Telling someone a building in New Orleans is haunted may be the least surprising statement of all time. The same goes for Savannah, or Charleston, or Colonial Williamsburg, or St. Augustine. But spirits aren’t limited to lovely old Southern cities with booming ghost tour industries. Like most spooky stories, the seven below are based on, ahem, anecdotal evidence, but they win points for their novel locations. So grab your electromagnetic field meter or at least a flashlight, because all of these destinations are open to the public in some capacity.
Devil’s Chair
Lake Helen, Florida
This town is no stranger to spirits. There’s the famous community of mediums, and then there’s the sinister presence said to frequent Lake Helen–Cassadaga Cemetery. There, if you sit on the lichen-laden brick chair that overlooks the graves at the stroke of midnight, it’s said the devil himself will make an appearance. Alternatively, if you’re not looking to actually meet the man, you can leave him an unopened can of beer, which will supposedly be empty by morning. (And if you decide to take a sip yourself, just say the devil made you do it—or beerzlebub, if you will.)
Highway 365
Woodson, Arkansas
On most rural Southern highways, you need to watch out for an opossum or deer. On Highway 365, add ghostly hitchhiker to that list. The story (which is strikingly similar to the Country Gentlemen’s 1966 song “Bringing Mary Home”) goes that a young girl may appear in the rain on a portion of the road near Woodson. She’ll ask for a ride, and when she reaches her destination, she’ll vanish from her surprised chauffeur’s sight. But there’s more: Go up to the door of the residence where she vanished, and you’ll learn that a girl died along that road years ago. Okay, no records actually exist of this death, and we definitely don’t condone knocking on strangers’ doors, but the tale makes for spooky company on a lonely highway.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
Buxton, North Carolina
Hauntings in this lighthouse sound less like a “boo” and more like a “meow.” Lucky visitors to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse have purportedly encountered a large black and white cat, who rubs against people’s legs but will vanish if you try to pick it up—a lesson in boundaries many living felines would appreciate. Some accounts say the chunky kitty has been patrolling the lighthouse for over one hundred years, even after the structure was moved nearly three thousand feet inland in 1999.
Stuckey’s Bridge
Meridian, Mississippi
After a long day traversing Mississippi’s Chunky River in the 1800s, you might have welcomed the sight of a friendly face, illuminated by lantern light, inviting you to a nearby inn. That is, until you’re murdered in the night and dragged to the river. The legend of Old Man Stuckey is at least as old as 1988, when it appeared in a history book of the county. The innkeeper and supposed ex-member of the notorious Dalton Gang is said to have lured travelers with rest, omitting the “eternal” part from his pitch. Stuckey was allegedly caught, hanged from the bridge, and left swinging for days before he fell into the river below. Although the original bridge was replaced in the early 1900s, Stuckey’s spirit is said to still wander the area just off I-59.
Hell’s Gates
Lubbock, Texas
Just behind Buddy Holly’s grave in Lubbock Cemetery lies a portal to the underworld—at least that’s what one legend says. Another says the abandoned train trestle was the site of a grizzly murder, while others claim it hosted satanic rituals in the 1970s. Although none of these stories have been confirmed, they didn’t help the satanic panic that gripped the town in the eighties and nineties. There’s now a fence around the trestle, so don’t try to climb it, but be comforted (or not) to know that many ghost sightings have still occurred from the ground. Most importantly, beware of rattlesnakes hiding in the grass.
Weston State Hospital
Weston, West Virginia
In the era of asylums, patients were institutionalized for any number of reasons, from genuine mental illness to invented psychiatric conditions. Weston State Hospital was no exception and went viral in 2016 for a list of ailments that affected their patients, from “laziness” to “novel reading.” The hospital, also known as the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, became overcrowded at nearly ten times its original capacity near its demise. This led to poor conditions for most of the patients and even poorer for those who took part in the deadly West Virginia Lobotomy Project. For these eerie reasons, ghost hunters flock to the old building. Reports of cries, footsteps, and slamming doors may be best verified by taking a guided paranormal tour.
GainesRidge Dinner Club
Camden, Alabama
This quaint eatery in southern Alabama specializes in pie—and the paranormal. Proudly proclaiming itself haunted, it’s one of the few places where you can share a shrimp cocktail with a screaming female apparition or the ghost of a gaunt bearded man. But don’t worry, the restaurant says these regulars are all harmless. While we can’t promise you’ll dine with any spirits, the taste of a rich slice of black bottom pie is definitely supernatural.
