Delightfully Spooky Wedding Venues In Every U.S. State
Beware: you may have to leave room on the guest list for some unexpected visitors!
Boo!
So, you got over your fear of commitment but you still want a little scare on your wedding day? Good news! The U.S. is positively packed with wedding venues with a little extra haunted magic. We found the best ones in every state (and D.C.), so read on, or jump right to your region:
1. Southeast Lighthouse — Block Island, Rhode Island
The basics: The stately historic site hosts ceremonies, where you can get married with a stunning view of the Atlantic Ocean. Couples can pose for photos inside the lighthouse to stand on those fateful steps and get even better vistas.
Spook factor: The entire vacation hotspot is haunted, but this 19th-century red brick lighthouse has a spooky spirit of its own. A keeper killed his wife by pushing her down the stairs inside of it in the 1900s, and she continues to harass male visitors to this day.
2. Hawthorne Hotel — Salem, Massachusetts
The basics: Located in the center of town, this hotel lets you have a classic ballroom wedding for up to 200 guests. It offers a variety of packages, including a winter special.
Spook factor: It's in the supremely haunted former witch-hunting capital of the colonies. What more could you want? If you're lucky, you'll have an extra cozy wedding night — guests staying in Room 325 have often eported feeling invisible hands all over them.
3. The Litchfield Inn — Litchfield, Connecticut
The basics: Nestled in the Connecticut countryside, this Colonial-style rustic B&B hosts full-service weddings for up to 200 guests.
Spook factor: The ghost of an elderly Native American woman often awaits visitors in their rooms. Better add another room to that hotel block!
4. Lucerne Inn — Bangor, Maine
The basics: A gorgeous, colonial-style former home with plenty of space and rooms for mid-sized weddings, it also has verdant grounds, which include a lovely, non-haunted gazebo for ceremonies.
Spook factor: An owner of the inn in the 1800s murdered his wife and her lover inside its walls. Their spirits still walk the whole interior of the inn.
5. Omni Mount Washington Resort — Bretton Woods, NH
The basics: The stunning, sprawling resort in a popular ski town can accommodate huge (300+ guest) weddings in a gorgeous mountainside location.
Spook factor: It was originally built as a home for coal millionaire Joseph Stickney in 1902, and it's haunted by his widow, Carolyn. Ghost Hunters has investigated her paranormal presence twice — room 314 was once her private apartment, and guests staying in it have seen the fireplace turn itself on and toys disappear.
6. The White House Inn — Wilmington, Vermont
The basics: Offering indoor and outdoor options for couples who want a bucolic, haunted affair, the elegant property is great for weddings for up to 300 guests.
Spook factor: Mrs. Brown, the former mistress of the house-turned-inn, loves to torment visitors by making doors slam, speaking to people, and creating creepy cold spots throughout.
7. Berkeley Springs Castle — Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
The basics: The location can't be beat: The castle is on the side of a mountain, and overlooks the mineral springs that put the town on the map. You can get married in its large ballroom (complete with an elegant staircase), take photos on an arched bridge over a waterfall, and get ready in the original owner's suite.
Spook factor: Built by Colonel Samuel Taylor Suite between 1885 and 1891, the English-style castle houses the ghosts of Suite's wife Rosa, her beau, and a seven-year-old girl.
8. Belmont Hall — Smyrna, Delaware
The basics: The grounds and the pillared portico are perfect backdrops for a mid-sized historical home wedding. Couples planning smaller weddings can get married inside the haunted home.
Spook factor: The Georgian mansion, built for the governor in 1773, owes its ghostliness to a bit of American Revolutionary history. During the war, a guard was shot there. His blood is reportedly still visible, and his spirit haunts the house to this day.
9. Kitty Knight House — Georgetown, Maryland
The basics: Located on the Sassafras River, the historic house (known for its acclaimed restaurant) accommodates full-services weddings for up to 320 guests in a tented pavilion.
Spook factor: Practically the entire staff of the inn and restaurant has had an encounter with the Kitty Knight. She convinced the British not to burn it down in 1812, and today, she's been seen walking down the stairs, turning lights on and off, and opening and closing doors.
10. The Flanders Hotel — Ocean City, New Jersey
The basics: The all-suite hotel has a large, grand ballroom decked out with chandeliers, and the in-house planners can also help coordinate a seaside ceremony. Couples say they love the food and the feel of the luxe space, built in the heyday of the Jersey Shore.
Spook factor: Ghost hunters go wild for this historic beachfront hotel. The ghost of a young woman named Emily frequents the hall of mirrors and the basement, and her mother's spirit is thought to live there, as well.
11. One If By Land, Two If By Sea — New York, New York
The basics: The world-class restaurant set in the heart of the West Village is ideal for couples who want an intimate wedding with top-notch food. The chandeliers, exposed brick walls, and signature staircase make for unforgettable photos.
Spook factor: The upscale venue was once Aaron Burr's carriage house, and even the general manager admits to having paranormal experiences within its walls. There may be up to 20 ghosts living there — including that of Burr — and they make plates fly, lights flicker, and drafts appear out of nowhere; staff have also reported feeling like they're being pushed.
12. The Pen Ryn Estate — Bensalem, Pennsylvania
The basics: Situated on 100 private acres at the end of a 2,000 foot long driveway, the estate offers the ultimate in privacy. Invite upwards of 300 guests to a formal wedding here, where they'll be treated to white-glove service while enjoying a full view of the Delaware River.
Spook factor: Every December 24, a woman (said to be the girlfriend of former owner Robert Bickley) appears on a black horse and whips anyone who comes near, while Bickley knocks on the mansion's doors and windows.
13. The Martha Washington Inn & Spa — Abingdon, Virginia
The basics: Now part of Historic Hotels of America, the elegant property hosts Southern charm-infused weddings with historic flair. All guests can stay in the hotel, located near the North Carolina border.
Spook factor: The six ghosts that live in this former home of a War of 1812 hero-turned-military hospital are so famous, they have names — the Yankee Sweetheart was a heartbroken Martha Washington College student from the Civil War era in love with a Union soldier, the Phantom Horse waits outside for its slain Yankee soldier, and the Reappearing Bloodstain pops up on floors throughout the home... and that's only a few of them.
14. Omni Shoreham Hotel — Washington, DC
The basics: The Art Deco details of this space include a popular domed gazebo for ceremonies. After you tie the knot, spend your wedding night in the Presidential Suite, also known as the Ghost Suite. It's in the remodeled wing of the hotel where a woman died.
Spook factor: Built in 1930, this hotel is one of Omni's many haunted properties. Housekeeper Juliette Brown died in one of the suites, as did a shareholder's wife. Since then, lights mysteriously turn on, breezes and loud noises come out of nowhere, and carts move on their own.
15. Sloss Furnaces — Birmingham, Alabama
The basics: The former industrial site is now a somewhat improbably popular wedding venue. You can get married in the furnace apron, underneath the water tower, or in the casting shed for an unforgettable, unique experience.
Spook factor: This national historic landmark produced iron for nearly 90 years, but the gruesome deaths that happened there sometimes overshadow its industrious past. Ever since worker Richard Jowers was incinerated by a furnace in 1887, people have heard screams, seen ghosts, and felt the presence of other apparitions at night.
16. The Cuban Club — Tampa, Florida
The basics: The neoclassical building has been an event space since the '90s, and the Fernando R Mesa is a historic ballroom is perfect for dancing the night away with guests.
Spook factor: The Travel Channel once named this former Cuban community center one of the United States' Top 10 Most Haunted Places. The ghosts of two people who died inside haunt it, as does a woman in a white dress and red heels, and a young boy playing ball.
17. Oakland Cemetery — Atlanta, Georgia
The basics: The cemetery is in a secluded part of downtown Atlanta, making it perfect for private outdoor weddings. The events team will help coordinate a tombstone-filled wedding for up to 2,000 guests.
Spook factor: It doesn't get scarier than an old-timey cemetery. Of the more than 70,000 people buried there, many are Civil War soldiers, who have been heard doing a faint roll call 150 years after the war ended. Visitors have also reported seeing soldiers hanging from trees and a young Confederate bleeding on top of a grave.
18. White Hall — Richmond, Kentucky
The basics: The sprawling lawns are made for a tented reception. You can bring in any vendors you want, and take wedding pictures in front of a truly beautiful historic home.
Spook factor: The former home of emancipationist Cassius Marcellus Clay is definitely haunted. Clay, his wife, and his son inhabit the house, where footsteps, smells, and eerie music often occur inexplicably.
19. The Crescent Hotel & Spa — Eureka Springs, Arkansas
The basics: Choose from two indoor or two outdoor sites for your historically elegant, haunted affair in one of the prettiest resort villages in the U.S. The conservatory is lined with windows overlooking the gardens, while the beautiful East Lawn overlooks the Ozark Valley.
Spook factor: The Crescent calls itself America's Most Haunted Hotel, so there's no getting around its history. An unusual amount of creepy events have happened there — like a stonemason falling to his death while building the hotel in 1885 and guests seeing the original owner Norman Baker lurking around. There's even a ghost cat in residence, if you're into that kind of thing.
20. Hotel Provincial — New Orleans, Louisiana
The basics: Hotel Provincial specializes in small weddings for up to 20 guests. Its courtyard is a sanctuary within the vibrant French Quarter.
Spook factor: New Orleans is famously haunted, as is this historic hotel. It's a conglomeration of several former Civil War hospitals, and guests often report feeling the presence of fallen soldiers, as well as seeing fleeting blood stains and hospital scenes.
21. Cedar Grove Mansion Inn & Restaurant — Vicksburg, Mississippi
The basics: The large, elegant B&B specializes in outdoor weddings and has 33 rooms for wedding guests to stay in.
Spook factor: John Alexander Klein built this manor for his wife Elizabeth in 1840, and his spirit still lives on there, smoking pipes in rooms that he doesn't want people to enter. Elizabeth's apparition also graces the house, along with the ghosts of young children and soldiers who died there when it was used as a Confederate hospital.
22. The Carolina Inn — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
The basics: The stately hotel has on-site planners, customizable packages, and 185 guest rooms. Plus, the red brick exterior and lush green lawns are ideal for bridal portraits.
Spook factor: About.com voted this historic hotel as one of the ten most haunted in the U.S., and it shows — Dr. William Jacocks, one of the 20 ghosts there, lived in room 256 for 17 years and still walks the halls of the building. Guests staying in his room have witnessed bath mats being rumpled, curtains being pulled open, and whizzing sounds and the smell of flowers appearing out of the blue.
23. White Point Garden — Charleston, South Carolina
The basics: The gorgeous public park has unbeatable views of the Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter. Canons, statues, and other military relics dot the 5.7 acres of lush greenery. Get married in a small (25-guest maximum) wedding, where the abundant oak and palm trees, as well as a gazebo, provide shade on hot summer days.
Spook factor: Its waterfront location made it a popular location for hanging pirates back in the 18th century. Many of their ghosts haunt the park now, still looking for their executioners.
24. Ryman Auditorium — Nashville, Tennessee
The basics: The downtown Nashville landmark, which housed the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974, is available for one-of-a-kind wedding ceremonies for couples who want to get hitched on the famous stage. The oak pews and stained glass windows add to the enchanted atmosphere.
Spook factor: The theater houses the Gray Man ghost, thought to be a past patron or a Confederate soldier. The ghost of Captain Tom Ryman, who opened the theater in 1892, has also been spotted keeping watch on the space he loved so dearly.
25. The Congress Plaza Hotel — Chicago, Illinois
The basics: Chicago weddings don't get more classic than this. The 23 event spaces in the Michigan Avenue hotel accommodate a variety of budgets and wedding sizes, but the Gold Room (pictured above) is an architectural treasure.
Spook factor: Of all the ghostly stories that surround this hotel, the best is the one that bridesmaids in wedding parties who gather around the piano in the Gold Room for photographs don't show up in printed pictures.
26. Hotel Julien — Dubuque, Iowa
The basics: The hotel has been lavishly restored and can hold up to 400 guests in one of its four elegant event spaces.
Spook factor: Hotel Julien occupies a storied corner in Dubuque — Al Capone even stayed there once. Several apparitions, including one thought to be Capone's, can sometimes be seen walking around on the upper floors.
27. French Lick Resort — French Lick, Indiana
The basics: The wildly popular venue has a captivating domed atrium, as well as plenty of outdoor spaces. The on-site planning staff will coordinate small weddings or grand, 500-guest affairs.
Spook factor: Thomas Taggart, the owner who built the grand hotel, haunts many parts of the building, sometimes with his horse in tow. The staff swears that the whole sixth floor is haunted, and a ghostly bellhop has also been spotted.
28. The Eldridge — Lawrence, Kansas
The basics: The historic hotel is in the heart of downtown Lawrence, and it can accommodate up to 180 guests. Serving staff and catering are all in-house.
Spook factor: It embraces its resident ghost with open arms. A&E's My Ghost Story investigated Col. Eldridge's spooky presence, which is most noticeable in crackling water bottles, shaking bags, and throughout all of room 506.
29. Holly Hotel — Holly, Michigan
The basics: Known as the most haunted building in Michigan, the restaurant and comedy club will provide the cake, flowers, coordination and more for an elegant wedding and dinner reception.
Spook factor: The Holly Hotel contains too many eerie things to count. Among them are several ghosts, disembodied voices, perfumed smells, moving objects, suspicious music, and more. Ghost hunters flock there to find out more, but the origins of the spirits are still shrouded in mystery.
30. Minneapolis City Hall — Minneapolis, Minnesota
The basics: This isn't your average city hall wedding venue. Yes, you can be married by a district court judge there, but you can also plan a banquet for up to 300 guests.
Spook factor: The ghost of the last man to be put to death by hanging in Minnesota haunts this Gothic municipal building. His 1898 execution was botched, and the room in which he was convicted, where room he was hanged, and the mayor's office are all haunted by him.
31. Pythian Castle — Springfield, Missouri
The basics: The private estate can be rented for up to 12 hours for a wedding. You provide your own caterer, and you can choose between two packages, the "majestic" and the "royal".
Spook factor: The owner of this building, which was once home to the secret order the Knights of Pythias, says the place is filled with friendly ghosts who make temperatures change, doors shut, and cause all other sorts of creepy business. It's been called one of the more haunted spots in the Ozarks.
32. Hummel Park Nature Center — Omaha, Nebraska
The basics: The nature center within this very spooky park is available for event rental on Sundays. It can accommodate small weddings and has a prep kitchen for caterers.
Spook factor: The site of many murders, suicides, and other gruesome activity, Hummel Park isn't just scary because of its ghosts. It's also home to "morphing stairs," decrepit shelters, and other downright chilling things.
33. Apple Creek Country Club — Bismarck, North Dakota
The basics: The private club is available for event rentals. You and 225 guests can have either a buffet or a served meal as you enjoy views of the golf course's rolling hills.
Spook factor: Creepy noises throughout the country club come from the ghost of a former chef, who's sometimes seen in the kitchen.
34. The Ohio State Reformatory — Mansfield, Ohio
The basics: The hauntingly beautiful space can host weddings for up to 200 guests in the Central Guard Room. The brick exterior is also a majestic backdrop for outdoor ceremonies.
Spook factor: You may recognize parts of this historic prison from The Shawshank Redemption. Defunct since 1990, the facility is riddled with ghosts, notably in the first floor's east wing, the cell blocks, and the solitary confinement area.
35. Buffalo Ridge Resort — Gary, South Dakota
The basics: An entrepreneur transformed two dorms of a former school for the blind into part of the resort. You can get married indoors or outdoors; the on-site restaurant makes catering a cinch.
Spook factor: After the original school on the grounds closed, its buildings and connecting tunnels sat abandoned for years, leading many to believe they were haunted.
36. The Karsten Hotel — Kewaunee, Wisconsin
The basics: The hotel has had weddings for up to 400 people. The old-school interior, set in the heart of a historic town, is ideal if you want a vintage-tinged haunted wedding.
Spook factor: William Karsten himself, along with his son and a maid all haunt the premises. Room 310, where the maid once lived, is the spookiest of all.
37. The Driskill — Austin, Texas
The basics: The hotel's ballrooms have chandeliers and pillars that lend a grand feel to the many weddings that take place there. And the venue's planners create a custom dance floor, a personalized menu, and stunning centerpieces.
Spook factor: Civil War colonel and cattle baron Jesse Driskill built this utterly enchanted-looking landmark in 1886, and he still likes interacting with the many guests and celebrities that stop in for a stay. Room 525, the site of two suicides, is particularly haunted.
38. Copper Queen Hotel — Bisbee, Arizona
The basics: Small weddings for less than 70 people are this hotel's specialty. With on-site caterers and planners, the Queen will do all the hard work for you.
Spook factor: More than 16 spirits haunt this hotel, one of the oldest in Arizona. They cause mysterious voices, sounds, smells, and levitating objects. Groups flock here to try to catch glimpses of the nearly omnipresent ghosts.
39. The Lodge Resort & Spa — Cloudcroft, New Mexico
The basics: The gorgeous building has sweeping views of the Sacramento Mountains and a beautiful golf course. The wedding spaces are equal parts rustic and glamorous, and the largest of the eight has a capacity of 200. The outdoor areas are smaller, but have views of the nearby Lincoln National Forest.
Spook factor: A chambermaid named Rebecca still roams the halls of the Victorian-style resort. More flirtatious than threatening, she's known to light up fireplaces, move ashtrays, and shut doors to get attention.
40. Silver Queen Hotel and Wedding Chapel — Virginia City, Nevada
The basics: Like any good Nevada hotel, this one has a wedding chapel right inside. The wedding packages are as low as $295, and include free use of the chapel, a bottle of champagne, and more.
Spook factor: All of Virginia City, a 19th century mining boomtown, is haunted. This particular hotel's claim to fame is Rosie, a woman who died by suicide in Room 11. The Silver Queen now offers ghost tours for people who want to see her and other spirits up close and personal.
41. The Skirvin Hilton — Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The basics: The hotel's grand ballroom is imbued with the history of more than 100 years of weddings. Other available rooms have equal amounts of grandeur, and the hotel's main staircase is perfect for a dramatic bridal entrance.
Spook factor: Effie the housekeeper is the resident ghost in this hotel, which has hosted (and successfully freaked out) the Oklahoma City Thunder. Effie died by suicide after an affair with the hotel's original owner, and ever since, she's knocks on doors, opens drawers, and causes general commotion in the hallways.
42. The Stanley Hotel — Estes Park, Colorado
The basics: Say "I do" in one of the iconic hotel's several ballrooms and halls, or, in warmer months, outside with a view of the Rocky Mountains. The elegance of the grand staircase and stately porch are only enhanced by the Stanley's sordid past.
Spook factor: This may be the king (pun intended) of haunted hotels: A one-night stay at this upscale mountainside retreat inspired Stephen King to write The Shining. He stayed in the infamous Room 217, where visions of ghostly children and odd events like suitcases unpacking themselves are reported often.
43. The Hotel Captain Cook — Anchorage, Alaska
The basics: Plan a classic ballroom wedding here, where the in-house caterer specializes in traditional Alaskan cuisine like reindeer.
Spook factor: Downtown Anchorage is home to this classy hotel, where a guest died by suicide in a bathroom in 1972. To this day, hotel managers say they have to console her so that her screams don't disturb guests.
44. Lava Hot Springs Inn — Lava Hot Springs, Idaho
The basics: The hotel, though renovated, retains the feel of the 1920s, when it first opened. You can host a wedding for up to 60 people in its new conference room.
Spook factor: Ghost Adventures recently visited this former hospital and assisted living facility, which features an appropriately haunted Room 13. Guests staying in the room have seen a woman in a hospital gown moving bookcases, while employees have reported a Shadow Man in the basement.
45. The Belton Chalet — West Glacier, Montana
The basics: The mountainside lodge has 25 rooms and two three-bedroom cottages, making it ideal for small weddings. With its Glacier National Park-adjacent location and fully restored facilities, it specializes in outdoor soirees in the summer and romantic indoor events in the snowy winter.
Spook factor: Hotel guests have reported hearing a person in boots walking down the hall and seeing black clouds loom in their rooms in this historic hotel. It embraces its "friendly ghosts," which are well documented, as part of its heritage.
46. The Queen Mary — Long Beach, California
The basics: Live out your dreams of romance at sea with a stunning formal ceremony on the bow or stern followed by a classic ballroom reception. The stately ship from the 1930s is now a permanently-docked hotel and event space that is proudly LGBTQ-friendly and offers the best views of the water with none of the seasickness.
Spook factor: Once named one of Time's Top 10 Most Haunted Places in America, the ship features ghosts from its 30 years at sea, including a sailor who died in the ship's engine room, a mysterious lady in white, and children who drowned in the ship's pool.
47. McMenamins Grand Lodge — Forest Grove, Oregon
The basics: Oregon's famed wine country surrounds the lodge, meaning it has tons of lawns and gardens for a wedding. The lodge can accommodate up to 1,000 (!) guests, who can watch as you say vows in one of the many available indoor or outdoor spaces.
Spook factor: Many McMenamins properties are haunted, and this one features a ghost who resembles Anna, a resident of the building for many years. Employees of the lodge, built in 1922, often report seeing her apparition.
48. Memorial House — Salt Lake City, Utah
The basics: Nestled in Memory Grove Park, it's hosted weddings for up to 300 guests since 1920. You can get married in the gardens or inside the main hall.
Spook factor: The ghost here is a former bride-to-be — how fitting. Reports say that the she was hit by a car on the way to her wedding at this venue, and that she lurks around wearing purple — her favorite color — or her wedding dress.
49. Hotel Sorrento — Seattle, Washington
The basics: You and 120 guests can enjoy prime Seattle views from the seventh-floor penthouse, one of the only outdoor rooftop venues in the city.
Spook factor: Hotel Sorrento is one of the city's oldest hotels, and it's also one of the most haunted. Alice B. Toklas lived in the same spot where the hotel now stands, and she likes to roam down its hallways and move around the barware.
50. Iolani Palace — Honolulu, Hawaii
The basics: Get married like royalty in one of the palace's many outdoor spaces, including courtyards, terraces, and lawns. Some can hold more than 1,000 guests, and the venue is conveniently located within walking distance from downtown Honolulu.
Spook factor: The former home of Hawaii's royals is incredibly spooky. Queen Lili'uokalani was the last of the royals to live there, and her ghost haunts the entire palace. Many have heard her playing piano, opening doors, and smoking cigars, like a true queen should.
51. The Historic Plains Hotel — Cheyenne, Wyoming
The basics: Elegant, historic weddings are this hotel's specialty. It offers six spaces, banquet menus, and plenty of accommodations for guests.
Spook factor: Once a major meeting place for tycoons and cattle barons, the hotel was the scene of a double murder and suicide in the early 1900s. A bride named Rosie and her husband were honeymooning there when she caught him socializing with a prostitute. She shot both of them in their room before turning the gun on herself. Those three ghosts continue to haunt the place.
