The Saint Louis Cemetery
New Orleans, LA

Founded in 1718, New Orleans has nearly 300 years of French, Spanish, African, and Cajun history. It’s no wonder so many are convinced spirits still haunt its streets and cemeteries unable to find peace. One of the most haunted places in the city is the Saint Louis Cemetery, which consists of three Roman Catholic cemeteries unique for their above-ground vaults, most of which were laid in the 18th and 19th centuries. Many notable people throughout history are buried here, as well as ghosts of Civil War soldiers, Yellow Fever victims, and other unfortunate souls that are said to walk these so-called “Cities of the Dead.” The most haunted spirit is believed to be that of Marie Laveau, known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. It’s said if you knock three times upon her tomb, then mark it with XXX in chalk or brick, and knock three times again, she’ll grant your wish, but only if you leave her an offering.

The Winchester Mystery House
San Jose, CA

The Winchester Mystery House began as a project for the grieving widow Sarah Winchester, who tragically lost her infant daughter to marasmus, and then her husband to tuberculosis 15 years later. Soon after their deaths, Sarah visited a medium, who told her that she was cursed by the roving sprits of people who had been killed by Winchester rifles, which Sarah’s husband had designed, and was the source of her enormous fortune. The medium told Sarah that in order to avoid the curse, she must move west and never stop building in order to keep her own life safe from the evil spirts. By the turn of the century, the Winchester Mystery House was seven stories high and featured a number of odd features including extremely long hallways, staircases leading into solid ceilings, and doors that open right into walls. Strange sights and sounds are often reported from the house during Sarah’s lifetime and haven’t stopped since her death in 1922.

The Museum of Death
Los Angeles, CA

Founded in 1995, the Museum of Death is not for the faint of heart. It features the world’s largest collection of serial murderer artwork, photos from the Charles Manson crime scenes, the guillotined severed head of the Blue Beard of Paris, original crime scene and morgue photos from the grisly Black Dahlia murder, a body bag and coffin collection, replicas of full size execution devices, mortician and autopsy instruments, and pet death taxidermy. If the sound of this collection doesn’t send you running, then you may want to add it to your list next time you find yourself in Los Angeles.

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum
Weston, WV

In the tiny town of Weston, West Virginia, you’ll find the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum; an inactive hospital and sanctuary that housed the mentally ill between 1864 and 1994. Unfortunately, the hospital suffered from overcrowding and poor sanitation, which finally lead to it being shut down for good. Today, there are reports of strange sights, voices, and events taking place behind the asylum’s walls due to the suffering experienced by the people who lived in the asylum. If you’re brave enough, you can see for yourself by taking an overnight haunted ghost tour!

The Ohio State Reformatory
Mansfield, OH

Just an hour north of Columbus, you can find the Ohio State Reformatory, a gothic-castle-like structure with the noble goal of reforming juvenile and young-adult offenders. Plagued for decades by overcrowding, decay, and explosive violence, the doors to the Reformatory closed for good in 1990. It’s said that along with the peeling paint and rustling iron bars, the troubled spirits of forgotten inmates still linger behind its thick stone walls.