Adventure Travel

The Seven Most Haunted Cities in the U.S.

By  | 

Haunted Cities

In the Fall, the leaves change, there is a chill in the air, and the ghost stories come out. The season surrounding Halloween is a fun time to entertain our fear of the supernatural. If you are planning to take a vacation in the Autumn, and you are looking for a little bone chilling fun, then here is a list of the most haunted cities in the United States. These cities not only boast tours of the haunted locales among their attractions, but also have great historic, gastronomic, and cultural scenes that make them great places to visit.

New Orleans, Louisiana

This is an old city with a dark past. One of the largest slave markets in the country was found here. The treatment of slaves was awful in places like the LaLaurie Mansion where several slaves were found chained, beaten, and experimented upon in the attic after a fire. There have been battles in several wars, graveyards galore, and VooDoo everywhere. Tragedy on the scale of the recent Hurricane Katrina may even have left unsettled souls. NOLA is easily one of the most haunted cities in the U.S. you can see the paranormal sights with a Haunted History or Ghost City tour.

Boston & Salem Massachusetts  

Even though these are two distinct cities, they are both part of the New England City and Town area, they are very close to each other, and they are both VERY haunted. Salem is known for the witch trials, but the first woman accused and hung for witchcraft was in Boston. Several bloody battles of the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War happened right here. The depth of history, and the denseness of population in the area makes it a paranormal hotspot. There are several haunted tours of both cities that you can take.

Portland, Oregon

Did the Shanghai Tunnel Tour last weekend! #hauntedportland #underground.

A post shared by @sarah.heravi on

Underneath the city of Portland, there is a dark history. There are several miles of tunnels under the city, called Shanghai Tunnels. These tunnels were used for smuggling and kidnapping people to shanghai into service on the shipping and whaling vessels that set sail from this area. The city was also one of the last frontiers of the west, and many lawless cowboys, trappers, miners, and whalers met their fate in this frontier city. The paranormal factor of Portland Places it high on the list of most haunted cities. Aside from the paranormal, Portland is a great city to visit for the food, food trucks, craft beers, and laid back atmosphere. You can take a tour of the haunted hotspots of the city, as well as a special tour of the Shanghai Tunnels.

Chicago, Illinois

https://www.instagram.com/p/BFr8nOeqy9L/?tagged=hauntedchicago

Chicago is the third largest city in the U.S., and has been one of the biggest cities for a very long time. Population density usually equates to paranormal activity, and Chicago is no exception to that rule. There have been two city-wide fires that have killed hundreds of people, and the Congress Plaza Hotel is said to have several ghosts that can scare the pants off of you in your very own hotel room. There are Chicago haunting tours that can escort you through the freaky phenomenon of this city, and when not ghost hunting, you are in one of the greatest cities for food, art, architecture, and theatre that the U.S. has to offer.

San Francisco, California

The history of this city is full of sinister stories. The history of the Chinese immigrants alone has plenty of darkness to fuel paranormal activity. The island of Alcatraz was thought by Native Americans to be haunted long before people of European descent arrived. The Prison and surrounding island is still considered to be one of the most haunted places on the planet! From lawless gold seekers, mistreated immigrants, earthquakes, and fires, this city is a paranormal hotspot. When not trying to up the fear factor, San Francisco has great food, art, piers, bridges, parks, and Ghirardelli Chocolate. There are several companies that offer paranormal tours to get your heart rate up and the hair on your neck standing on end.  

Savannah, Georgia

https://www.instagram.com/p/BBdB08osIOD/?tagged=hauntedsavannah

Indian burial grounds, cemeteries, Revolutionary & Civil War battles, Fires, and on and on. Savannah has the reputation as the absolute champion in the competition of most haunted cities in the United States. We are not sure about that claim, but it definitely deserves a place on this list. There are several companies that can give you tours of this ghostly powerhouse. The city is also one of the oldest in the south because it was famously not destroyed by Sherman in the Civil war. There is great food, and the city is a picturesque locale for relaxing on holiday.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is another of the oldest cities in the U.S., and it is no surprise that the city has a fair amount of restless souls lingering around. A yellow fever outbreak alone killed 5000 people. Philly is the home of the Eastern State Penitentiary that was one of the most controversial prisons in the world for the 150 years it was open. The practices of the prison were more akin to torturous punishments intended to make the prisoners penitent, and it is where the term penitentiary originated. The prison hosts an attraction called “Terror Behind the Walls” every fall, with a unique attraction in each of the cell blocks of the prison. This is a great city to grab a cheesesteak, see some of the places where our country was founded, and get truly scared half to death.

We hope that this will inspire you to add paranormal activities to your list of adventures this fall. If you are interested in haunted history, or current hauntings, this list has a city for you to experience the paranormal this fall.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *