The most amazing haunted locations we visited in 2018
This may have been the most difficult collection I’ve had to put together so far. This list of the Top 10 coolest haunted locations I visited in 2018 could’ve easily been a top 20 or 25 without any fall off in quality (I'm considering doing a video of a larger countdown, so subscribe to my YouTube here so you won't miss it). So, keep an eye open for other notable mentions throughout. What are the criteria? It’s a combination of these three categories:
- The location is famously haunted (bucket list trips)
- Exceptionally unique stories or history associated with the place and
- Did we experience any paranormal activity on site?
 Every location mentioned on this list is a place I’ve visited for the very first time in 2018. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of the release of “Voices from the Chicago Grave,” I’ve made it a point to revisit every location covered in the book. This is an ongoing process, but it was great to see places like the Bucktown Pub (pictured, right), the Frank Nitti suicide location, the Grimes sisters site, Mount Carmel Cemetery, investigate the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre location and more alongside Illinois archeologist Dan Melone and/or Wendy Lynn Staats of the “See You on the Other Side” podcast. Keep following us on Instagram @WhatsYourGhostStory to continue visiting and investigating the most haunted locations in America!
10 Jean Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, New Orleans, LA
 There may be no more paranormal an experience than joining the paranormal rock group Sunspot on the road, which I did for the first time in 2018. After a show, we swung through the oldest bar in the South. Built around 1770, this building was likely owned by pirate and Battle of New Orleans hero Jean Lafitte, his brother or a close accomplice. Whatever the ownership provenance, it’s very likely that Lafitte did business here and knowing Lafitte, it wasn’t on the up-and-up. It’s one thing to read tales of a dark, masculine presence in the building, observing the room from a shadowy corner, as is the most frequent claim, it’s another for a member of the staff to show you a picture of the shadow figure on their phone, which is what we were treated to.
9 Coral Castle, Homestead, FL
Quickly moving from the historically haunted to the roadside attraction oddity, I visited a site so unusual, there are many believers think the place was built by aliens, or at least with the help of alien technology. I can go on about the place, but who can tell the story better than the show “Ancient Aliens”? The segment even end with a classic Georgio-style, “I’m not saying it was aliens…” line.
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The Coral Castle on "Ancient Aliens."
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 I will say, the place is downright impressive and captivating whether you are into the theory that this entire structure was built by hand by a single, somewhat frail man or that the man was an alien. Either sounds just a probable. Also, not mentioned in the AA segment, two people claimed to spy on some of the construction and claimed the massive pieces were moved by sound!
I should give an odd shout out to the Museum of the Weird in Austin, TX, (pictured, right, with Wendy "Fay Wray" Staats) which houses tons of fascinating exhibits and, in fact, is so weird that Johnny Depp lived next door at one point. The main highlight is the “Minnesota Ice Man,” an alleged Bigfoot corpse kept preserved on ice since the late ‘60s.
8 Hale’s Bar Dam, Guild, TN
Hale’s Bar Dam is a big, imposing structure with a very long and dark history. Even before construction, the Native Americans of the area considered the area cursed, or at the very least too dangerous to tread on. A hydroelectric dam was constructed over these dangerous waters in the early 1900s and the death toll rose quickly. Construction never really stopped due to the constant need for repairs caused by building on unsteady ground. Sadly, the deaths continued as well. Use of the dam was discontinued in 1968, but the power station remains, haunted by any number of people who died here.
The location was featured on an episode of “Ghost Adventures.” That particular episode was perhaps most notable due to the location getting hit by a tornado during production. However, they did also capture a compelling human form moving around on thermal camera. We got a private tour of the structure by someone who had
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Click the image above to watch a walk-through of the Hale's Bar Dam.
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7 Elmwood Cemetery, Centralia, IL
 One of my favorite investigations of the year took place at the Southern Illinois Cemetery of Elmwood, where a legend surrounds a beautiful monument to H. Annie Marshall, better known as “Violin Annie.” The legends around Violin Annie are more plentiful than the facts. The basics are that this gravesite belongs to a girl who died tragically young. In life, quite clearly, she played the violin. Speaking on the legends, there are countless tales of hearing violin music waft through this cemetery at all hours. The uniqueness of this monument, plus its easy access (near the front of the cemetery, just two dozen feet from the access road), makes it an easy candidate for urban legends. Does that mean the area isn’t haunted? Of course not. The restless adventures of “Violin Annie” may very well be legit. It’s also possible that thousands of people over the years, visiting this site, hoping to hear violin music, have impacted the area, imbuing it with a psychic residue from the living. If Annie’s consciousness is here, we brought a trigger item in the form of violinist Wendy Lynn Staats to play songs and simple scales to see if we could coax a musical call and response. With several cameras rolling and even more microphones scattered around the area, it will take some time to dig though all the recordings, but our fingers are crossed!
6 Sanatorium Hill, Madison, WI
This location is one I feel I’ve just scratched the surface on. The grounds of Sanatarium Hill claim all sorts of paranormal phenomenon, including physical contact in the form of hair pulling. To get the full story, check out the video below. Other haunted institutional locations visited this year include Knoxville’s Lakeshore Mental Asylum, Elgin Mental Health Center & the Green County Asylum in Monroe, WI.
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Haunted Woods? Indian Burial Grounds? Urban Legends Galore on Sanatorium Hill, Madison, WI
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5 Robert the Doll Locations, Key West, FL
 Dipping as far as we could possibly dip into the Florida Keys, we found ourselves at the home of Ernest Hemingway’s six-toed cats and a doll that can move on its own. “Robert the Doll” has been a story so sensational, it’s no surprise that people assume the movie “Child’s Play” was based on this legend. In 1904 a young Eugene Otto was given a doll in a navy uniform. It did not take long before this doll began terrorizing the family, especially little Eugene. Massacring his other toys, and flipping his furniture over, the parents were understandably suspicious, however even they heard voices and laughing coming from Eugene’s room that were not his own. Eventually the doll was banished to the attic, where it remained peacefully for decades. Currently the doll itself is on display at Fort East Martello Museum where it apparently does not like being on display. If you are bold enough to take a picture of Robert without first asking his permission, legend has it that you will be besieged by extreme misfortune. There is a nearby wall of the museum covered with letters addressed to the doll from people desperately asking Robert’s forgiveness.
Continue reading at WhatsYourGhostStory.com to see Key West Cemetery where Eugene Otto is buried.
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