I love a good ghost story, and I’m one of those people who regularly watch movies and TV shows related to paranormal investigation. I love all things scary, and in spite of today being Halloween, I wanted to share with you my personal 4 favorite Haunted US cities:
1. St. Augustine, Florida
The Haunted Lighthouse in St. Augustine
It’s no surprise that I absolutely love this Northeast Florida city. I’ve had the opportunity to write about some of my favorite things to eat, drink, and do in St. Augustine and I made sure to include it in my list of Can’t Miss Beaches in Florida.
St Augustine is much more than a pretty beach city, it’s the oldest city in the United States. It’s age makes it a city of tons of history and stories. This rich history has led to the development of many ghost stories in the area which tend to revolve around the cemeteries, the light house, the old pharmacy, and many other locations in the downtown area.
I’ve had the experience to go on several types of ghost tours in this area from the fun ones focused on sharing stories, to the more “serious” ones where you have the ability to use ghost hunting equipment. On these tours you can hear the sad stories of the untimely death of those who used to live there, and then as well as the stories of ruthless conquistadors, pirates, and inmates.
The spooky side of this city makes it one of my favorite places to visit.
2. San Antonio, Texas
The Alamo
I had the opportunity to travel to San Antonio Texas around Halloween a few years back with my mother. We loved the city, the history of it, and the spooky stories we were able to hear. There’s a lot of death throughout the history of the city, which makes for some great ghost stories.
It’s also a beautiful city with a rich culture to share. Being around Halloween, we were able to experience part of their celebration for the Day of The Dead, which is a celebration to remember those who have passed.
One of my favorite parts from visiting San Antonio was taking a boat tour. We did this on Halloween, and our tour was led by a man dressed as a Ghost Buster.
3. Savannah, Georgia
“River St in Savannah, Georgia” by Daniel Mayer.
Savannah is another really cool city I’ve visited with my mother to check out the spooky side of. It’s the oldest city in Georgia and has a relatively gruesome history. The city was a hot spot during the civil war, and even cemeteries were destroyed to “house” soldiers.
For example Colonial Cemetery in Savannah was completely destroyed by Sherman’s army during the civil war. They camped in the cemetery, vandalizing grave stones and even sleeping in some of the graves to keep warm. This place gave me such a spooky feeling because of the many unmarked graves throughout the cemetery.
There are all kinds of houses, museums, and restaurants you can visit in Savannah that can share some type of haunted history with you.
4. Key West, Flordia
The famous Key West Sunset from Sunset Pier – Key West
Key West, Florida, is another one of my Can’t Miss Beaches that has some pretty cool haunts. While I must admit, I enjoy Key West for other reasons, it does have some cool stories. One in particular regarding Robert the Doll.
“Robert The Doll” by Cayobo from Key West, The Conch Republic.
This is Robert the Doll, and he can be found in the East Martello Museum (at the fort near the airport). This doll has a reputation of cursing and even torturing some people. He was known to taunt and harass all of his previous owners, but now as a piece of a museum, he continues to cause unusual occurrences.
It’s said that if you visit Robert you must always be polite and respectful, and if you want to take a picture you must physically ask him or he will potentially curse you. Many people who mock Robert have very “unlucky” things happen to them very shortly after doing so. However if you do remain polite and respectful, he might help you with problems as well.
My mom’s husband has a friend with an interesting personal story about Robert. She had been out with friends at the bars on Duval Street, and somewhere during the night she had lost her purse. When she realized it was missing, she had narrowed it down to the bar it was most likely at and got back in contact with them. The man working at the bar, being the only person there, had searched the entire place and found no sign of her purse. He told her to call back again later to see if it had turned up. On a desperate attempt, she went to Robert. She left Robert a letter asking him to help her, because she had money and other important belongings in her purse. When she had returned to where she was staying, she received a call from the man at the bar. That morning, he explained to her that he was the only person in the bar, and there was no sign of her purse. He had walked into another room for a couple minutes, and when he returned her purse was sitting on the middle of the bar, and nothing was missing from it.
Needless to say, after this experience, she is a very firm believer in Robert.
These are just 4 of my favorite spooky cities in the United States. What is your favorite haunted city? Please scroll down and leave your answers below in the comments!
This post was written by Lauren Youngerman, a student at the University of South Florida studying international business with a focus on Spanish and Info Systems.
She is a member of her school’s sailing team, and also works as a sailing coach at a nearby club.
Lauren is an adventure seeker who has had the opportunity to live abroad in both Brazil and Nicaragua, as well as to being a part of the U.S. Army.
Currently completing a social media internship for VentureTime Travel, Lauren seeks a career in marketing after graduation. Learn more about Lauren’s work experience via her LinkedIn profile.
Learn more from Lauren’s travel experiences and insights by checking out her other posts:
- How to Pack Three Months of Your Life Into One Suitcase
- “As a child, my parents didn’t buy me “˜things,’ but spent on experiences, such as travel, that allowed me to grow as a person.” A Travel Chat with an International Business Student
- 13 Favorite Things to Eat, Drink, and Do in St. Augustine, Florida
- 6 Tips for Your First-time Hostel Stay
- The Search For the Best Cuban in Tampa
- 6 “Can’t Miss” Beaches in Florida
- 10 Fun Facts About Tampa, Florida
- 8 Things I Learned From Traveling Solo
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