WASHINGTON, DC — If a themed haunted house feels too scripted, these real-world stays offer a different kind of chill: old hotels, long histories, and stories guests say they experienced after dark. Across the U.S., travelers have reported flickering lights, cold spots, moving objects and even figures in hallways. Whether you believe in spirits or just love a good ghost tale, these 12 hotels have built reputations that are hard to ignore.

1. La Posada Hotel in Laredo, Texas

La Posada sits along the Rio Grande in a Spanish Revival building that once served as a school and a convent for the Sisters of Divine Providence. Guests have said they saw a little girl with pigtails in the lobby and a nun moving through the property, while hotel security footage reportedly caught a dark shape floating well above the ground. Visitors also describe footsteps in an empty ballroom, moving objects and a chill that seems to appear without warning.

The ghost story does not stop at the guest rooms. The hotel also contains the Republic of the Rio Grande Museum, where a cradle is said to rock on its own and a voice box meant to explain exhibits sometimes turns on by itself. According to the hotel, paranormal investigators found significant activity there in 2010, adding another layer to an already busy reputation.

2. The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado

The Stanley is one of the country’s best-known haunted hotels because it helped inspire Stephen King’s The Shining. King stayed in room 217, had a nightmare, and later turned that experience into the novel. Set in Estes Park near Rocky Mountain National Park, the hotel also draws paranormal fans who point to the mineral belt beneath part of the property as a possible source of residual energy.

Today, the hotel leans into the legend with a reputation as a kind of “Disneyland for ghosts.” Visitors say the central staircase is a good place to spot orbs in photos, and the property has appeared on Ghost Hunters. Guests can also join a Spirited Night Tour that walks through the hotel’s folklore and the stories that keep it on so many spooky-trip lists.

3. Heceta Lighthouse in Yachats, Oregon

For travelers who want their haunting with a scenic coastline, Heceta Lighthouse offers the old lightkeeper’s quarters as an overnight stay. The red-roofed lighthouse stands above the Oregon coast, where waves crash against rocky cliffs and the setting feels dramatic even before any ghost stories enter the picture. The legends here center on Rue, the wife of 1890s keeper Frank DeRoy.

According to local lore, Rue had a daughter who died while the family lived there, and guests have reported seeing flower scents in the air without explanation. Others say they have noticed the smell of rose perfume or found fresh-looking imprints on the bed after sleeping there. The combination of ocean isolation and old lighthouse history makes it one of the state’s most memorable haunted stays.

4. The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina

The Omni Grove Park Inn has a long-running legend tied to the “Pink Lady,” a spirit said to have haunted the property for decades. The story places her in the 1920s as a guest of a guest who fell from a balcony and died on the Palm Court floor. What happened is still unclear, since accounts differ on whether she jumped, fell or was pushed.

That uncertainty is part of what keeps the tale alive. Guests and staff have reported a pink mist, along with sightings of a young woman in a pink gown with long hair. The ghost is described more as gentle than frightening, which gives this Asheville landmark a softer kind of eerie charm than some of the sharper-edged stories on the list.

5. The Washoe Club in Virginia City, Nevada

Virginia City is a preserved boom-and-bust mining town where silver and gold once brought sudden wealth to the Comstock Lode. The Washoe Club sits inside that Wild West backdrop, and its history includes fire, mining accidents, a red-light district and plenty of old drama. All of it feeds the hotel’s reputation as one of Nevada’s most active ghost destinations.

Paranormal investigators from Ghost Adventures have said they captured some of the strongest evidence they have ever found there. The club also offers daily ghost tours, and groups can reserve access to all three floors, the crypt and the spiral staircase for a more intense investigation. For travelers who like their history theatrical, the setting alone is part of the appeal.

6. Hotel Congress in Tucson, Arizona

Hotel Congress opened in 1919 and has survived a major fire as well as a colorful past that included outlaw John Dillinger as a hideout guest. That history gives the downtown Tucson property plenty of atmosphere before the ghost stories even begin. The second floor is the part most often linked to reported hauntings.

Guests in room 242 have said they woke to find a woman in a long white dress sitting at the end of the bed. Other visitors have looked toward room 214 from the plaza and claimed to see a man in a seersucker suit standing in the window, even when the room was supposedly empty. Those details have helped keep the hotel’s haunted reputation firmly in place.

7. Union Station Nashville Yards in Nashville, Tennessee

Union Station began as a train depot on the L&N Railroad and later became a restored boutique hotel known for its Romanesque architecture and stained-glass ceiling. Its most famous ghost story centers on room 711 and a spirit named Abigail. According to the legend, she came to the depot during World War II to see off her beau, then returned after learning he had been killed in battle.

The story says Abigail threw herself in front of a train, and her presence is now tied to the hotel. Guests have reported flickering lights, sudden drops in temperature and strange noises overhead. One visitor in room 711 even told staff he heard furniture moving above him, despite being on the top floor of the building.

8. Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans already has a deep haunted reputation, and Hotel Monteleone is one of the city’s best-known spooky stays. The French Quarter setting, the Carousel Bar and the city’s broader ghost-tour culture all add to the atmosphere. The hotel says one of its recurring oddities is a restaurant door that opens almost every night even though it is locked.

Another legend centers on Maurice, a friendly toddler who died of a fever-induced convulsion while in a nanny’s care. The story says his parents later sought out his spirit and that Maurice appeared to his mother near the room where he died, telling her, “Mommy, don’t cry. I’m fine.” Guests have also reported seeing the child on the hotel’s 14th floor, which is actually the 13th.

9. Malaga Inn in Mobile, Alabama

Malaga Inn started as two twin mansions that were later turned into a 39-room boutique property, and local lore says they were once gifted to sisters as a wedding present. The hotel is also said to sit atop a secret tunnel that may have been used as a Civil War hiding place for soldiers. That layered past has made it a favorite stop for hauntings enthusiasts in the South.

Guests have described a woman in white pacing on the balcony outside Room 7, chandeliers swinging and furniture shifting on its own. The inn’s reputation became even broader when it served as the setting for a reality TV drama about haunted hotels. Between its architecture and its legends, it is built for ghost-story travelers.

10. Red Coach Inn in Niagara Falls, New York

The Red Coach Inn is an English Tudor-style property overlooking Niagara’s Upper Rapids, and it fits neatly into New York State’s Haunted History Trail. Travelers interested in the trail can also explore places like Belhurst Castle in Geneva and Miles Wine Cellars in Himrod, both of which come with their own paranormal claims. The Red Coach Inn’s stories are among the trail’s more familiar ones.

Guests there have reported jewelry moving across dressers and, strangely, hearing people dancing above them while staying on the top floor. Those details make the inn feel especially active even without a long list of dramatic legends. The setting near the falls adds one more layer of atmosphere to the experience.

11. The Oxford Hotel in Denver, Colorado

The Oxford Hotel dates to 1898 and carries one of the darker stories on the list. According to the hotel’s historical account, Florence Montague shot her cheating husband in room 320 before taking her own life. Since then, some single male guests have said they felt targeted by her ghost.

Reports tied to Florence include sheets being pulled off the bed and lights and bathroom faucets switching on and off. The hotel’s Cruise Room bar has its own legend as well: a post office ghost who mutters about getting gifts to children after a mailman was caught in a snowstorm while trying to deliver Christmas presents to Central City. It is a layered set of stories for one historic property.

12. Hotel DeFuniak in Defuniak Springs, Florida

Hotel DeFuniak is the place to go if you want a haunted-room challenge, especially in Room 8. Guests have reported ghostly children, nursery rhymes and toys floating in the bathtub, all of which help the hotel stand out among Florida’s spooky stops. The town around it adds to the lore with its own reported apparitions and unexplained sounds.

Local legend says the town library is haunted by its first librarian, who still roams the stacks. Nearby at H & M Hot Dog, believed to be the oldest hot dog stand in Florida, late-night workers have heard singing and voices when no one was there, along with a back door that opens and closes on its own. It is a fitting end to a list built on restless histories.

A final check-in for brave travelers

From lighthouses and railroad stations to inns, mansions and mountain hotels, these properties show how old buildings accumulate stories as quickly as they collect guests. Some legends center on figures from the 1800s or early 1900s, while others grew from later sightings, strange noises or unexplained motion. For travelers who like history with a shiver, these 12 stays offer plenty of options.