When choosing a vacation rental, it’s important to consider all the amenities: good location, fast Wi-Fi, decent price, comfy beds. But these Airbnb and Vrbo listings offer something extra — a cold shiver down your spine, the feeling of dread, or sounds of creaking and wailing that can’t be explained.
If you live for the thrill of paranormal activity and gruesome ghost stories, these listings will surely delight. Otherwise, consider yourself warned…
1. A house haunted by friendly ghosts
Credit: David Bissette
This Stroud house in North Carolina is so haunted it even comes with a disclaimer:
“Several friends, family, and guests have experienced supernatural events here including: footsteps in the hallway or upstairs, the hall and basement lights turning on randomly, a door opening after being latched closed, a shadowy figure in the kitchen and dining room, glowing orbs in the living room, and even a music box that has played by itself,” the listing warns.
But don’t worry, the ghosts are benevolent by all accounts.
“None of the incidents have ever been malevolent in nature. We just accept that it is what it is, and continue on with our lives.”
2. A gothic Midwestern manor
Credit: Trey Fortner
Minnesota doesn’t exactly scream medieval, but this listing might elicit some screams from its guests.
For $90 a night, you can rent a private room in this mini castle located in St. Paul. The manor’s listing mentions the presence of the host’s pet — an apparently friendly Doberman named Scorch — and can be rented out for photo shoots, paranormal investigations, rituals, and murder mystery dinners.
3. An Edwardian nightmare
Credit: Gavin Conlan / Talliston House & Gardens
The “Haunted Bedroom” at Talliston House and Gardens is the medieval manifestation of your nightmares.
Meticulously designed to look like “the bed chamber of a seven-year-old Edwardian child,” this room is decorated with ornate wood paneling, heavy drapes, low lighting, and a bed fit for Henry VIII. If it gets too creepy in here, each room of the house has its own theme, so you can go to the Victorian living room or the New Orleans kitchen to escape the dark ages.
4. The Madness Chamber
Credit: Ian Loftus
The brief description of the “Madness Chamber” says it is “haunted and is well over 600 years old.”
The Yorkshire, UK listing doesn’t say much else, but if the wood-paneled walls of this ancient lodging could talk, they’d surely have some spooky stories to tell.
5. The Hocus Pocus house
Credit: Helynn Ospina
Live like witches in a Salem, Massachusetts listing recreated to look like the famous Sanderson Sisters’ abode.
In this cottage, you can brew up some potions, conjure a spell or two, and then jump on your broomstick to terrorize the good people of Salem. This house is so authentic to the 17th century that it wasn’t built with modern “facilities.” But fret not, a modern outhouse is just steps away.
6. A listing in the heart of the Salem Witch Trials
Credit: VRBO / Liann DiMare
The “Warlock House,” another Salem entry on this list, really leans into the town’s history as the site of the Salem Witch Trials.
The Halloween-themed house has all kinds of witchy decor, including a ouija board coffee table, a witches’ altar, a crystal ball, and even an Edgar-Allen-Poe-themed bedroom. Perfect for hosting a seance or performing other dark magic.
7. A cabin in a Texas ghost town
Credit: VRBO / Janet Eby
This listing will see your haunted house and raise you a haunted town.
Terlingua, Texas was a mercury-mining town, complete with a hotel, a commissary, and a school. But by the 1940s the mercury market had crashed, the mine was closed down, and Terlingua was mostly abandoned. What remains is a town perfectly preserved in time, which undoubtedly includes some haunted spirits from its pioneer past.
8. A log cabin frequented by a weeping ghost
Credit: VRBO / Scott Zwiers
This rustic North Carolina cabin is haunted by “Nancy the Ghost,” who can sometimes be heard weeping. The host says it’s probably just the creaking floors of the mountain dwelling, but who can be sure?
Another famous guest was former President Lyndon B Johnson. He was alive when he stayed there, but one wonders if he ever makes a paranormal visit.