These 12 U.S. houses are tied to documented histories and reported ghost stories, but access varies: some offer interior tours or overnight stays, while one is a private apartment building and another was reported closed for renovations. “Haunted” here means a place has a haunting tradition—not that paranormal activity has been proven. The Associated Press reported in 2024 that there is no scientific evidence that homes can be haunted or ghosts exist. Check each venue’s current visitor information before making plans.
How to choose a haunted-house visit
Start with the kind of experience you want, not a ranking of which place is “most haunted.” These sites range from historic-house and architecture tours to crime-history museums, regional folklore, night visits, and overnight lodging.
- Interior access: Some venues sell house tours; the House of Death is a private apartment building, and the Conjuring House was reported closed for renovations in the cited travel coverage.
- Visit format: Options described include daytime and evening tours, paranormal investigations, and overnight stays. Offerings and schedules can change.
- Historical focus: The stories center on architecture, literature, crime, or regional folklore. A haunting account is not the same as a verified historical event.
- Practical planning: Confirm current hours, tickets, renovation status, and lodging directly with the venue. Never enter private property or approach a closed site without permission.
12 haunted houses and sites to consider
1. Whaley House Museum — San Diego, California
The Whaley House’s ghost stories include accounts associated with Yankee Jim Robinson and members of the Whaley family. The museum offers several different formats: daytime self-paced access through the house and grounds, an evening guided tour, and an after-hours investigation. The museum lists daytime hours as 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. daily and says daytime reservations are not required; because operating details can change, check the official visit information before going.
The museum describes the evening tour as roughly 30–40 minutes and the investigation as about two hours. Investigation participants are offered exclusive access to rooms unavailable on standard tours and ghost-hunting equipment. That is an advertised experience, not evidence that the equipment can detect ghosts.
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2. House of Death — Greenwich Village, New York City
This brownstone is associated with ghost stories about former residents, including writer Mark Twain, who lived there in 1900. It is a private apartment building, not a house museum: visitors cannot tour the interior. A neighborhood ghost tour may pass the exterior, but check the tour operator’s current route rather than treating the building as an attraction you can enter.
3. Winchester Mystery House — San Jose, California
The Victorian mansion is famous for its scale and unusual architecture, as well as the popular story that Sarah Winchester kept building to appease spirits. That motive is uncertain, and non-paranormal explanations for the house’s design should not be collapsed into ghost lore. Travel + Leisure describes guided tours that visit 110 rooms; check the venue’s current tour information before planning a visit.
4. Villisca Axe Murder House — Villisca, Iowa
In 1912, the Moore family and two visiting children were killed in the house. No one was convicted. Local haunting stories grew around the crime, and the house has been described as offering tours and overnight visits. Because both tour and lodging availability can change, confirm current access directly with the site before traveling.
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5. Lizzie Borden House — Fall River, Massachusetts
Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in 1892; Lizzie Borden was tried and acquitted. The restored house operates as a museum and inn, with daytime and evening experiences, house tours, cemetery tours, and overnight lodging described by the venue. The official site has visitor and lodging information.
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Visitors come for the crime history as well as reported hauntings. The Associated Press reported on October 29, 2024, that guests tour and stay overnight at the house, and noted that there is no scientific evidence that ghosts exist. The familiar rhyme about the case is not entirely accurate, so it should not be used as a factual account.
6. Bell Witch Cave and cabin replica — Adams, Tennessee
The Bell Witch story is regional folklore associated with the Bell family. Visitors are described as being able to tour a cabin replica and a nearby cave, including lantern-lit night tours. This is a folklore destination with a replica cabin—not an intact historic Bell family house.
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7. The White House — Washington, D.C.
Stories about spirits associated with former presidents and First Ladies are part of the White House’s popular ghost lore; they are not official or verified accounts. Public tours may be arranged through a member of Congress, and construction can temporarily suspend tours. Check current visitor guidance at the White House visitor page before making arrangements.
8. Sallie House — Atchison, Kansas
A local story links the house to a child, followed by accounts from later renters who said they experienced unexplained events. Those are reported stories, not established events. The property has been described as offering guided tours and overnight stays, but confirm current tour access and lodging availability with the operator before booking.
9. Franklin Castle — Cleveland, Ohio
This late-19th-century house has attracted stories about tragedy and alleged paranormal activity. More sensational tales—including claims involving hidden bones, bootlegging, or Nazi spies—should be treated as rumors rather than settled history; many fantastical stories about the building have been disproven. Tours and overnight visits have been reported, but verify whether either is currently available before planning a trip.
10. Biltmore House — Asheville, North Carolina
Biltmore’s strongest visitor draw is its estate and architecture. Visitors have also reported voices and apparitions, while hidden passages contribute to the mansion’s atmosphere. The estate offers house visits alongside gardens, a winery, and on-site accommodations; check its current visitor information for what is open and included. The haunting accounts are secondary folklore, not a reason to treat the house as proven paranormal ground.
11. The Conjuring House — Burrillville, Rhode Island
The 1736 house is associated with the Perron family’s accounts of living there in the 1970s and inspired the 2013 film The Conjuring. Travel coverage reported that the house was closed for renovations, with exterior viewing only. That status is especially important to verify with the owner’s current official notice before visiting; do not trespass or assume the property is open because it is a well-known film location.
12. House of the Seven Gables — Salem, Massachusetts
Dating to 1668, this house is linked to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1851 novel of the same name. Daytime tours emphasize literary and architectural history; local ghost tours may discuss spirits said to be associated with the house. Keep those reported stories distinct from the site’s documented history, and check the current tour details before visiting.
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What “real haunted” means here
Each place in this guide has a real site or documented history and a reported haunting tradition. That wording does not establish that a ghost is present. For example, a murder case, a historic building, and a visitor’s account are different kinds of evidence; folklore can be meaningful to a place’s culture without being proof of paranormal activity. The Associated Press made that distinction explicit in its October 29, 2024, report on the Lizzie Borden House.
Check access before you go
Visitor access is the most changeable part of a haunted-house trip. Confirm hours, tours, tickets, overnight stays, and renovation notices directly with the venue or a current tour operator. In particular, distinguish a building you can enter from one you can only view from outside: the House of Death remains private apartments, and the Conjuring House’s reported renovation closure requires a current check. The history and legends may endure longer than a particular tour schedule.
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