Real Haunted Places

What Constitutes a Haunted Place?

There’s no single criteria that defines a truly haunted place. Each location must demonstrate some level of paranormal activity. Researchers look for many examples of paranormal activity before they declare a place haunted. Some examples of paranormal activity include apparitions, voices captured on electromagnetic voice phenomena (EVP) equipment, objects moving, sounds, temperature fluctuations and personal experiences.

Examples of Real Haunted Places

Hundreds of haunted locations in the United States and Europe attract tourists each year. Some places claim stories of famous people haunting the location, such as Red Lion Park in England where the ghost of Oliver Cromwell walks each night with his companions. Other locations experience activity from unknown entities.

Haunted Places in the United States

Check out this sample of haunted places in the United States. Visitors are welcome at both locations.

• Cemeteries: The top ten haunted cemeteries in the United States include those in New Orleans, a city famous for haunted places. New Orleans is built below sea level, so interring the dead underground is impractical. The residents built necropolises of astonishing grandeur and beauty. Must-visit locations in New Orleans for ghost hunters include St. Louis Cemetery Number 1 and St. Louis Cemetery Number 2, particularly the tomb of Marie Laveau, a famous voodoo practitioner. Visitors to each cemetery report groans, sighs and banging sounds from within the aboveground crypts, while those nearing Marie Laveau’s tomb snap photos of orbs, apparitions, and strange mists rising from her grave. Other haunted cemeteries in Rhode Island, Illinois, Ohio and Maryland include everything from weeping apparitions to ghostly gifts of flowers left on graves.

• Battlefields: Some investigators believe that strong emotions tie spirits to a location after death. If that’s the case, it makes sense that visitors to historic battlefields often experience paranormal activities. The most famous haunted battlefield in America is Gettysburg, the location of one of the worst battles of the American Civil War. However, other haunted battlefields can be added to the list of haunted locations. At Chickamauga Battlefield Park in Tennessee, the site of another Civil War battle, the ghost of Old Green Eyes terrifies park visitors. Legend claims that Green Eyes looks every night for his body, destroyed by cannon fire during the battle. Green Eyes appears as two glowing eyes in the night, accompanied by groaning and crying as he roams the battlefield, searching for his missing body. Charlie Fisher, a park ranger, is quoted on the Ghost Research website as saying that in the early 1970’s, two separate car accidents near the same location involved Old Green Eyes. Both drivers reported seeing Old Green Eyes and lost control of their vehicles. Other park rangers and visitors tell tales of the apparition appearing on dark nights always accompanied by cries and groans.

Haunted Places in Europe

Soak in the culture, enjoy the food and tour haunted places in Europe, a true paranormal enthusiast’s destination spot. Places to explore for paranormal activity include parks and castles.

• Red Lion Park: This location in West London includes some very famous ghosts. Oliver Cromwell, John Bradshaw and Henry Ireton all reportedly haunt the park. All three men were convicted of plotting against King Charles I, and even though they were already dead and interred at Westminster Abbey, they were found guilty by the court. As punishment, the court ordered that their remains be disinterred, drawn and quartered. They were finally reburied in the area now known as Red Lion Square. Visitors report that late at night, three figures dressed in period clothing walk around the park deep in conversation. When approached, they vanish.
• Haunted castles: The mention of haunted castles calls to mind clichéd images from Hollywood of clanking chains and rusty suits of armor, but many castles throughout Europe provide evidence of real haunted places. Ireland, England, Wales, Germany and in fact most of both Western and Eastern Europe claim haunted castles. One place in particular stands out for paranormal activity. Leap Castle, featured on an episode of Ghost Hunters, reportedly contains several entities including one called an Elemental. Read the full history of Leap Castle and other haunted castles on Haunted Britain. Since the castle is a private home, it is not open to visitors. However, documentation of Leap Castle’s ghosts abounds online and in books, and it makes a fascinating study.

View Real Haunted Places Online

If you want to explore haunted locations but are more of an armchair traveler than a globetrotter, a unique website called Haunted Cams provides real-time video of several haunted places worldwide. View live footage from Gettysburg battlefield and several other locations known for paranormal activity in England and Ireland.

Who knows, maybe you'll see a ghost.