Sun’s out, spirits out. If your idea of the perfect summer getaway includes a little more ghost than sunscreen, this guide is for you. Haunted road trips combine the freedom of the open road with the delicious thrill of the paranormal, and there’s no better time to explore the strange, historic, and hair-raising than during the dog days of summer.
So fill up the tank, grab your EMF detector, and crank the spooky playlist — here are the eeriest destinations to explore on your next haunted road trip.
1. The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado
This iconic hotel inspired Stephen King’s The Shining and remains one of the most haunted places in America. Guests report phantom piano music, shadow figures, and spectral children running through the halls. Book Room 217 if you dare.
2. Eastern State Penitentiary – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Once the most expensive prison in the world, this crumbling Gothic structure is now open for daytime tours — and ghost hunts. Visitors report disembodied laughter, cell doors slamming on their own, and cold spots in Cellblock 12.
3. The Myrtles Plantation – St. Francisville, Louisiana
Surrounded by weeping willows and Southern charm, this antebellum home is said to host at least a dozen ghosts, including the infamous spirit of Chloe, a former enslaved woman. The atmosphere is both beautiful and unsettling.
4. Waverly Hills Sanatorium – Louisville, Kentucky
If you’re up for a darker detour, Waverly Hills delivers. Once a tuberculosis hospital, it’s rumored to house thousands of restless spirits. The infamous “body chute” and ghostly children in the halls have terrified even seasoned investigators.
5. Jerome, Arizona – The Wickedest Town in the West
Perched on a mountainside and once a booming mining town, Jerome is now a hotbed of haunted hotels, abandoned buildings, and Wild West phantoms. The Jerome Grand Hotel is a must-stay for ghost lovers.
6. The Lizzie Borden House – Fall River, Massachusetts
Yes, you can sleep in the house where Lizzie Borden may (or may not) have taken an axe to her parents. The energy here is intense, with reports of whispered voices, full-body apparitions, and a rocking chair that moves on its own.
7. Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum – Weston, West Virginia
This sprawling, foreboding asylum offers both historical tours and full-blown overnight ghost hunts. The spirits of patients and staff are said to still roam the hallways, including a little girl named Lily who loves to play.
8. Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery – Midlothian, Illinois
Tucked away in the woods outside Chicago, this small, overgrown cemetery is infamous for ghostly figures, phantom vehicles, and even a glowing farmhouse that vanishes upon approach. Visit at dusk if you’re brave.
Whether you’re mapping a cross-country adventure or just hunting haunts in your home state, these chilling locations will add a supernatural edge to your summer vacation.
Don’t forget to take photos — just don’t be surprised if someone (or something) unexpected shows up in the background.
