The Best Haunted Bed and Breakfasts in the States

Are you aware of the many haunted places in the US? A place where, at night, when the lights are dimmed, strange sounds, noises, aromas, and shadowy figures are often felt or seen in a number of these historic buildings. Even in the daytime, items seem to move of their own free will sometimes. Are we talking about a haunted house? The answer is yes! But not just any ordinary house, for these stories, come from the annals of the US B&B. If you are curious about exploring some haunted bed and breakfasts, look no further!

We’ll pique your interest with a Savannah haunted bed and breakfast all the way to a haunted Hawaii resort!

haunted bed and breakfasts in straight shot

What’s So Enticing About Haunted Bed and Breakfasts?

Maybe it’s the mystery. Maybe it’s the risk. Or maybe it’s the Russian roulette fascination so many have. Whatever it is, people love to tease fate with a close-up exploration of all things haunted! And then there are others, more like myself, who prefer to stay away!

Every bed and breakfast holds strange stories from the past. However, with some, the story remains unfinished for those who were involved. In these cases, restless for closure, the ghosts of people come back to haunt these establishments looking for an ending for their unfinished tales.

The U.S. has a wealth of haunted bed and breakfast locations, far too many to do justice to in one article. Therefore, using the word GHOST as our guide, let us take a brief look at five establishments and try to determine what is in the mind of their non-paying guests.

G is for Georgia (17 Hundred 90 Inn)

Hidden deep within the historical quarter of Savannah, Georgia, obscured amongst the old oak trees, lays the beautiful yet supposedly haunted 17 Hundred 90 Inn, steeped in history, yet providing a peaceful and tranquil resting place for the weary traveler. Yet for one visitor it also hides a memory of a love affair that she wishes to revisit.

In the opening years of the 1800s, Anna Powers visited the Inn and it was here that she found true love. Unfortunately, for Anna, her lover was a married seaman, who had stopped off from his travels around the world. Thus, when the time came for a home to leave, Anna, knowing in her heart that this would be the last she would possibly see of her lover, fell to her death from a bedroom window as she watched his ship sail away.

It appears that they may have used room 204 for their assignments, as this is where Anna’s spirit still returns as she seeks to recover those treasured moments and waits for her lover’s return. Many guests that have graced the Inn’s rooms, with antique furniture dating from that period, recall feeling the presence of this lonesome lady. Hopefully one day the lover’s spirit will return to guide her gently to peace and away from 17 Hundred 90 Inn Room 204.

Even if you can’t make your schedule work for an overnight stay, you surely can squeeze in a dinner at the 17 Hundred 90 restaurant! Just be sure to set reservations in advance.

H is for Hawaii (Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort)

In the refurbished Hilton Hawaiian Village resort, based in Honolulu, with its classic modern decor and pristine service, you will not hear any of the employees giving public acknowledgment to the presence of the “Lady in Red,” but it is believed her soul still graces the modern corridors and rooms of the hotel.

In fact, in the late 1950’s a hotel employee was escorting the lady to her room when she vanished in front of his eyes. Local rumors are divided over the reason for this lady’s appearance, with some suggesting it is the spirit of a lady murdered in a tower room, seeking her revenge.

However, others believe it to be Madame Pele, the volcano goddess, watching over the visitors. It is said that if she is refreshed with an alcoholic spirit, the Lady in Red will ensure that no lava enters the hotel, so spare a glass before you drift into a peaceful sleep.

So you’re probably thinking that Hilton Hawaiian Village Resort is a big hotel system and not a bed and breakfast, right? Well, how else were we supposed to get the H?!

O is for Oklahoma (Stone Lion Inn)

Deep in the center of Oklahoma, in the town of Guthrie, you will find the Stone Lion Inn, popular for its murder mystery weekends. However, there are two mysteries that even the guests will not be able to solve.

The first could be the ghost of 8-year-old Augusta Houghton, a little girl who lived next door with her family, and who often used to play with the children in the building that is now the Stone Lion Inn.

Augusta died when a maid gave her the wrong medicine for whooping cough. Often guests have commented upon hearing children’s footsteps and even the owners have found toys previously locked away, strewn over the floor in the morning. Perhaps Augusta is still looking for her mother or someone to play with her again. Would it cost a warm soul to tarry a while with the little girl?

The owners also appear to have another non-paying guest, this one being a cigar smoker. For occasionally, seemingly out of nowhere, the smell of cigar smoke will drift through a room, or even the thin trace of the blue smoke will drift lazily upwards when there is no one about. One has to wonder if the two departed souls are related in some way or if, joined by loneliness, they keep each other company in their lonely night vigils.

S is for South Dakota (Bullock Hotel)

The haunting of the US B&Bs would not be complete unless there were ghosts in the Former Wild West and therefore we visit the black hills of South Dakota for our next sighting, at the Bullock Hotel in Deadwood.

Built-in 1894, this hotel, which has recently been renovated, was the home of the most fearless sheriff the town had known, Seth Bullock, a man who could outstare a python or a rouge elephant according to his grandson. Seth was a stickler for hard work, and this is what convinces many that his ghost still keeps an eye on things at the hotel. For when staff are idle strange things happen, like the moving of glasses and plates, or the whistling that warns them Seth is about.

Guests are not exempt from Seth’s attention either. Many have heard their names being called out when no one was about, or have listened to the determined footsteps as the ghostly sheriff goes about his duties from beyond the grave. However, in this case, it might just be Seth giving a sign that, while he is still around, no harm will come to the traveler in his town. Will your name be called? Only time will tell when you visit the Bullock Hotel!

T is for Texas (The Tremont House)

To finish out our list of haunted bed and breakfasts in the U.S., we end with a stop in Texas. Texas is home to many supposed haunted hotels. With one very popular haunted Texas bed and breakfast, Texas White House, recently closing, we turn our attention to another spooky accommodation.

The newly renovated Tremont House, in downtown Galveston, will bring island vibes and maybe a few chills, to boot? Located not far from the Galveston Island Pier, this historic Galveston inn will bring you a slice of history and a coastal scene all in one. The history of this inn goes all the way back to 1839 – in the very same year that the city of Galveston was officially founded! You will not stumble across many lodging locations that have been around as long as the city it is housed in. Now, that is history!

After a fire ravaged the hotel in 1865, construction brought a second Tremont House even more grand than the first in 1872. The grand rebuild brought many army generals and United States presidents to its luxurious accommodations for the time period.

But more tragedy was around the corner. In 1900, with a fierce and deadly hurricane across the Gulf of Mexico bringing destruction to much of Galveston, with an estimated 6,000-8,000 deaths. In 1828, after a long period of depression and economic struggles, the property was completely demolished. However, in 1985, the grandness of the hotel was brought to life once more with new owners and a new beginning as the third Tremont House rose from the ashes!

Throughout the years, some claim to see the Civil War ghost gracing the first floor, his loud boots pounding the floor. Others claim the antics of a young boy bring entertainment and spook to the historic Galveston hotel. Other spirits have been claimed. Are they spirits still searching for dry land during the hurricane? Or maybe they are former residents of the area pre-1832?

Only they can tell!

We now end our journey around just a few of America’s haunted bed and breakfasts. There are many others that we did not have time to discover. However, what is obvious from this small portion is that the ghosts of days gone by must find a warm welcome at these inns, which is no doubt, why they have stayed around for so long.