Haunted or Not, These B&Bs Have a Spooky History

Ghostly Inns: Spend the night . . . if you dare!

If you've always wanted to spend some quality time with ghosts, then you may want to stay the night at one of several bed & breakfasts and inns with a history of spooky times. This year, we've dug up several inns that may give you that hair-rising-on-the-back-of-your-neck feeling.

Innkeepers aren't timid about telling ghost stories, but they also will assure you that your stay will be a pleasant one.

Whether you're a skeptic or believer, these inns offer some unique charm, with or without ghost sightings.

West U.S.

• Abigail's Elegant Victorian Mansion
  Eureka, California
  (707) 444-3144
  Innkeeper Doug Vieyra likes to refer to his inn as being "spiritually endowed," rather than haunted. The ghost of a young woman takes residence and is said to be a prankster with a taste for Louis Armstrong music.
• Madrona Manor
  Healdsburg, California
  (800) 258-4003
  Former innkeeper Carol Muir once reported that a group of guests would come back to the inn each year to touch base with a woman named Elsie and a girl in room 101.
• The Dorrington Hotel & Restaurant
  Dorrington, California
  (866) 995-5800
  The ghost of former owner Rebecca Gardener walks the hallways of this historic hotel at night.

Midwest U.S.

• Thayer's Historic Bed n' Breakfast
  Annandale, Minnesota
  The story goes that Gus and Caroline Thayer built the house in 1895 and still visit the house to this day. It has also been reported that ghost kitties have been known to roam around.
• The Mason House Inn of Bentonsport
  Bentonsport, Iowa
  (800) 592-3133
  Innkeeper Joy Hanson says that guests have reported being poked, clothes pulled on, heard knocking sounds in their rooms and have thought many times that someone was walking around mumbling in their room. Some have even taken pictures with extra people in them!

Southwest

• The Historic Taos Inn
  Taos, New Mexico
  (888) 518-8267
  At the inn's restaurant Doc Martin's pots and pans fall from the shelves, a heavy blender crashes to the floor and cans fall off the shelves after everyone has gone home. A man who cleans the kitchen at night has consistently seen a man wearing a large brown hat and faded leather suit coat staring at him as he works. It is thought that the ghost is former restaurant owner Arthur Manby. Also, guests have reported seeing the figure of a woman in the doorway of 106 and a man standing near the fireplace in 109, also thought to be Manby.

Northeast

• Cliffside Inn
  Newport, Rhode Island
  (800) 845-1811
  Our very-own Barbara Naylon, was visited by the ghost of Beatrice Turner at 2am during  her first night's stay. She says that she woke up from a dead-sleep and heard a creaking noise at her door. It proceeded to move around the room, causing her to "not move a muscle for a very long time." Barbara eventually found the courage to rise from her bed and turn on all the lights to make sure she was indeed alone. The next morning inn owner Win Baker let her know that it wasn't the first time that guests reported a ghostly presence in their room.
• 1885 Sutherland House B&B Inn
  Canandaigua, New York
  (800) 396-0375
  Some locals refer to this magnificent Victorian mansion as the "haunted house."
• Blue Max Inn
  Chesapeake City, MD
  410-885-2781
  Innkeeper Christine Mullen says that it has been reported that the Blue Max Inn is haunted. The ghost is said to be that of Dr. T.J. Conrey who had apparently committed suicide here in his office.Many guests have said that they have felt a pressence.
  innkeeper@bluemaxinn.com
  410-885-2781
  Treat yourself to affordable luxury!

South

• Myrtles Plantation
  St. Francisville, Louisiana
  (225) 635-6277
  The innkeepers claim this to be the most haunted house in America.
• Prospect Hill B&B Inn
  Mountain City, Tennessee
  (800) 339-5084
  Innkeeper Judy Hotchkiss reports that in 2002, shortly after she and her husband bought the inn,  they were waken by the sound of two pieces of wood banging together. The next day they heard crystal shatter, but didn't find anything broken. For the next year, strange things occurred like lights coming on after they had turned them off and roofers, working on the inn at the time, said that "she" unlocked their bedroom door and came in their room. From then on, they called the ghost Molly. She hasn't been around in a while, but they sure hope she visits again soon.
• The Hummingbird Inn
  Goshen, Virginia
  (800) 397-3214
  One guest has reported being tucked into her bed by someone even though she thought she was by herself. She was so intrigued that she's come to stay at the inn repeatedly, looking for the same experience.