True Ghost Tales

Haunted Stays: Spend the Night

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by

Evelyn Sinclair
in

1. Fainting Goat Island Inn

Fainting Goat Island Inn in Nichols offers more than charming accommodations and river views. It's famed for supernatural residents and has been voted America's most haunted hotel. Guests report sheetless beds, invisible footsteps, moving furniture, and gumballs rolling down hallways. As dawn breaks, a comforting homemade cinnamon bun awaits.

The inn's gardens feature:

  • Fainting goats
  • A pig named Porkchop

Located near Tioga Downs Casino Resort and off Route I86, this spirited sanctuary beckons the brave.

The Fainting Goat Island Inn, a charming riverside building with a spooky ambiance, surrounded by gardens with fainting goats and a pig

2. Belhurst Castle

Belhurst Castle, perched on Seneca Lake's shores, blends luxury with the supernatural. This 1880s stone castle in Geneva is steeped in history and hauntings. Guests have reported the ghost of Isabella grieving for her lost love, with rustling drapes and unexplained phenomena.

The castle's ghostly tales include:

  • Showers turning on and off
  • Bottles in the bars twirling mysteriously

Visitors can enjoy the famous "ghost wine" or relax at Isabella Spa & Salon. As you dine in one of the on-site restaurants, you might hear spectral strains of a lullaby.

Belhurst Castle offers an experience wrapped in opulence and shadows, promising a night of luxury and lore.

Belhurst Castle, an imposing stone structure on the shores of Seneca Lake at dusk, with a ghostly figure visible in one window

3. The Queen Mary Stateroom B340

The Queen Mary, docked in Long Beach, is a floating palace with a mysterious undercurrent. Stateroom B340 is the epicenter of the ship's paranormal activity.

Guests of B340 report:

  • Unexplained noises
  • Rhythmic knocking
  • Flickering lights
  • Shadowy figures

The ship embraces its haunted reputation, offering ghost tours that delve into its supernatural history.

Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, a night in Stateroom B340 promises an unforgettable brush with the unknown. The Queen Mary isn't just a ship; she's a siren of the spectral, inviting visitors to unravel her ghostly mysteries.

The interior of Stateroom B340 on the Queen Mary, with vintage decor and a shadowy figure barely visible in a corner

4. The Lizzie Borden House

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts, is steeped in the chilling history of the Borden family murders. This infamous site offers daily and nightly tours, immersing visitors in the unsolved mystery of 1892.

The house, with its period-accurate decor, invites you to step into a bygone era. Gas lamps flicker as tour guides share haunting tales. Many visitors report hearing disquieting murmurs and feeling a spectral presence.

For the brave, overnight stays are available. Guests have reported:

  • Mysterious footsteps
  • Cold drafts
  • Moving shadows

Whether you leave a skeptic or a believer, the Lizzie Borden House promises an unforgettable journey into America's most notorious unsolved crime.

The exterior of the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, Massachusetts, a Victorian-era home with a foreboding atmosphere

5. The Stanley Hotel

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, is renowned for its role as the inspiration for Stephen King's "The Shining." This historic Edwardian-era hotel offers breathtaking views of the Rocky Mountains and a reputation as one of America's most haunted destinations.

Guests report:

  • Spectral piano music drifting from empty rooms
  • Encounters with apparitions

Room 217 is particularly famous for unexplained phenomena. The hotel embraces its supernatural reputation, offering ghost tours and paranormal experiences.

A visit to The Stanley Hotel is more than a luxurious stay; it's an immersion into a world where the past and present intertwine. Whether you're seeking inspiration or a brush with the paranormal, The Stanley Hotel offers a unique blend of elegance and eerie allure.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, a grand white building against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, with an otherworldly glow

6. The Haunted Shanley Hotel

The Haunted Shanley Hotel in Napanoch, New York, dates back to 1845 and is a magnet for ghost-hunters and thrill-seekers. The hotel's atmosphere is charged with history and suspense.

Visitors often report peculiar occurrences:

  • Rocking chairs moving on their own
  • Clocks chiming at odd times
  • Phantom cooking aromas
  • Piano music from invisible sources

The Shanley Hotel offers ghost hunts for those eager to engage with its resident spirits. Guests have described feeling watched, experiencing cold spots, and witnessing apparitions.

Whether you come for the history or the possibility of a ghostly encounter, The Haunted Shanley Hotel provides a unique experience that bridges the gap between past and present, offering a glimpse into the world beyond.

The Haunted Shanley Hotel in Napanoch, New York, a Victorian-era building with a spooky atmosphere and ghostly apparitions in the windows

7. Jerome Grand Hotel

The Jerome Grand Hotel in Jerome, Arizona, offers a haunting experience steeped in medical history. Originally the United Verde Hospital in the 1920s, this building atop Cleopatra Hill now serves as a hotel with panoramic views of the Verde Valley and a reputation for paranormal activity.

The hotel's atmosphere is charged with echoes of its past. The vintage elevator groans, lights flicker unpredictably, and guests report chilling experiences. Some claim to hear distant gurney wheels in empty corridors or catch glimpses of vaporous apparitions. Ghostly laughter and hushed conversations are said to permeate the air, while an antique telephone occasionally rings without a caller.

For ghost hunters and curious travelers alike, the Jerome Grand Hotel invites exploration. Each room serves as a potential portal to the past, stirring imaginations about lingering spirits. Whether seeking proof of the paranormal or simply immersing in the allure of history, visitors often leave with memorable experiences that blur the line between past and present.

The Jerome Grand Hotel perched atop Cleopatra Hill in Arizona, with a misty atmosphere and ghostly figures barely visible in some windows

8. Hotel Sorrento

Hotel Sorrento in Seattle blends early 20th-century opulence with modern amenities, attracting both luxury seekers and paranormal enthusiasts. The hotel is famous for its spectral resident, believed to be the ghost of Alice B. Toklas, who supposedly haunts room 408.

As night falls, guests in this room might experience unusual phenomena. Some report hearing faint murmurs of old conversations or feeling a friendly presence nearby. Unlike more frightening hauntings, the spirit at Hotel Sorrento is described as benevolent, almost as if Alice herself is ensuring guests enjoy their stay.

  • Distant jazz piano heard by some guests
  • Sudden chills reported in various areas
  • Friendly, non-threatening ghostly encounters

Beyond its paranormal reputation, Hotel Sorrento offers a range of luxurious experiences. Visitors can indulge in fine dining, explore intimate art settings, and soak in the historical ambiance. Hotel Sorrento provides more than just accommodation; it offers a unique blend of history, luxury, and the supernatural. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer, a night at this Seattle landmark promises to be memorable.

The elegant facade of Hotel Sorrento in Seattle at night, with a ghostly female figure visible in a window of room 408

These haunted destinations offer more than just a place to sleep; they provide experiences that linger in memory. Whether you leave as a skeptic or a believer, the stories and sensations from these spectral sanctuaries will give you plenty to ponder about the mysteries beyond our understanding.

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." – William Shakespeare, Hamlet