Spookiest Haunted Road Trip Itineraries in America

The best haunted road trips in America link historic cities with long, dark pasts: Charleston to Savannah to St. Augustine, the Texas Hill Country, the Colorado Rockies and the Smoky Mountains. Each of the spooky road trip itineraries below can be done in a long weekend to a week, with haunted hotels to sleep in and real history behind every legend.

Grab a map, plan your stops and pack a flashlight. Here are five of our favorite haunted road trips.

1. The Southern Gothic coast: Charleston to Savannah to St. Augustine

Distance: about 5 hours of total driving. Time: 4 to 5 days.

Start in Charleston. The Old City Jail, built in 1802 and used as a jail until 1939, held pirates, Civil War prisoners of war and John and Lavinia Fisher, whose gang was imprisoned there in 1819 and 1820. Lavinia's legend as a murderous innkeeper has grown wildly over the years, and the jail is one of the most talked-about haunted buildings in the city. Explore more on our Charleston ghost tours.

Next, Savannah. Book a night at the Marshall House, which opened in 1851 and served as a Union hospital after General Sherman's troops occupied the city in 1864. Guests have reported children running through the halls at night and faucets turning on by themselves. Then explore our Savannah ghost tours.

Finish in St. Augustine, the oldest continuously inhabited European-founded city in the country. The St. Augustine Lighthouse was built between 1871 and 1874. During construction, two daughters of the superintendent, Hezekiah Pittee, drowned in an accident. Visitors have reported hearing girls' laughter and footsteps. Wrap it up with our St. Augustine ghost tours.

2. The Texas haunted road trip: San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth

Distance: about 5 to 6 hours of total driving. Time: 4 to 6 days.

Begin at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, which opened in 1859 right on Alamo Plaza. Teddy Roosevelt drank at its bar and recruited Rough Riders there. Local lore says the hotel hosts dozens of spirits, and some claim Roosevelt still shows up at the bar. Then join one of our San Antonio ghost tours.

Drive north to Austin and the Driskill Hotel, opened in 1886 by cattle baron Jesse Driskill, who lost the hotel shortly afterward. Folklore says he never left. Guests report the smell of cigar smoke and flickering lights, and tell of a jilted bride and a giggling child bouncing a ball. See our Austin ghost tours.

End in North Texas, where our Dallas ghost tours and Fort Worth ghost tours dig into cowtown saloons and big-city legends.

3. Colorado's haunted Rockies: Denver, Estes Park and Cripple Creek

Distance: about 6 to 7 hours of total driving. Time: 3 to 5 days.

Start in Denver, with a night at the 1892 Brown Palace or the 1891 Oxford Hotel. Both have ghost stories, from a phantom string quartet to the legend of Room 320. Our guide to haunted places to stay in Denver covers them all.

Head northwest to Estes Park and the Stanley Hotel, the hotel that inspired Stephen King's The Shining. Read the Stanley Hotel ghost stories before you check into Room 217.

Then drive south to the old gold camp of Cripple Creek, where the Hotel St. Nicholas started life in 1898 as a hospital run by the Sisters of Mercy. See our guide to haunted places to stay in Southern Colorado. Start or end the trip on one of our Denver ghost tours.

4. The Smoky Mountain fall trip: Nashville to Asheville

Distance: about 7 to 8 hours the long way. Time: 4 to 5 days.

This one is best in October. Start at Nashville's Union Station Hotel, home of the Room 711 legend, then head to Chattanooga's Read House and its haunted Room 311. Cross the Smokies by way of Elkmont, an abandoned resort town inside the national park, and end at Asheville's Grove Park Inn, home of the Pink Lady.

We mapped the whole route in our fall haunted road trip from Nashville to Asheville. Kick it off with our Nashville ghost tours, and if you want to keep going, Charlotte is about two hours from Asheville.

5. Capital ghosts: Washington, DC and Alexandria

Distance: under 30 minutes. Time: a long weekend.

Not every haunted road trip needs a lot of miles. Start with our Washington, DC ghost tours, then cross the river to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.

Alexandria's most famous mystery is the Female Stranger. In 1816, a young woman and a man presumed to be her husband arrived at Gadsby's Tavern. She died on October 14, 1816, at just 23, and was buried in St. Paul's Cemetery under a tombstone that never revealed her name. Over the years, people have reported a young woman in 19th-century clothing in the tavern. Dig deeper with our Alexandria ghost tours.

Tips for planning a haunted road trip

• Book haunted rooms early. Famous rooms like the Stanley's 217 or Union Station's 711 sell out fast, especially in October. Call hotels directly.
• Mix day and night. Visit cemeteries, lighthouses and museums in daylight, and save the ghost tours and haunted bars for after dark.
• Check hours. Historic sites often have seasonal hours or limited tours.
• Be respectful. Many haunted places are working hotels, churches and cemeteries. Follow posted rules and leave things as you found them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most haunted road trip in America?

The Southern Gothic coast, from Charleston to Savannah to St. Augustine, packs some of the country's oldest and most storied haunted places into a short drive.

When is the best time for a haunted road trip?

October is the classic choice for the atmosphere and the fall color, but haunted hotels and ghost tours run year-round. Spring and early winter are often less crowded.

Can you stay overnight in haunted hotels?

Yes. The Stanley Hotel, Union Station Hotel, Read House, Marshall House, Menger Hotel and Driskill Hotel are all working hotels with famous ghost stories.

How do I plan a haunted road trip?

Pick a region, choose two or three haunted hotels as your overnight stops, then fill in ghost tours, cemeteries and historic sites between them. Keep drive times short so you have energy for the night.

Wherever your road trip takes you, there's a good chance a ghost tour is waiting at the end of the drive. Find a Nightly Spirits tour in one of our cities, or start planning with our New Orleans ghost tours and Savannah ghost tours.