The Most Popular Haunted Locations in the U.S. for a Spooky Roadtrip

Visit if you dare.

If Halloween is your favorite holiday, telling ghost stories is your favorite pasttime, and horror is your favorite movie genre, then it's safe to assume that visiting haunted spots is your favorite kind of sight seeing. And you're in luck, because the U.S. is filled with historic spots that are rumored to be busy with paranormal activity—from the classic culprits, like old hotels, to the unexpected, like mysterious underwater caves. For ideas on where to take a spooky roadtrip to this month, Camping World, an RV and camping equipment supplier, analyzed Google searches to identify the top 20 most searched-for haunted places in the U.S. The list includes locations from California to New York, and lots of eerie places in between.

Top 20 Most Searched-For Haunted Places in the U.S.

• Winchester Mystery House, California (74,000 monthly and 888,000 yearly searches)

• Eastern State Penitentiary Philadelphia (60,500 monthly and 726,000 yearly searches)

• Main Street, Missouri (60,500 monthly and 726,000 yearly searches)

• Jacob’s Well, Texas (49,500 monthly and 594,000 yearly searches)

• The Stanley Hotel, Colorado (49,500 monthly and 594,000 yearly searches)

• White Horse Tavern, Rhode Island (22,200 monthly and 266,400 yearly searches)

• Masonic Temple Detroit, Michigan (22,200 monthly and 266,400 yearly searches)

• Waipi'o Valley, Hawaii (18,100 monthly and 217,200 yearly searches)

• St. Roch Chapel, Yellow Fever Shrine, Louisiana (18,100 monthly and 217,200 yearly searches)

• Myrtles Plantation, Louisiana (18,100 monthly and 217,200 yearly searches)

• Omni Mount Washington Resort, New Hampshire (14,800 monthly and 177,600 yearly searches)

• The Biltmore Estate, North Carolina (14,800 monthly and 177,600 yearly searches)

• Gettysburg Battlefield, Pennsylvania (14,800 monthly and 177,600 yearly searches)

• Mount Hope Cemetery, Maine (12,100 monthly and 145,200 yearly searches)

• Ohio State Reformatory, Ohio (12,100 monthly and 145,200 yearly searches)

• The Clown Motel, Nevada (12,100 monthly and 145,200 yearly searches)

• United States Military Academy, New York (12,100 monthly and 145,200 yearly searches)

• Jerome Grand Hotel, Arizona (9,900 monthly and 118,800 yearly searches)

• Oakland Cemetery, Georgia (9,900 monthly and 118,800 yearly searches)

• Villisca Axe Murder House, Iowa (9,900 monthly and 118,800 yearly searches)

Keep reading to learn more about some of the spookiest places on the list.

Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, Calif.

Built in 1884, The Winchester Mystery House is a mansion in San Jose, California with a bizarre history. The house belonged to Sarah Lockwood Pardee Winchester, who moved into it after her daughter and husband tragically died a few years apart. After moving in, the wealthy widow began non-stop renovations that lasted for 38 years and ended only when she died. The Victorian-style house spans 24,000 square feet, features 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, 47 stairways (some of which lead nowhere) and 160 rooms—and it's a mystery what compelled Winchester to construct the home.

Eastern State Penitentiary, Philadelphia

This historic penitentiary, in Philadelphia once held nearly 85,000 people, including some famous criminal figures, like Al Capone. The site is considered to be one of the most haunted places in the U.S. and reports of paranormal activity from visitors, staff, guards, and inmates alike go back to the 1940s. The former prison, which closed in 1971, now hosts immersive Halloween nights from September through November, which includes tours, haunted houses, live performances, and more.

Main Street, St. Charles, Mo.

A little different from the rest of the list, this haunted location isn't one destination, but an entire street—and an unsuspecting one at that. In the daytime, the street offers small-town old-timey charm, but legend has it that this area is home to lots of strange paranormal activity—there's a college, high school, and forest all said to be haunted. You can take a ghost tour of the town year-round, but even if you don't visit for the thrills, there's lots to learn about and explore in this historic city on the Missouri River.

Jacob’s Well, Cypress Creek, Texas

Whether it's haunted or just plain dangerous, this place definitely has a reputation. Jacob's Well is the second-largest fully submerged cave in Texas. The karstic spring is a popular swimming hole (though recent summers have caused the well to run dry) and, for some brave people, a place to dive and explore what lies beneath. The cave has been the site of numerous drownings and some believe the ghosts from those fatalities haunt the spot.

The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colo.

You probably recognize this one. Nestled in the Rocky Mountains in Estes Park, Colo., the famous Stanley Hotel is striking in appearance—and it will forever be known as the location (and inspiration for)The Shining. Reports of paranormal activity go back as early as 1911, decades before Stephen King's pivotal visit in 1974. The hotel offers a nighttime ghost tour of the property so you can immerse yourself in the movie experience—or you can book one of the 140 rooms for a stay if you're feeling even more brave.

For more Real Simple news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Real Simple.