The Haunted Location You Need to Visit, Depending on Your Birth Month

Ghost towns, abandoned asylums, lighthouses, and legendary haunted hotels: whatever your morbid inclinations, there’s something to satisfy your curiosity and it might just be a short drive away.

This year, skip the obvious haunts like Salem and Gettysburg and try something a little more obscure. There are countless places in America with morbid histories that make for some truly excellent dark tourism.

What’s more, each of the following is categorized by birth month, so you can take a trip somewhere that resonates with your natural inclinations. Whether you’re planning a birthday trip in the next few weeks or scheduling ahead, this selection of hidden gems is designed specifically to capture the glory of each month of the year. 

Get a taste of America’s haunted backroads.

January: Garnet, Montana

Garnet was once a thriving mining town in the mountain range just east of Missoula. Today, it’s a village frozen in time. The gold miners who migrated to Garnet in the 1890s never intended to stay, but they nevertheless lived a lot of wild, raucous Old West life while they were there. And some might still be lingering. 

The northern winters claimed the lives of many women and children in Garnet, and today, there are rumors of female spectres and the disembodied cries of babies on the icy wind. Paranormal potential aside, this is a weird place where the wild, wintry expanse of the Montana earth is laid brutally bare. 

February: Prospect Place, Ohio

Dark romance is in vogue right now, and it’s easy to see why once you set foot in Ohio’s most iconic haunted mansion. Trinway’s Prospect Place dates to 1856 and boasts a long and well-documented Civil War history, and is remembered as one of the stations on the Underground Railroad.

Today, Prospect Place hosts regular paranormal tours and “public ghost hunts,” which encourage investigators and curious tourists alike to explore the grounds. With almost thirty rooms in the estate to make your way through, this place makes for an undeniably spirited Valentine’s Day haunt.

March: Bachelor’s Grove Cemetery, Illinois

A small and mostly abandoned pioneer burial ground in the Chicago suburb of Midlothian, this cemetery is remote enough that it feels like a secret, whether you make the trek out yourself or stumble upon it accidentally. For such a tiny place, it has an overwhelming array of paranormal history and attracts investigators eager to catch a glimpse of the commonly sighter spectres, apparitions, and glowing lights.

Thanks to its liminal location, right between the city and the forest, Bachelor’s Grove, in all its quiet green lushness, is an ideal place to visit during the early weeks of spring. As the last winter frost is melting away, the earth is coming back to life and the spiritual world is tangible. 

April: Heceta Head Lighthouse, Oregon

Lighthouses can appear simultaneously wholesome and creepy, and in the grey Pacific Northwest fog, this old bed-and-breakfast in the coastal town of Florence triggers the sense of the uncanny. Depending on who you talk to, it’s one of the most haunted lighthouses in Oregon—or the entire United States. In the rainy, misty weeks before the spring equinox, it’s easy to see why so much charmingly tragic folklore has unfolded surrounding this place.

In fact, people seem to know exactly which spirit is hanging around. According to local legend, the Heceta Head’s lighthouse keeper lost his wife, Rue, and young daughter in the 1890s. Rue was unable to cope with her grief, even in death, and she continues to haunt the premises, making herself apparent to guests by appearing on her bed or emitting a flowery perfume scent. 

May: Old Cahawba Archeological Park, Alabama

In 1819, settlers worked with the natural wilderness to construct what would become the state’s first capital. What was once a flourishing riverfront town is now a ghost town, but Old Cahawba (technically in the town of Orrville) is a modern-day archeological wonder. 

Wildflowers grow in abundance over the grounds, which still carry the echoes of the thriving, tight-knit community that once resided here. In spring, the site is bright, warm, and oddly inviting, despite its ruins. Crumbling brick buildings and cemeteries that have fallen into disrepair look almost beautiful under the bowing Spanish moss. However, local legends speak of a mysterious glowing orb that passes through the graves.  

June: St. Elmo Ghost Town, Colorado

Dizzying alpine views and bright summer sunshine make the abandoned streets look stranger, and the local lore gives this place a different edge than the traditional dusty desert ghost town. This once-thriving mining community, located southwest of Buena Vista, now stands eerily quiet, surrounded by dense woodlands and stoic mountains. 

There’s a unique atmosphere to Colorado mountain towns, and it isn’t necessarily erased just because all of the people leave. St. Elmo has an enduring beauty and a notable eccentricity which is only enhanced by the local lore about its most bizarre resident: a spirit named “Dirty Annie.” Supposedly, she is fiercely protective of the town, and will go to great lengths to ensure intruders don’t disturb the eerie calm.

July: Vulture City, Arizona

High summer demands a trip somewhere blisteringly hot and a little unhinged, and this ghost town in the Sonoran Desert certainly fits the bill. In 1863, the Gold Rush attracted many settlers to this sizzling desert town, which was once the richest in the state but now lies dormant near Cave Creek.

Whether you’re visiting all by your lonesome or taking a guided Sunday tour, you can see an array of restored stone and adobe buildings and learn the stories about the community that once struck gold near the Vulture Mine. You can take part in a variety of hands-on activities, including gold panning, heritage crafts, and historical Wild West reenactments—or stay for an overnight lockdown, in the hopes of spotting some wandering spirits.

August: Sloss Furnaces, Alabama

In the brutal Southern heat, this abandoned industrial complex looks downright unreal. Historically operating as an iron plant until the early 1970s, the blast furnace plant in Birmingham now offers museum tours to visitors interested in quirky and unconventional American blue-collar history. Admission is free, and it’s one of the only industrial sites in the U.S. that has been preserved for educational purposes and restored to its former glory.

Urban exploration aficionados really love Sloss Furnaces, for obvious reasons. Against the dramatic city backdrop and the oppressive humidity, the ironworks look like something out of science fiction. This place photographs well and sparks questions about function and form. What’s more, there are consistent reports of paranormal incidents, such as strange and unexpected sounds and surreal apparitions.

September: Hotel Monte Vista, Arizona

Nostalgic Americana is at all-time high on Route 66. This hotel opened in 1927 during the golden age of travel through the area; as its peak, it hosted classic Old Hollywood stars like John Wayne, Clark Gable, and Humphrey Bogart at its downtown Flagstaff location. Vintage suites as well as hostel-style rooms are available, so you can get whatever kind of experience you want out of your stay—and you won’t necessarily go too far out of your budget.

There’s something perennially inviting about a desert hotel with a glowing neon sign, so it’s easy to see why so many travelers make the Monte Vista their temporary home away from home. But there’s more to this place than meets the eye. In the century that has passed since its doors first opened, it’s accumulated a multitude of ghost stories, some more believable than others. There’s everything from a phantom bellboy to an unexplained infant crying.

October: Fort Mifflin, Pennsylvania

The only fort left standing in Philadelphia, this historic Revolutionary War relic provides a glimpse into the gory yet inspiring past. Thanks to its strategic location by the Delaware River, the fortress withstood a British attack in the late 1770s and, later, as a prison during the Civil War. Ten thousand cannonballs were once fired at it by the British. Still, it remains standing—and now sells candy in the gift shop.

It’s only open from March to December every year, but the height of autumn might just be the best time to visit. Not only is it a tangible testament to the enduring strength of the American people, its dark hallways, bloody history, and formidable appearance make it attractive to ghost hunters.

November: West Virginia Penitentiary, West Virginia

By the time the leaves have all fallen and the first frost has struck, this former gothic-style prison in Moundsville looks especially dark, moody, and severe. Located very close to the Pennsylvania border, the state penitentiary first opened its doors in 1876 and remained in operation until 1995. 

Now, it’s a tourist attraction, and its massive stone walls and dramatic Gothic Revival architecture make it a particularly appealing one to paranormal investigators. Halloween events are the most popular, but if you’re looking to visit during a quieter period, prepare to visit during the gloomy weeks leading up to the holidays.

December: Historic Occidental Hotel, Wyoming

Built in 1880, this legendary mainstay in Buffalo is located at the foot of the Bighorn Mountains. It originally served as a central hub during the Frontier Era and attracted a considerable number of famous outlaws, politicians, businessmen, writers, and musicians. The Old West literary movement took off in large part because intellectuals stayed in Buffalo and get swept up in the 

Today you can still catch some of that spirit, thanks to the intentionally creepy-yet-cozy décor—think elk heads mounted on the wall, blazing fireplace, and bluegrass jams every Thursday night—and litany of ghost stories. The most persistent one involves the spirit of a girl named Emily who was likely associated with the hotel’s bordello and continues to haunt a second-storey suite. The rugged aesthetic and sweeping winter landscape might just bring about some ghosts of Christmases past.