10 best haunted hotels in the United States, according to readers

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Ghostly apparitions, flickering lights and eerie sounds are just a few of the things you may encounter at one of these hotels, where it's thought that certain guests have checked in but never checked out. Our readers voted for the best haunted hotels across the United States, and the results are in.

Photo courtesy of Massachusetts Office Of Travel & Tourism

No. 10: Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast - Fall River, Massachusetts

This museum and B&B in Fall River, Massachusetts has a gruesome history. The house was the site of unsolved murders: the hatchet killings of a man and his wife, and even the decapitation of a cat in the basement. Visitors to the B&B can choose from six rooms and suites that they may or may not be sharing with the spirits of the departed.

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No. 9: Admiral Fell Inn - Baltimore, Maryland

Some guests might share a particular room with a spirit at the Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore – or at least share it with ghostly legends. Guests and staff have reported stories of paranormal activity, and the hotel plays into the rumors by offering a ghost tour and reception that wraps up with the kind of spirits you can drink. As a bonus, this boutique hotel is located near a saloon where Edgar Allen Poe was seen shortly before his death.

Photo courtesy of 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa

No. 8: 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa - Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Guests who want an extra scare can take a nightly ghost tour of this historic Victorian-style hotel that claims to be “America’s most haunted hotel.” Visitors at the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, a member of Historic Hotels of America, can watch ghost videos, learn about Eureka Springs’ unusual history and go on a massive ghost hunt during the Eureka Springs Paranormal Weekend, a three-day, hands-on paranormal investigation event in January and February.

Photo courtesy of Historic Hotels Worldwide

No. 7: The Mizpah Hotel - Tonopah, Nevada

Built in 1907, the Mizpah Hotel in haunted Tonopah has many spirits supposedly roaming its halls, including Rose, a prostitute murdered by a jealous gambler. Guests report items that mysteriously move and an old elevator whose doors randomly open and close.

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No. 6: Malaga Inn - Mobile, Alabama

The Malaga Inn in Mobile’s Downtown Historic District is a popular place to stay, especially during Mardi Gras. It’s also the supposed home of a ghostly woman in white who has been spotted pacing the balcony of Room 7. Some guests have also seen a chandelier swinging back and forth, lights turning on and off on their own, and pieces of furniture that have been rearranged.

Photo courtesy of Union Station Hotel

No. 5: Union Station Hotel - Nashville, Tennessee

The Union Station Hotel, formerly a busy train station in Nashville and now a four-star hotel, is known for its stories of ghost sightings and haunting experiences. Guests staying in the famous Room 711 claim they have heard phones ringing, seen lights flickering and felt the temperature dropping, among other strange phenomena. Other notable ghostly occurrences involve the star-crossed lovers Abigail and her boyfriend, a soldier during World War II, who are stuck in a loop where they are always missing each other.

Photo courtesy of Hotel Saranac

No. 4: Hotel Saranac - Saranac Lake, New York

This historic hotel in the Adirondacks dates back to the Roaring '20s and is on the grounds of a former high school. According to local reports, the spirit of Howard Littell, the school’s superintendent, still roams the property. Other sightings include a young girl on the fourth floor, spectral singing on the sixth floor and mysterious scratching sounds on the third floor.

Photo courtesy of The Marshall House

No. 3: The Marshall House - Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia and comes with its own share of ghost stories, but the Marshall House tops them all. This historic hotel opened in 1851 and was used three times as a hospital. One story claims a doctor buried amputated body parts under the floorboards because the ground was too frozen to dig. Stories abound, from ghost sightings in the hallways to faucets turning on by themselves.

Photo courtesy of The Stanley Hotel

No. 2: The Stanley Hotel - Estes Park, Colorado

This dramatic, massive white hotel seems to rise out of the Colorado mountains in the otherwise quaint and old-fashioned tourist town of Estes Park. The Stanley Hotel’s haunted history stretches far back, but it became famous in the ‘70s after author Stephen King visited. He set the scene for his best-selling book (and the subsequent movie), “The Shining,” at the Stanley. Today, guests visit the hotel to see the long, spooky hallways and listen to “Redrum.” 

Photo courtesy of ©Amityphotos.com

No. 1: Fainting Goat Island Inn - Nichols, New York

Guests of this former railroad hotel built in the late 1800s have reported numerous ghostly encounters, like being woken in the night by voices or seeing two women sitting for tea in the Fainting Room. Others report hearing footsteps on a staircase that doesn’t exist or finding a child-sized chair next to the bed in the Nubian Room.