Not long ago, I blogged about the Roosevelt Hollywood, a hotel reportedly haunted by the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Cliff among others. But, the Roosevelt Hollywood isn’t the only haunted hotel in town. The Knickerbocker Hotel was built in 1925 as a luxury apartment building. It later became a hotel, with its Renaissance Revival Bar a favorite among the Hollywood crowd. Over the years, the Knickerbocker saw its share of fame, but also its share of scandal. Famed director D.W. Griffith died of a stroke in the hotel in 1948. Once a Hollywood big wig, Griffith had been … Continue reading →

What’s worse than a haunted prison? How about a haunted asylum? Rolling Hills Asylum, located in East Bethany, New York, opened in 1827. The massive building, 53,000+ square feet, was originally a poorhouse. The Genesee County Poor Farm included a mix of the elderly, vagrants, orphans, handicapped people, drunkards, the mentally ill, and minor criminals who had nowhere else to go. Despite the fact that it wasn’t a prison, the resident were referred to as “inmates.” The able-bodied worked raising animals and food. Some even made coffins in the wood shop and it’s believed there was a cemetery – a … Continue reading →

When you think of a southern plantation, you may think of women in white dresses and bonnets, gentleman farmers, and sweet tea, but do you think of ghosts? If you don’t, you might want to visit the Myrtle Plantation in St. Francisville, Louisiana. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the plantation is currently a bed and breakfast, but it may not be for the faint of heart. It is known as one of the most haunted homes in America. The plantation dates all the way back to 1796 when it was built by General David Bradford, only he … Continue reading →

What could be scarier than a haunted hotel? You check it for a little R&R and suddenly, there is a spirit in your room! I’ve already talked about the Stanley Hotel, where the movie The Shining was filmed and the Farnsworth House Inn, where founded Confederate soldiers were taken during the Civil War. I’ve also blogged about The Hotel Chelsea in NYC where many celebs either died, committed suicide, or were murdered. Let’s go back to the west coast for the Roosevelt Hollywood hotel. Located in the heart of Hollywood, the Roosevelt was first opened in 1927. It was financed … Continue reading →

Once again, it is one of my favorite times of the year – Halloween. Or, at least the lead up to Halloween. Each October, I like to do a special blog series on scary places. Unfortunately, I’ve only been to one (the Whaley House in San Diego), but I have many more on my to-do list (the Winchester House and the Hotel Chelsea). On my quest to find yet more scary places, I realized – what could be scarier than a underground burial chamber that you can walk through? Yes, I am talking about the Catacombs of Paris. I’ve never … Continue reading →