By: Megan deFabry
If you are fascinated by ghosts and haunted locales you’ll want to add these locations to your travel bucket list. They’ll be sure to leave you with goosebumps and you might just encounter a greeting of an old ghostly soul.
Virginia City, Nevada
Virginia City is located in northern Nevada, roughly 20 miles southeast of Reno. It’s one spooky paradise that is rich in history. It was established in 1859, for several decades this historic town was a booming mining establishment and famous for the Comstock Lode. When you visit this historic place you’ll feel like you’ve jumped back in time as you stroll along the wooden sidewalks alongside shops, grabbing a cold one at one of the unique western saloons, or taking on a haunted ghost tour. With many sites to see there’s a guided tour that’ll surely give you a chilling experience. You can visit the Silver Queen Hotel where ghosts are heard running around the hotel and tapping on windows. Visit the historic Fourth Ward School where a spirit of a former teacher can be seen searching for her students. Piper’s Opera House is haunted with multiple reports of entities setting up, performing or watching a show. The Sugar Loaf Mountain Motel has a lot of paranormal activity with unexplainable noises such as laughter, heavy breathing, moving doors and footsteps. Some other haunted places in Virginia City are Mackay Mansion, Story County Courthouse, Old Washoe Club, and Delta Saloon.
Calico, California
Calico was founded in 1881 as a silver mining town and has now been converted into a county park named Calico Ghost Town. This ghost town is in San Bernardino County in California. Soak in the history and come visit this historic town turned into an attraction with shops, restaurants, and take a ghost tour. There are three unique ghost tour experiences to choose from. The walk up Main Street is where you’ll learn about the town as well as stories and hauntings. The Maggie Mine tour speaks for itself. The lights will be turned low and you’ll experience it similar to when the Mulcahy Brothers mined it in 1881. The last tour offered is the School House Tour where you’ll go inside the school house at night and hear all of the stories about past children.
Tonopah, Nevada
Tonopah, Nevada, is another haunted location full of paranormal activity. It’s a wild west town situated in the desert. It’s located midway between Las Vegas and Reno. This spooky town has many attractions including the Mizpah Hotel, where history meets luxury. This hotel is the jewel of the desert and you’re able to book a room at this hotel and try to experience some of the ghostly activity during your stay. There is also the infamous Clown Motel where you can stay in one of the haunted rooms. Explore the Old Tonopah Cemetery next door to the motel where there are some pretty scary stories of strange lights, full body apparitions, and weird noises. Tonopah is known for one of the best places to stargaze, be sure to check that out. While there also check out the Tonopah historic mining park, Tonopah Brewing Company, and the Central NV Museum.
Bannack, Montana
Bannack is a desolate former mining town filled with chilling paranormal activity. This town in the wild west was founded in 1862 and this was the site of Montana’s first major gold discovery making it a gold rush town and Montana’s first territorial capital. There are over 50 historic buildings that line Main Street, the buildings are log and frame structures that will take you back in time. This well-preserved town is now a state park. Tours are available, there is a campground, ice skating in the colder months, fishing, picnicking spots, bicycling, lots of wildlife and of course the rich history to soak in.
South Pass City, Wyoming
South Pass City, Wyoming was a historic gold mining town and happens to be one of Wyoming’s largest historic sites. Founded in 1867, this mining town is located approximately 10 miles north of the Oregon Trail on the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains. In South Pass City there is a historic site that features more than 24 preserved historic structures and 30 period room exhibits, picnic areas, nature trails, and a visitor center.
Bodie, California
Bodie is a former gold-mining town and state historic park northeast of Yosemite, 13 miles east of Highway 395 on Bodie Road (Hwy 170), and seven miles south of Bridgeport. In 1875, a mine was revealed which then had a mass of people descend into Bodie in 1877 after the purchase of the mine by the Standard Company. Bodie is now simply a ghost town and it looks much the same as when the last residents left. There are no commercial facilities to preserve the ghost town atmosphere. Daily tours are offered, with visitors able to walk down the deserted streets of Bodie that once boasted a population of 10,000. Only a small portion of the town has survived, being preserved in the state of “arrested decay”. Everything remains as it was left including shelves stocked with goods.
Goldfield Ghost Town
Goldfield Ghost Town is situated in Apache Junction, Arizona. It’s a reconstructed 1890s town that used to be a gold mining town located on the Apache Trail. The town consisted of three saloons, a general store, boarding house, brewery, meat market, a school house, and a blacksmith shop. Today there are many attractions you can explore — shops and historic buildings, walk down Main Street, visit the Goldfield museum. You can also go gold panning and gem sluicing at Prospector’s Palace. Check out Goldfield Ghost Town’s Walking Ghost Tour as you take a walk through the historic mining town at night embracing and discovering the spirits, legends, and curses that are within the town. Take a tour in the Goldfield Mine Tour which is an underground guided tour taking you back 100 years.
