walls.
51,000 casualties in three days. A barefoot man at Devil's Den tells tourists "what you're looking for is over there" - then vanishes.
The only building still standing with direct ties to the 1692 witch trials. Judge Corwin signed death warrants in this room.
Two young girls drowned during construction. Their laughter has echoed through the tower for 150 years.
Built for 250 patients, it held 2,400. Lobotomies, ice baths, and a violent spirit named "Big Jim" who attacks visitors.
The Blues Brothers starts here. Prison Break was filmed here. Guards still report phantom inmates in the gothic cellblocks.
Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia is widely considered the most haunted place in America. Built in 1829, it once held Al Capone and is now open for ghost tours. Visitors and staff regularly report shadowy figures, eerie laughter, and unexplained footsteps in its crumbling cellblocks.
Yes, most of America's famous haunted locations are open to the public. Eastern State Penitentiary, the Winchester Mystery House, the Stanley Hotel, and the Salem Witch House all offer regular tours. Some, like Waverly Hills Sanatorium, offer overnight ghost hunting experiences.
The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado inspired Stephen King to write The Shining after he stayed in Room 217 in 1974. King reportedly had a nightmare about his young son being chased through the hotel's corridors, which became the basis for the novel.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky was a tuberculosis hospital from 1910 to 1961. An estimated 6,000 to 8,000 patients died there. The "Body Chute" — a 500-foot underground tunnel — was used to secretly transport corpses so other patients wouldn't see them. It's now one of America's most investigated paranormal locations.