The Equinox
1. The Equinox — Manchester Village, VT
This 200-year-old sprawling resort housed a large number of American Revolutionaries, and later in 1864 served as a summer getaway for First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her two sons. They loved it so much they intended to bring Abe with them the next summer. The president was assassinated the following spring, never making it to the resort. It’s said that lingering ghostly visions of Mary Todd and one of her sons have been seen in the halls of the Equinox. FLOTUS GHOSTUS!
Myrtles Plantation
2. Myrtles Plantations – St. Francisville, Louisiana
Nothing says haunted like an old plantation. You know the kind—surrounded by live oaks draped in pale green moss cloaks, angelic stone statues on the lawn, and ghosts roaming the halls. It’s said that Myrtles is home to 12 ghosts. Among them, an attorney named William Winter. He lived at the plantation until 1871 when a stranger shot him and he died on the seventeenth step of the stairs. Since then guests and employees say they still hear his dying footsteps.
3. Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado
This hotel is creepy enough to famously spook and inspire Stephen King. This mountainside estate gave King the idea for “The Shining.” Don’t worry, though, no elevators full of blood here. It’s home to many spirits—mostly harmless though certainly not passive. Guests’ things are moved from place to place, lights turn on and off inexplicably, children’s footsteps are heard running up and down the fourth floor hall. The creepiest part? Some guests report being tucked in at night,as that was the duty for the nannies to perform for the young children. Sleep tight!
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
4. Hotel Roosevelt – Los Angeles, California
Show biz makes dozens of hokey horror movies a year, but they have a real haunting right on Hollywood Boulevard. Their most red carpet-worthy ghost? Marilyn Monroe. She lived in the hotel when her modeling career took off. Guests have seen a reflection of a blonde woman in a full-length mirror near the elevators. The very same mirror that once hung in Suite 1200, i.e., Marilyn’s old room.
Crescent Hotel
5. Crescent Hotel – Eureka Springs, Arkansas
This place was once a hospital, which is code for HAUNTED. Built in 1886, this building has been through an extensive history of ownerships and uses, so these ghosts are diverse! They’ve got a young college woman who took her life jumping off the roof, a nurse, an Irish stonemason, and a bearded Victorian gentleman who wears a top hat. Take your pick.
