Find Spooky Places Near Your Home

By Fiona Broome

Ghosts and hauntings are popular topics today. Many people also want to know how to find places where they can encounter ghosts.

It’s best to start ghost hunting near your own home. Here are ways to find local haunts:

Search online for your city, town, state, and region, using words such as “ghosts” and “haunted.” Many websites list every location that is even rumored to be haunted. In our experience, only a small percentage of these will have ghosts. However, it’s worth checking every location if the sites are near your home.

Check recent news headlines for reports of hauntings. Some websites, including HollowHill.com, list the best regional news stories about ghosts.

Read books at the library. Most public libraries have a section about the paranormal. Also, look among books describing your local area. Libraries usually have a general section about their town or city and the region. While “ghost” books can be unreliable, they are a good place to start.

Ask people. You may be surprised by how many believe in ghosts or at least know a few places with ghost stories. Generally, college, high school, and middle school students know rumors about local haunted places.

Check back issues of local newspapers. Most newspapers feature haunted sites in their issues the week before Halloween.

Ask the police. You may be surprised that the police are often the best resource for information about hauntings. Generally, skeptics, the police know which places generate complaints about abnormal activity–noises, mysterious lights, and so on–but have no reasonable explanations.

Some of the classic clichés can help you locate haunted places. Here are “tried and true” choices for ghost hunters:

Cemeteries are usually mildly haunted. Older cemeteries–from the 19th century and earlier–are more likely to have ghosts. Explore the oldest sections of cemeteries for the best results. However, many cemeteries are closed between dusk and dawn. Be sure to observe local laws whenever you go ghost hunting.

Abandoned building sites are often haunted. People don’t usually walk away from a perfectly good house or building unless something is significantly wrong. What’s wrong is maybe a ghost.

Theaters –The kind with a stage the people have performed on–are almost always haunted. Usually, these are fun ghosts. Look for ghosts around the stage, in the audience, backstage, and just outside the doors to the seating areas.

Most colleges and some schools usually have at least one poltergeist. However, you’ll probably have to ask the students for help finding them. An EMF meter can be especially useful for locating poltergeist activity.

Avoid investigating private homes when you are new to ghost hunting. In addition to safety issues and the law, people who are troubled by ghosts–or proud of them–have expectations that you may not be able to meet.

These should be enough ideas to get you started when you are new to ghost hunting or looking for good local haunts. However, also rely on your gut instinct. It might be a good place to investigate if a location looks haunted.

Ghost hunting can be a fun hobby and even more exciting than TV shows about hauntings. Almost every community has a ghost or two. Use common sense and observe local laws, and you may return home with ghost stories to impress friends and family.

 

© Fiona Broome, February 2006. Compiled and edited by Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated March 2023.

About the Author: Fiona Broome is a third-generation psychic and professional ghost hunter. Her ghost website, http://www.HollowHill.com, is one of the web’s most popular resources for ghost enthusiasts. Ms. Broome has been featured on radio, TV shows, and in magazines, especially at Halloween. She is writing a series of travel guidebooks featuring America’s most haunted cities and towns. Article Source:  Go Articles

Also See:

“Can You See Ghosts” Test

 Ghosts Stories

Ghostly Facts

Ghostly Definitions

How to Get Rid of A Ghost

Signs of a Haunting

Types of Ghosts