From haunted towns to ghostly hotels, there is an abundance of scary places to visit. Whether it be for adrenaline rushes, intriguing backstories or bonding purposes – grab an EMF meter and sack of salt, and explore these haunted locales together!
These creepy locations will surely send chills down your spine, from the home of a Civil War surgeon to a luxurious cocktail bar with an unsettling regular.
1. Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is one of the world’s most well-known haunted locations, having once served as an oppressive prison housing some of America’s most violent criminals. Park Service staff members have reported mysterious activity such as crashing sounds, running footsteps, rattling chains, unearthly screams and cell doors opening and closing themselves without explanation on Alcatraz.
There have also been reports of haunted sightings on the island, particularly near areas associated with its most tragic events. One psychic investigator who visited felt an unusual sense of anger when entering Block C utility corridor where three men had been fatally shot.
Erision Island offers many eerie spots, such as Cell 14-D. Here, visitors may have reported feeling strange after spending 17 years incarcerated there – likely the prison’s dark history being responsible.
2. Toyama Park
Japan is widely revered for its tranquillity, famous for its cherry blossoms, shopping districts, traditional culture and inexpensive electronics; however, Japan also hosts many places which will send chills down your spine – beware!
Toyama Park in Tokyo’s center is an idyllic green space filled with cherry trees and an undulating hill, but by nightfall this expansive space transforms into an eerie haven.
Area was once home to medical facilities of Imperial Army’s Unit 731, which conducted cruel experiments on Chinese prisoners of war. Many have reported hearing disembodied voices and seeing glowing fireballs (hitodama). Ghosts from this horrific experimentation are said to haunt both Mount Hakone and nearby parks where these experiments took place, where many have also reported seeing glowing fireballs (hitodama).
Kanoto Rock Tunnel has long been reported as being an active hot spot for paranormal activity. Here, people hear women screaming and the head of an angry samurai rebel remains attached despite decay.
3. Letchworth Village
Letchworth Village was heralded as an encouraging step away from the cramped almshouses and cold institutionalism of previous centuries. Spread across 2,300 acres, the facility offered housing, bakery goods, shops, as well as an agricultural project where those able to work could help cultivate and harvest food for the community.
But the supposedly humanistic care soon turned sour; overcrowding and lack of funding undermined facilities to the point that unethical medical experiments took place without ethics being considered or consent. Patients were subjected to electroconvulsive therapy, lobotomies and even live virus polio vaccine experiments on children – treatments which many found uncomfortable or upsetting.
Today, the buildings at this former mental institution have become a ghost town of vine-covered ruins and vacant lots, open only for visitors who do not enter any structures; local police patrol the property regularly to deter trespassers. A forlorn paupers’ cemetery tucked into a wooded hollow is home to over 800 former patients of this institution.
4. Fort Delaware
Pea Patch Island on the Delaware River was chosen as its location was strategic in protecting Wilmington and Philadelphia dockyards from attack by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, an architect who spent time on George Washington’s staff before going on to shape Washington, DC’s layout. L’Enfant designed it, which continued serving its purpose into the mid-1800s.
During the Civil War, it served as a detention camp for Confederate prisoners from Stonewall Jackson’s army, with wooden barracks being constructed quickly leading to a bustling camp.
Today, Fort Sumter serves as a living history museum where visitors can re-live the summer of 1864 through hands-on historical experiences like helping a blacksmith forge new parts for cannons or working alongside a laundress. There is also an heronry where visitors can see herons, egrets and other birds in their natural environment – plus you may get lucky enough to fire one of the fort’s 8-inch Columbiad guns without missing its live gunpowder charge!
