The Best Haunted Hotels and Towns for Families

Spooky season is upon us, and that means it’s time to treat the family to some haunted fun. Luckily, there are plenty of hotels and, in some cases, even towns you can visit for some good old-fashioned scares. So, as October gets into full swing, pack your bags, grab the teens and tweens, and head to some of the country’s top spots for scary sightings and fun.

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Buffalo Bill’s Irma Hotel, Cody, Wyoming
Located in the heart of Cody, Wyoming, this hotel dates back to 1902 when Buffalo Bill opened its doors, naming it after his daughter. Several rooms in this hotel are reported to be haunted, namely rooms 35 and 16. Guests and employees reported seeing ghostly apparitions of Irma and her father, along with hearing disembodied voices, water faucets turning on and off by themselves, and even the jangling of spurs in the bar after hours. While the reports are indeed spooky, the ghosts are reported to be friendly, and guests come from all around for a chance of a sighting.

Kirwin, Wyoming
During your stay at Irma, you can treat the family to another fun experience: a visit to nearby Kirwin. This abandoned town dates back to the 1800s when it thrived thanks to the gold and silver booms, but it was eventually abandoned after an avalanche destroyed much of the town. Today, visitors can rent ATVs from kid- and pet-friendly Kirwin Rides to explore Kirwin, where you can still see the remains of many of its buildings, including a cabin in the process of being built for Amelia Earhart when she mysteriously disappeared in 1937.

© Travel Wyoming

Hotel del Coronado, San Diego, California
This beautiful hotel sits majestically on the shore of San Diego Bay with stunning views of the city across the water. Known for its legendary story that tells of the ghost of a woman by the name of Kate Morgan who sadly took her own life at the hotel in 1892. Since that time, hotel guests and employees reported strange occurrences like hearing footsteps when no one is there, flickering lights and televisions, abrupt changes in temperature, moving objects, and doors opening and closing on their own.

A stay at this iconic San Diego landmark hoping for a sighting of the property’s resident ghost is the perfect excuse to visit San Diego, a city practically made for families. With top attractions like Sea World and San Diego Zoo, along with great spots to hang out like the Gaslamp District (for plenty of shopping and great food) or the city’s amazing beaches (definitely still ideal for visiting in October thanks to San Diego’s great year-round weather), the family will have no shortage of things to do when they aren’t ghost hunting at the hotel.