You don’t have to go far to find something spooky at this time of year. In fact, some of these places, which are deemed ‘haunted’, are open for tours year-round. Visit websites or the community’s tourism bureaus for more information.
1. Rohs Opera House in Cynthiana
Ghostly apparitions reportedly grace the stage, and phantom voices echo through empty halls of this theatre which was built in 1871. Tours available.
Known as the most haunted nightclub in the country, the location was a slaughterhouse and meatpacking business in the 1890s. The spooky vibe continues as it is also close to the location where a headless corpse was found in 1896. The building also has ties to the mafia and a murder-suicide. Tours available.
3. The Octagon Hall in Franklin
The unusually shaped building is worth a visit on its own, but it has been the site of some family tragedies and has ties to the Civil War. Reports include ghostly sightings, mysterious footsteps, and doors that open and close on their own. Tours available.
4. The Paramount Arts Center in Ashland
Built in 1931, this grand theater has been associated with paranormal stories and ghostly encounters. Witnesses have reported unexplained sounds, shadowy figures, and eerie sensations within the historic venue.
Originally built as the Nelson County Jail, one building was constructed in 1819 and the other in 1874, and both were still in use as a jail until 1987! Guests and staff have reported strange sounds and disembodied voices perhaps belonging to former inmates.
Populated with one of the largest collections of Victorian-style homes in the United States, the area is also full of tales of ghosts and spirits. Although most are private residences, walking tours of the neighborhood are available.
7. Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site
Approximately 7,600 people were killed or wounded in Kentucky’s largest Civil War battle, which took place on October 8, 1862. Mysterious sightings and eerie sensations are quite common. Tours available.
8. Van Meter Hall on the campus of Western Kentucky University
Shadowy figures moving through the hallways late at night and ghostly figures on and around its large stage are common. They are tied to reports of a student falling through the skylight onto the stage in 1918 as he was trying to catch a glimpse of the first airplane to land in Warren County from the building’s roof. Campus tours are available.
9. Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville
Dating back to 1910 when Jefferson County was severely stricken with an outbreak of tuberculosis, known as the "White Plague", they opened the hospital to stop the spread of the disease. The hospital closed in 1961, due to the success of antibiotic drug streptomycin in lowering the needs for such a facility. Today visitors often report hearing the voices of children playing, doors slamming, footsteps, and the smell of freshly baked bread. Tours available.
The home, which was completed in 1804, was the home of Senator John Brown. In 1817, Margaretta Varick, the aunt of Margaretta Mason Brown, the wife of John Brown was visiting from New York and became violently ill and died. It is said that she makes appearances and is now known as The Gray Lady Ghost. Tours available.
11. The Talbott Tavern in Bardstown
Built in 1779, the famed bar, restaurant, and stagecoach stop was frequented by many Kentuckians, including Abraham Lincoln and Jesse James. Visitors report seeing apparitions from different historical periods.
12. White Hall State Shrine in Richmond
Once the home of Cassius Marcellus Clay, a prominent political figure and abolitionist. Built in 1799, by Cassius’ father, at a time when the property housed slaves. There have been reports of paranormal activity.
13. Old Stone Jail in Franklin
Built in 1835, it is currently the home of Simpson County Archives and Museum. The stone walls resemble a medieval fortress with very thin lancet windows that deterred escapes. The building is even scary on the outside.
With eons of history underground, there are sure to be stories of births, deaths, and ghosts. Starting with Native Americans, followed by poor Floyd Collins, and its use as a tuberculosis hospital, the longest cave in the world has seen its share of tragedy.
The home was built in 1824 by Abner Gaines, a prominent citizen of the time. It served as a stagecoach stop and inn along Old Lexington Pike. Gaines was the owner of enslaved woman Margaret Garner, whose tragic story was the subject of the book Beloved. Tours available.
16-17. Although every cemetery seems to have tales of hauntings, Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville and Lexington Cemetery both date back to the mid-1800s and are the final resting places for Civil War soldiers, as well as prominent Kentuckians.
18. Camp Nelson in Jessamine County
This miliary base was established in 1863 by the Union Army during the Civil War. It became a recruitment center for former enslaved men to join the army and a refugee camp for their families to go to after being freed.
19. Mills Springs Battlefield and Cemetery in Nancy
The site of the Civil War Battle of Mill Springs which took place in January 1862. The numbers are unclear but estimated around 200 to 300 Union soldiers and approximately 500 to 600 Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, or captured.
The following are not open to the public but are still reported to be haunted!
20. The Anderson Hotel at 116 South Main Street in Lawrenceburg dates back to the early 1800s. Due to its central location, it probably hosted visitors with ties to the bourbon industry.
21. Bethlehem Academy in Hardin County was built as a boarding school for girls in 1818. It was run by an order of nuns and closed in 1959. Over the years visitors have reported hearing children crying, items being moved or apparitions of the sisters themselves.
22. The Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville, built in 1886 is the oldest prison in the state. It is not open to the public, as it is still a working prison. But if the walls could talk, they would surely have some spooky tales to tell.
23. Camp Zachary Taylor was a military training camp during World War I. It was located near the current-day intersection of Poplar Level Road and Indian Trail. Although it no longer exists as a camp, stories of sightings of soldiers in the area continue to evolve.
24. Riverside Drive and the surrounding areas along the Ohio River in Covington. The streets lined with gorgeous antebellum mansions are full of stories of ghosts and spirits along with sightings of a woman who strolls on the second-floor widow’s walk, waiting for her spouse to return in a riverboat.
25. McReynolds Hall on the campus of Centre College in Danville. McReynolds Hall was constructed in 1872 and initially served as a men's dormitory. Tales of hauntings have been passed down for generations.