Most Haunted Places in Virginia Guide
- The Boxwood Inn (Newport News VA)
- Glencoe Inn (Portsmouth VA)
- The Natural Bridge Hotel (Natural Bridge VA)
- First Landing State Park (Virginia Beach VA)
- Old House Woods (Diggs VA)
- Ferry Plantation House (Virginia Beach VA)
- George Wythe House (Williamsburg VA)
- Ball’s Bluff Battlefield (Leesburg VA)
- Cold Harbor Battlefield (Mechanicsville VA)
- Clifton Haunted Trail (Clifton VA)
1. The Boxwood Inn
Staying at this stunningly luxurious bed and breakfast in Newport News VA will transport you back to the late 1800s, when this classic southern mansion was built.
Simon Curtis and his wife Nannie were the first owners of this house, but Nannie is said to be the benevolent specter at the center of our story.
This haunted house in Virginia was on the brink of demolition before the Lucas family bought it in 1995.
During its restoration, Mrs. Lucas broke a nail and exclaimed that she needed an emery board. When she turned around, there was a nail file right there ready for her to use.
To test her luck, she exclaimed that she needed $100. Almost immediately she felt as if she’d stepped on something, and found a gold tooth stuck to her shoe. When she took it to a local pawn shop, she was given $100 dollars for it.
These kind acts were thought to be Nannie’s way of thanking the new owners for rescuing the haunted house. But Nannie is reportedly not the only spirit hanging around the place!
The subject of several reported hauntings in Virginia, the home has created claims of new batteries draining too fast, doors being knocked on in the mornings, and an elderly gentleman with a cane wandering the halls.
READ MORE: 10 Best Virginia Mountain Towns to Visit
2. Glencoe Inn
If you visit Portsmouth VA, you can stay the night at this delightful Victorian-era B&B/Inn, which was built in 1890 and overlooks the Elizabeth River.
The Glencoe Inn has a beautiful rose garden that is allegedly still tended by the spirit of an elderly lady.
It has been said that when this lady enters the house, she brings with her an overwhelming scent of roses that fills the main hall.
This has reportedly happened even in the depths of winter, when the scent of rose is very much out of season!
Recent guests of the Inn have also reported seeing the apparitions of other Virginia ghosts around the hotel.
READ MORE: 10 Great Romantic Getaways in Virginia for Couples
3. The Natural Bridge Hotel
Located about 14 miles south of Lexington VA, the Natural Bridge is a 215-foot tall stone bridge in a picturesque limestone gorge that was carved out over countless centuries by Cedar Creek.
Now protected as Natural Bridge State Park, the 157-acre parcel of land was originally purchased by Thomas Jefferson in 1774. The bridge itself is said to have a “GW” carved into its base by George Washington.
Jefferson built a 2-room log cabin to be used as his personal getaway, and in 1833 the subsequent owner built the Forest Inn to keep up with the area’s growing demand for lodging.
By the 1880s there was a resort on the property, which was eventually expanded into what is now the Natural Bridge Hotel.
But local legends suggest the previous hotel owner went insane and murdered his wife and children there. Ever since then, visitors have reported seeing apparitions of the man and his family wandering the hotel’s halls.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Lexington VA & Natural Bridge VA
Haunted Forests in Virginia
4. First Landing State Park
Located in Virginia Beach, First Landing State Park is the site where the first English colonists arrived in the New World in 1607.
It’s hardly surprising that this is the most visited Virginia State Park, with its 20 miles of hiking trails and 1.5 miles of Chesapeake Bay beachfront.
The park also has its fair share of scary folklore, and some locals claim its maritime forest is one of the most haunted places in Virginia Beach.
Famous pirate Blackbeard and his shipmates are said to have hidden out here, burying their treasure along the beach before fleeing into the state of North Carolina.
But their treasure has never been unearthed, and some say that Blackbeard’s spirit (which sometimes appears headless) now roams the park, guarding his hidden treasure.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Things to Do in Staunton VA
5. Old House Woods
Deemed by no less an authority than the Virginia Department of Forestry to be one of the most haunted places in VA, Old House Woods is steeped in spooky stories and terrifying legends.
The forest along the Chesapeake Bay is dense, with barely a peek of the sky visible from deep within it. It is said that these haunting woods have seen their share of robberies and murders through the centuries.
It’s called Old House Woods because there was an old house right at the heart of the forest back in the late 1700s.
After being abandoned, the house allegedly caught fire spontaneously, then extinguished itself just as quickly. Years later, the house finally burned to the ground, leaving behind its ghostly inhabitants.
Visitors to the area have claimed to see everything from British Revolutionary War soldiers mining for gold and ghost ships floating in the distance to a headless cow!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Caves and Caverns in Virginia
Haunted Houses in Virginia
6. Ferry Plantation House
In 1642, the Ferry Plantation was named for the Ferry Boat Service that ran across the Lynnhaven River. The house that stands there now was built in 1828 by George and Elizabeth MacIntosh, using bricks from the original manor house.
It stands on land that was cleared by indigenous people back in the 1500s. Since then, the property has seen a tumultuous history that included witch trials, the enslavement of African people, shipwrecks, and other tragedies.
So it’s hardly surprising to learn that this is thought to be one of VA’s most haunted sites, with a reported ghost count that currently stands at 11.
There’s Sally Rebecca Walke, an enslaved African woman, who lost her fiancé to war. She planted a magnolia tree in his memory and is still reportedly seen wandering the gardens in mourning.
Then there’s ghost of Henry, an enslaved man, whose spirit has been seen coming up from the house’s basement and kneeling on the kitchen floor as if he was doing some kind of chore.
Other reported hauntings include the ghosts of shipwrecked souls, an artist painting at the top of the stairs, and the spirits of many children who lost their lives too early.
The Ferry Plantation House offers one of the best haunted tours in Virginia, and spooky sleepovers are also available!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Virginia Wineries to Visit for Wine Tastings & Tours
7. George Wythe House
If you ever find yourself in Colonial Williamsburg, don’t miss a chance to visit the George Wythe House.
Built in the 1750s, this National Historic Landmark was the home of George Wythe, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
On guided tours of this haunted Williamsburg VA building, visitors can get a sense of what 18th century life in America was like for both free and enslaved people. Those hoping for a more paranormal experience won’t be disappointed, either.
George Wythe was murdered with arsenic at the age of 79 by his scheming grand-nephew, George Sweeney, and some visitors say that he still haunts the building.
Others are more convinced by the apparition of Lady Ann Skipwith. She fled for the Wythe House one night after having a row with her husband, but she broke and lost her shoe along the way.
When she got to the house, she fell on the steps, and is said to have died there from her injuries. She has since been seen admiring herself in a mirror and searching for lost shoe.
There are plenty of other ghoulish Williamsburg stories to keep ghost-hunters busy and spookily satisfied!
READ MORE: The 10 Best National Parks in Virginia
Haunted Battlefields in Virginia
8. Ball’s Bluff Battlefield
On October 20, 1861, a Civil War battle at Ball’s Bluff ended in a lopsided victory for the Confederate Army.
There were over 1,000 Union casualties to just 155 Confederate ones.
Although there is plenty here to occupy history lovers and those seeking hiking trails or a great spot for camping, there’s also rumored to be plenty of supernatural activity to watch and listen out for
There are 54 soldiers buried at the National Cemetery, and not all of them are believed to be resting in peace.
Visitors have reported startling sights of uniformed Civil War specters wandering the park at night.
So unless ghastly ghosts are your idea of a good time, you might want to rethink that Ball’s Bluff camping experience!
READ MORE: The 10 Best Campgrounds in Virginia
9. Cold Harbor Battlefield
The Battle of Cold Harbor (which lasted from May 31 to June 12, 1864) saw another win for the Confederates, with over 12,000 Union casualties and around 4,000 Confederate casualties.
If you’re searching for haunted places in Richmond VA, the Cold Harbor Battlefield should be #1 on your itinerary, but keep in mind that the park closes as darkness falls.
This park encompasses 50 acres that include a network of hiking trails, Civil War trenches, rifle pits, and a National Cemetery.
Cold Harbor Battlefield is widely considered one of the most haunted battlefields in the country. Of all the haunted attractions in Virginia, this has to be one of the most creepy sites.
It is said that a mysterious fog encircles the Civil War battlefield, often rising and dissipating just as quickly.
The ghost of a little girl supposedly haunts the cemetery and Garthright House, which is right across the road.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Civil War Battlefields in Virginia to Visit
Haunted Trails in Virginia
10. Clifton Haunted Trail
Located 10 miles east of Manassas, Clifton VA is a Civil War-era Virginia town that saw many bloody battles.
A number of the small town’s buildings and residences are said to be haunted, but the weirdest thing to come out of Clifton is the legend of “The Bunny Man.”
This creepy figure is said to haunt a Virginia bridge called the Colchester Overpass, which was used by the Southern Railway.
There are myriad versions of the story, with variations on the Bunny Man’s name, motives, weapons, victims, etc. But he’s generally believed to be responsible for the deaths of two children, as well as the mutilations of a number of animals.
Two reports about the Bunny Man were made to Fairfax County Police in 1970, but both investigations were eventually closed for lack of evidence.
Today, the Clifton Haunted Trail is visited by thousands of people every Halloween, and the Bunny Man (or at least someone who looks like him) is virtually guaranteed to make an appearance. -by Emma Gallagher
