Julie Henne If you visit one of America’s most haunted cities you may very well encounter the spirit world and have the fright of your life.
You’ve probably been to a haunted house during Halloween or taken a fun ghost tour around town. You may love horror movies and anything to do with the supernatural. But have you ever actually seen an apparition? Are you brave enough to stay a few nights in a reputedly haunted hotel? Would you visit an area with a macabre history and reports of paranormal activity? For all you ghost hunters out there, here are five cities in America you must visit…if you dare!
Savannah, Georgia
Known as one of the most haunted cities in America, Savanna’s historic buildings and cemeteries are teeming with ghosts! The city is reputedly built on Native American burial grounds and was the site of Revolutionary and Civil war battles. It was also plagued with outbreaks of yellow fever. Many of Savannah’s ghostly hot spots (or would that be cold spots?) were made famous by the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The Hamilton-Turner Inn is a place where paranormal activities abound –with laughing children, rolling billiard balls, and a creepy, cigar-smoking man on the roof. The Marshall House is one of the most haunted hotels in the USA. It was used as a hospital three times and therefore has its fair share of lingering spirits.
New Orleans
New Orleans boasts some of the spookiest spots on our list, with 42 cemeteries to roam. The city is below sea level and therefore the dead are buried in above-ground tombs. Many visitors come to leave offerings at the grave of the famous 1800’s voodoo queen Marie Laveau. There are many tours of haunted mansions, and ghosts from the War of 1812 are said to wander around the French Quarter.
Boston, Massachusetts
In Boston, with its colorful history, cobbled streets, old graveyards, and creepy hotels, there’s a lot to please lovers of the macabre, from a haunted elevator and Beacon Hill cemetery to Lizzie Borden’s home. In 1892, Lizzie Borden was the prime suspect in the murder of her parents but was later acquitted in a case that drew national attention. Boston Common is a great draw for ghost hunters as it was a square where criminals and outcasts were publicly hanged, including Margaret Jones, a healer, who was killed here in 1648, the first victim of the infamous witch trials. It’s also the site of the Central Burying Ground, where reports of spooky occurrences are plentiful.
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is one of the most haunted cities with a dark history of violent mob-related murders, disasters, and eerie cold cases, which makes it prime haunting ground for tortured, restless, lost souls. In addition the city’s history of covering up the tragedies ups the ante for ghostly visitations. One of the most spooky spots in the city is the Oriental Theater, where hundreds of people died in a fire in 1903. Apparitions have been spotted in “Death Alley” behind the theater, where the dead bodies were stacked following the disaster.
Portland, Oregon
Portland is famous for a complex series of catacombs known as the Shanghai Tunnels, which run beneath the city’s streets and buildings. In the 1800s the tunnels were used by day to ship cargo, but when night closed in, these tunnels became a human trafficking route. People were drugged or plied with a drink in saloons above ground, then pushed down a trap door never to be seen again. These unlucky men and women were imprisoned in cages, then sold and shipped off as slaves or prostitutes. Those who died in captivity are said to still haunt the tunnels and there are many reports of paranormal activity below and in buildings above ground.
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