Best Haunted Houses in Tennessee Guide
- Dread Hollow (Chattanooga TN)
- Mysterious Mansion of Gatlinburg (Gatlinburg TN)
- Ripley’s Haunted Adventure Fright Nights (Gatlinburg TN)
- Dead Man’s Farm (Philadelphia TN)
- Historic Ramsey House (Knoxville TN)
- The Woodruff Fontaine House Museum (Memphis TN)
- Wicked Ways Haunted House (Memphis TN)
- Sam Davis House (Smyrna TN)
- Loretta Lynn Ranch (Hurricane Mills TN)
- 6 Fears Haunted Attraction (Charlotte TN)
READ MORE: The 15 Most Haunted Places in Tennessee to Visit
Haunted Houses in Chattanooga TN
1. Dread Hollow
321 Browns Ferry Rd, Chattanooga TN • 423-800-0566
Located 2.8 miles northwest of Ruby Falls and 16.4 miles northwest of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, Dread Hollow is one of the most terrifying haunted houses in Chattanooga TN.
It’s actually more than just a house: this terrifying tale takes place in a small town filled with bone-chilling buildings and characters with horrific back-stories.
Read their website’s description for the full legend of Dread Hollow, and learn about some of the creepy characters you’ll meet during your visit.
You can wander down Main Street and peek into some of the tension-filled buildings. But be sure to keep the eyes in the back of your head peeled, as you never know who or what might pounce on unsuspecting guests!
Check out the Dread Hollow Facebook page for some teasers about what’s in store for Halloween 2023 at this popular Chattanooga haunted house.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Lookout Mountain GA/TN
Haunted Houses in Gatlinburg TN
2. Mysterious Mansion of Gatlinburg
424 River Road, Gatlinburg TN • 865-436-7007
This haunted house in Gatlinburg TN is actually open and ready for visitors all year-round. But the Mysterious Mansion of Gatlinburg hauntings are really ramped up every October!
Guests of the mansion get to wander around creepy corridors, prowl through secret passageways, and wind down spiral staircases, all while wondering what is going to jump out at them next.
Take self-guided tours through this 3-story Victorian house and you’ll experience all sorts of shocking surprises the owners have crafted for your entertainment.
Just make sure you watch out (and listen) for the otherworldly spirits that are said to roam the halls of one of the best haunted houses in Tennessee.
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3. Ripley’s Haunted Adventure Fright Nights
908 Parkway, Gatlinburg TN • 865-436-5096
On weekends and select days in October, visitors can step right off the pavement in downtown Gatlinburg TN into a terrifying haunted mill.
The 25th annual Ripley’s Haunted Adventure Fright Nights show, “G & S Dead and Breakfast,” is not for the faint-hearted (and definitely not for anyone afraid of the dark).
This Gatlinburg haunted house adventure starts with wandering in the darkness in single file through the corridors, where there are terrifying twists around every corner.
Lots of special effects, animatronics, and live actors work tirelessly to ensure that you get the fright of your life in “the place where everyone is DYING to stay.”
Note that kids under the age of 6 are not allowed due to the graphic nature of the attraction, and kids under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Apple Orchards in Tennessee for Apple Picking & More
Haunted Houses in Knoxville TN
4. Dead Man’s Farm
Located just 14 miles north of the Craighead Caverns’ Lost Sea Adventure, this gruesome experience has a number of haunted attractions on offer. But a walk through Grandpa Bludgeon’s house of horror is by far the most unsettling!
Check out their website to learn more about the stomach-churning legend of murder, black magic, obscure taxidermy experiments, and torture that precedes the 30-minute tour of terror.
If you survive this tour with nerves intact, head over to the cornfield. It is said that a passing circus train derailed and spilled a clan of crazed, chainsaw-wielding clowns into the field.
Still ready for more? There’s also a dark arts-inspired scary escape room, as well as a “Dare to be Touched” and a “Buried Alive” experience.
Once you’ve had all the scares you can take, you can chill out around the bonfire and enjoy a meal from the food trucks and some family-friendly entertainment.
READ MORE: 10 Best Caverns and Underground Caves in Tennessee
5. Historic Ramsey House
The Ramsey House was built in 1797 for Francis Alexander Ramsey, one of the first people to settle in Knoxville TN. His home was considered one of the finest in Tennessee, and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Visitors can explore the period home throughout the year. But some go to this haunted house in Knoxville TN in hopes of catching a glimpse of supernatural hauntings.
Shadows have been seen and footsteps heard in the hallways. Staff members have been touched by the spirit of little Billy, while Ann, Reynolds, and Seth have all been spotted (and even been heard cursing)!
These spooky stories and sightings have been embraced by the home’s management, to the extent that they offer The Spirits Within tour during the frightful Halloween season.
On this night (oct 27, 2023), visitors can learn all about the ghosts of Ramsey House during a candlelit tour, then enjoy roasting s’mores on the bonfire.
READ MORE: 30 Fun Facts About Appalachian Scots-Irish History & Culture
Haunted Houses in Memphis TN
6. The Woodruff Fontaine House Museum
680 Adams Avenue, Memphis TN • 901-526-1469
This French-Victorian mansion was built on Millionaires’ Row in Memphis 5 years after the Civil War ended. Now owned by the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities, it’s open to the public as a museum.
The museum is staged as though it is 1878, and in the grip of the yellow fever epidemic. Guests are invited to stroll the dimly lit halls and remember those who succumbed to the deadly virus.
They offer seasonal events such as The Yellow Fever Dead, where visitors can learn about the devastating epidemic and the mass graves of its victims.
Dinner with the Departed will have visitors enjoying a 3-course meal in the Victorian mourning fashion before touring the rooms and learning about the paranormal activity that has been reported at the house.
Then there’s the Twilight Tour, where guests are invited to wander the house’s halls after dark, hearing about all the ghostly goings-on that have occurred at one of the scariest real haunted houses in Tennessee.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Bristol TN/VA
Widely regarded as one of the most disturbing haunted houses in Memphis, Tennessee, Wicked Ways Haunted House is the largest haunted attraction in Shelby County.
Visitors this Halloween will be treated to intense encounters with costumed actors, horrific scenes and themes, and truly “monstrous” photo opportunities.
Their unique attractions include a Tormented Extreme Virtual Reality Encounter, where guests will be strapped down and made to see, feel, hear, and smell things they may ultimately wish they hadn’t.
There’s also a 7-D Horror Motion Theatre and a 5-Minute Escape Room, which is set in a cabin of mystery where the door slams behind you and you’re trapped in a room with… well, we’ll never tell!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Places for White Water Rafting in Tennessee
Haunted Houses Near Nashville TN
8. Sam Davis House
1399 Sam Davis Rd, Smyrna TN • 615-459-2341
Now a museum, the Sam Davis House was built in 1810. Davis, his family, and 50+ enslaved people lived at the house until 1860.
Sam was eventually hanged by the Union Army after being accused of being a Confederate spy. Today, his house is known for its supernatural residents.
There are reports of a ghostly woman crying over Sam’s body, which was laid out in the parlor. There have also been reports of mysterious footsteps, strange electronic voices, and weird electrical glitches.
In a bid to embrace these supernatural events, the museum offers a late-night “History After Dark Tour,” which all begins with a hayride.
Once in the house, guests will tour its dimly lit corridors, learning about the various hauntings and other spooky tales.
Then you’ll be led to the family cemetery by lantern to sit by a campfire, where more spooky stories and marshmallows will be shared.
READ MORE: The Tennessee Legend of the Bell Witch Haunting
9. Loretta Lynn Ranch
8000 Highway 13 South, Hurricane Mills TN • 931-296-7700
Once the home of beloved country singer Loretta Lynn, this real-life haunted house is now open to visitors and boasts a number of museums.
Guests can tour the Coal Miner’s Daughter Museum, the Doll & Fan Museum, and the Grist Mill Museum.
The grounds themselves were the location of several significant Civil War Battles. Consequently, the graves of at least 18 Confederate soldiers have been found on the land.
There have been all sorts of unexplained phenomena reported at the house, from mysterious visions and disembodied voices to strange electrical occurrences.
Specters of Confederate soldiers have been seen in the hallways, and heartbreaking sounds of mothers grieving their lost children have been heard.
Visitors are invited to tour this haunted house in Tennessee, but are asked to stay away from the upstairs (where many sightings have occurred). Halloween Havoc is scheduled for October 25-29, 2023, so check their website for details.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Civil War Sites in Tennessee to Visit
10. 6 Fears Haunted Attractions
1265 Hales Bar Rd, Guild TN • 888-284-1722
3850 TN-49, Charlotte TN • 888-284-1722
With one location near Chattanooga TN and a new Charlotte TN location opening in 2024, the 6 Fears Haunted Attraction is home to 6 different experiences, including a creepy haunted mansion.
It’s set at the Hales Bar Marina in a 115-year-old, notoriously creepy abandoned power house, where many people have died (and which has supposedly been cursed by Chief Dragon Canoe).
Once inhabited by earthly folk, the Nevermore Mansion is now home to supernatural beings that live in the shadows, eagerly awaiting your visit.
Be prepared to be scared out of your wits by all sorts of spooky things that go bump in the night.
After this haunted house adventure, you can also visit Lui’s Butcher Shop, the Apocalypse Hotel, and the Hillbillies’ Shack, where you can witness their horrendous version of Holiday festivities. –by Emma Gallagher
