13 of the Most Haunted Bars in America Serving Spirits in More Ways Than One

It’s October, which officially means that Spooky Season is in full swing. It’s time to serve up some scares as the shadows grow longer and the weather gets colder. To get into the Halloween spirit — pun intended — we’ve gone ahead and chosen 13 of the most haunted bars in America.

This list includes a bar at a hotel that served as the inspiration behind one of the most iconic horror movies of all time, a tavern that was cursed by Edgar Allen Poe and a shuttered nightclub that locals believe to be the portal to hell. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the following 13 establishments have one heck of a story behind them and are steeped in dark history.

Below is a list of bars serving spirits in more ways than one, and some of them might be in a city near you if you want to pop in and grab a drink with their otherworldly inhabitants.

Read on — if you dare.

13 of the Most Haunted Bars in America

13. The Whiskey Bar at The Stanley Hotel — Estes Park, Colorado

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The Whiskey Bar at The Stanley Hotel boasts a historically-themed cocktail menu and claims it features Colorado’s largest selection of whiskeys and scotches. Without a doubt, its whiskey selection is impressive, and guests can indulge in Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Yr, Springbank 18 Yr and offerings from Port Ellen. But this bar and the hotel that houses it hosts a sinister history and inspired one of the most famous horror movies of all time…

Uncovered Colorado reported that The Stanley Hotel dates back to 1909 and was considered an architectural marvel. The stately building featured electricity and running water even though it was located in the desolate Colorado wilderness. Yet this hotel’s lurid history really begins in the 1970s, when an author named Steven King — you know, one of the most famous novelists of all time — stayed in Room 217.

King and his wife, Tabatha, were the only guests staying at the hotel and at the time, it had fallen into disrepair. That night, King had a horrible nightmare of a coiled fire hose chasing his screaming son while he ran down the hallway of the hotel. He woke from the nightmare, lit a cigarette, and looked out the dark window onto the empty grounds below. That dream and stay at the creepy hotel gave him the idea for “The Shining,” and the rest was history.

King’s account isn’t the only odd incident that took place at The Stanley Hotel. On June 25, 1911, a flood caused the hotel’s power to go out. The owner, Freelan Stanley, installed a gas lantern in each room to keep the lights on inside the place and a gas leak occurred in room 217. Uncovered Colorado reported that a chambermaid named Elizabeth Wilson went into the room with a lit candle, causing an explosion. She miraculously survived and remained employed at the hotel until her final days. Some claim that she’s never left. Wilson’s presence can be felt in Room 217, and some guests claim she makes the bed around them while they sleep in the room.

Other presences can be felt throughout the hotel and on the property. The ghost of Stanley’s wife, Flora, is said to be seen tinkering on the piano. Others say they can feel the ghostly fingers belonging to a deceased child playing with their hair on the grounds. And not all of the ghosts are human — the ghost of a Golden Retriever named Cassie is said to roam the grounds, deliver newspapers and scratch at the doors.

12. Red Onion Saloon — Skagway, Alaska

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Once a brothel, the Red Onion Saloon dates back to the 1890s, when the Yukon was deep in the throes of the Gold Rush, according to Alaska’s National Park Service. The Red Onion Saloon served as a bar for miners looking to slake their thirst after their hard work during the day, and prostitutes catered to lonely men in its upstairs rooms. Those looking to visit the brothel today can grab a drink, and waitresses dressed as “working girls” serve drinks in this historically-themed bar and brothel museum.

Yet some of the women who once worked upstairs still drift along its halls, long after they’ve died.

Haunted Rooms America claims that the brothel is haunted by a ghost named Lydia, a former prostitute who worked at The Red Onion. Guests can smell Lydia’s perfume and experience cold spots in the upstairs portion of the saloon. Workers at the saloon report that Lydia’s spirit waters the plants, and sometimes, she can be seen running up and down the halls in the old bordello. However, gentlemen who visit The Red Onion should be extra cautious —Lydia’s spirit is said to be hostile towards men.

Speaking of hostile, Haunted Rooms America reports that once Lydia’s ghost caused such a racket that the police were called. Yet when authorities arrived at the scene, nobody was there…

11. Deer Park Tavern — New Castle County, Delaware

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Some places are just cursed, and such is the case with Deer Park Tavern in Delaware. The Review reports that according to a local legend, Edgar Allen Poe cursed the tavern after he exited his carriage and fell in the mud outside of the building. At the time, the building was called The St. Patrick’s Inn, and Poe frequented the place.

“A curse upon this place,” Poe allegedly said. “All who enter shall have to return.”

Whether you believe in curses or not, the Deer Park Tavern unquestionably had a strange and unfortunate occurrence after Poe cursed the building. It burned to the ground in 1851.

Since then, The Deer Park Tavern has been built on the site, and the venue itself claims it served as a space to host political meetings throughout the ages. The owners even claim it may have been a spot on The Underground Railroad for slaves escaping Confederate states. Yet some of Deer Park Tavern’s guests may have returned according to Poe’s curse… just not in human form.

Delaware Haunted Houses reports that doors close and open on their own at the Deer Park Tavern and guests often hear unexplained sounds.

10. Ashley’s of Rockledge —Rockledge, Florida

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Ashley’s of Rockledge is a Tudor-style tavern that has gone by many names throughout its history since it opened in 1933, according to the bar and restaurant’s Facebook page. It was first named Jack Allen’s Tavern, followed by The Mad Dutchess, The Loose Caboose and Gentleman Jim’s. It was also the site of a brutal murder — the murder of Ethel Allen.

Spectrum News 13 reported that Ethel Allen was a regular at Ashley’s until one day, she disappeared. She was last seen at the tavern before her body was found on the banks of the Indian River. She was brutally murdered, and the case remains unsolved to this day.

“She’s here,” a waitress named Christie Taylor said according to Spectrum News 13. “I don’t know if she’s stuck or why she hasn’t crossed over to the other side. I don’t know because I haven’t felt any evil or bad things going on. You just know there’s a presence.”

Customers say they witness paranormal activity in the women’s restroom. An individual claimed to have seen a woman’s feet, wearing 1930’s era shoes in the next stall. Some guests have even seen the apparition of a young woman in the mirror. The activity also occurs throughout Ashley’s, and guests feel a push when they go up or down the stairs.

Glasses break, burglar alarms get set off when nobody is at the space, and servers closing up at Ashley’s often hear someone whispering in the restaurant. Maybe it’s Ethel trying to tell them the identity of her killer.

9. Liar’s Club — Chicago, Illinois

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Liar’s Club is a gothic bar and music venue where patrons can enjoy drinks and maybe catch a punk rock show. But behind the bright lights of the stage is a lurid — and bloody — history.

CBS News Chicago reports that Liar’s Club is the site of two murders. In 1988, Liars Club went by a different name and was owned by Frank and Julia Hansen, who were both husband and wife. The outlet reported that they had a bad marriage, and Julia would often verbally abuse Frank. One day, Frank had enough and ended up striking her in the head, back and chest with an axe after they got into a physical altercation over money.

When The Liars Club was a homeless shelter in 1968, a man named John Parlea and Samuel Castell Jr. got into a fight over a pair of pants. Castell ended up beating Parlea to death and shoving him out the second-floor window. CBS reports that guests claim to see the ghost of a potentially pantless man going up and down the stairs.

But this pantless ghost isn’t the only one haunting Chicago’s Liar’s Club. Many guests have seen a woman crying in the bathroom. Some have gotten their hair pulled in the bathroom and others have been elbowed by an unseen force. Many believe that force to be Julia.

8. Bobby Mackey’s — Wilder, Kentucky

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It’s quite likely that Bobby Mackey’s is the most haunted nightclub in the United States. This club had a dark history, and before the building was erected, it was a slaughterhouse in the 1850s. When the slaughterhouse closed in the 1890s, Travel Channel reports that locals claimed Satanic cults used the building to murder both animals — and possibly humans — for their rituals.

Just six years later, a 22-year-old girl named Pearl Bryan was murdered. She was pregnant and her boyfriend, a dental surgery student named Scott Jackson, wanted her to get an abortion in Cincinnati. Somehow, her boyfriend attempted to perform the abortion himself with a friend named Alonzo Wailing and the duo botched it, killing her. The two men left Pearl’s body in an empty field after surgically removing her head. Both were hung and when Wailing was hung, he claimed he would haunt the area forever. Though Pearl’s head was never found, Travel Channel reports that many believe Jackson and Wailing were members of a satanic cult, and her head was used in rituals in the basement before it was demolished.

In the 1920s, a nightclub was built on the area which served as a speakeasy. Multiple murders occurred when the club attracted the attention of Cincinnati mobsters. In the 1940s, the club’s owner, E.A. “Buck” Brady, ended up shooting a mafioso, Albert “Red” Masterson in the parking lot and was charged with attempted murder.

As if that wasn’t enough, Bobby Mackey’s was also the site of a tragic suicide after a dancehall girl named Johanna – who had a penchant for rose-scented perfume — fell for one of the singers when the space was a nightclub called the Latin Quarter. The singer was named Robert Randall and got Johanna pregnant. When her father found out, he colluded with criminals to have Randall murdered, and Johanna killed herself in the basement of the building. Eventually, the club had to close in 1978 because there were too many deadly shootings taking place at the establishment.

That same year, the club was purchased by a country singer named Bobby Mackey, whose full name was Robert Randall Mackey — too weird, right?

Mackey claims he’s never experienced any activity, but guests believe the club’s basement is a portal to hell. Some guests see Pearl’s headless ghost wandering the space. Other patrons often smell the scent of Johanna’s perfume, including Bobby’s wife. The outlet reported that Bobby Mackey’s wife smelled the heady scent of roses in the basement before she was snatched around the waist, thrown and pushed down the stairs by an apparition that resembled Alonzo Wailing. He apparently screamed at her, “Get Out!” She’s never set foot in that club since, and honestly? Who could blame her?

Bobby Mackey’s shares on its website that it is temporarily relocating to a new location in Florence, Kentucky, it appears the site will be demolished for reasons unknown.

7. The Formosa Café — West Hollywood, California

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West Hollywood’s The Formosa Café was a watering hole for celebrities like John Wayne, Elvis Presley, Lana Turner and Marilyn Monroe. With its striking red interior, delicious cocktails and authentic Chinese food, it’s easy to see why it attracted such a crowd. Yet this Hollywood institution also was a haven for mobsters, including the notorious Bugsy Siegel.

Legend has it that Siegel conducted business at The Formosa Café, and American Ghost Walks often takes tourists with an interest in the paranormal to the establishment. The organization claimed a safe was found buried at the site of the café, and many believe it belonged to the mobster himself.

Though locals claim they’ve seen Bugsy’s ghost, there’s another ghost who haunts The Formosa Café: Lem Quon. Quon owned the space, and many claim to see him sitting in his favorite booth — booth number 8. Late at night, guests hear Frank Sinatra’s version of “New York New York” playing on repeat from a mysterious source.

Guests claim to have seen shadow people haunting the establishment as well, and who knows, they may be the ghosts of some of the celebrities who frequented the establishment when they were alive.

6. Big Nose Kate’s Saloon — Tombstone, Arizona

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The spectral story of Big Nose Kate’s Saloon involves a hidden network of underground tunnels, secret treasure, and a mysterious entity called “The Swamper.” Interestingly enough, the saloon named after the infamous outlaw, gambler, prostitute and name behind a whiskey brand owned by Melissa McCarthy was not owned by Kate.

The saloon itself shares that the property used to be the Grand Hotel, a lodging space that hosted the likes of Wyatt and Virgin Earp, Doc Holliday and other outlaws. Though locals have never claimed to see the spirits of these famous figures of the Old West, they have claimed to see the spirit of The Swamper. Some claim The Swamper was a handyman, miner and treasure hunter who worked at the saloon for his day job and slept in the basement when he needed to get away from the guests.

The Swamper dug a network of tunnels from the basement of Big Nose Kate’s to a labarynth of mineshafts underneath Tombstone, and according to Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, eventually found a giant vein of silver.  Bit by bit, he mined away at the silver and hid it away somewhere. To this day, where The Swamper’s silver stash is remains a mystery.

Patrons of Big Nose Kate’s Saloon have seen apparitions of The Swamper. One employee at Big Nose Kate’s saloon felt cold hands wrapped around her throat. Guests have heard singing from disembodied voices and seen silverware fly off the tables of its own volition. Waitresses who enter the basement often feel hands pushing them down the stairs. Maybe it’s The Swamper, protecting his hidden treasure…

5. Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House — Bourbon Street, New Orleans

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We would be remiss if we didn’t have at least one New Orleans bar on this list. If there are two things the Big Easy is known for, it’s cocktails and… well…. ghosts. The Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street dates back to 1807 and is rumored to be the place where President Andrew Jackson met with the notorious pirate Jean Lafitte to help defend the city of New Orleans from the British during the War of 1812.

Atlas Obscura reports that during Prohibition, the bar was so famous that the government intended to get rid of it to demonstrate the end of alcohol. Fortunately, Lafitte’s bar was moved to a secret warehouse during Prohibition. It was reopened in 2004, and according to New Orleans Ghosts, locals say Jean Lafitte’s ghost still hangs out in the building on the second floor where he apparently had his meeting with Andrew Jackson.

The organization reports that Lafitte likes to party, and guests often bear witness to “ghost parties.” Clinking glasses, loud laughter and apparitions of the pirate can be seen at the Old Absinthe House. Sometimes, visitors have sworn they’ve seen the ghost of the former president himself having a drink with the pirate, proving that the playful spirit of Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House lives on.

4. The Blind Tiger Pub — Charleston, South Carolina

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Charleston is an old city with roots that date back to the late 1600s. With a history like that, there are bound to be haunted places like The Blind Tiger. The Blind Tiger opened in 1992 in a historic building and takes its name from a term given to houses of “ill repute,” according to the pub. Charleston had strict alcohol laws, and the building that houses The Blind Tiger reflects that.

A network of underground tunnels beneath the pub hearkens back to a time when drinking and gambling were illegal in Charleston, according to U.S. Ghost Adventures. But creepy underground tunnels aren’t the only thing this bar is known for. The Blind Tiger is apparently haunted by the ghost of a woman named Helen.

Local lore says that Helen was a young woman who fell off the roof of the building — whether she jumped remains a mystery. She was brought inside and people tried to revive her, but she died inside what is now The Blind Tiger Pub. Helen is a mischievous ghost who likes to prank the bartenders, and she likes to drop glasses off the shelves.

Count On News 2 reported in 2020 that the General Manager at the time shared some of Helen’s antics.

“Glasses will fall off the shelf or I’ve had employees says they’ve had a coffee mug fly across the room and hit them in the back. I don’t know if that’s a tale to cover up a broken mug, but I believe her.”

Helen’s antics appear to be all in the spirit of good fun, yet we’re sure she keeps the staff at The Blind Tiger on their toes.

3. Silver Dollar Saloon — Marysville, California

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VinePair reports that the Silver Dollar Saloon used to be a brothel until the early ’70s and some of the prostitutes who plied their trade in the building have never left. Time Out reports that a “wraith in a white ballgown” likes to terrorize children who frequent the establishment, so it’s probably best to leave the kids at home if you plan on visiting this one.

If that isn’t terrifying enough, this antique building hosts an even darker history. Locals suspect some of the ghosts haunting the establishment were victims of a serial killer who was active in Marysville. Before it was the Silver Dollar Saloon, the outlet reports it was called The Guadalajara Café and was owned by Juan Corona’s family. Corona was a notorious serial killer who murdered 25 migrant workers.

Locals believe they were murdered within the walls of the establishment, and their tormented spirits still haunt the place.

2. Tiger’s Tap Room at Hotel Congress —Tucson, Arizona

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Tiger’s Tap Room is an iconic spot where famous musicians have dropped in for a drink, including Lemmy from Mötorhead, Fiona Apple and ZZ Top according to Hotel Congress.

The iconic bar was renamed after the semi-retired bartender, Thomas “Tiger” Ziegler, who has been behind the stick in that location since 1959. The historic space has roots that date back to 1919 and sits in the Hotel Congress.

The historic hotel has seen no shortage of tragedy, and Fright Find reports that a woman shot herself in one of its rooms — room 242. The bullet hole is still visible inside the closet. Yet somehow, the spirits find themselves drawn to the bar.

Those who’ve had a drink at Tiger’s Tap Room swear they’ve seen spectral apparitions strolling through the bar. Patrons who have sneezed at the establishment have heard ghosts saying “bless you” — at least these spirits are polite.

1. Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop — Bourbon Street, New Orleans

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In 2020, Forbes reported on Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, posing the question of whether or not Lafitte’s might be the most haunted bar in America. It’s possible, though the outlet did report Lafitte’s famed grape daiquiris “hold enough Everclear to sedate a small horse,” and guests who have one too many will no doubt be seeing things that aren’t there.

Regardless, Lafitte’s is definitely one of the older bars in America and was built between 1722 and 1732. It is believed the property was used by Jean Lafitte — the same one who consorted with Andrew Jackson at Jean Lafitte’s Old Absinthe House — and his brother, Pierre, as part of their smuggling operation.

Many believe that the ghost of Jean Lafitte still makes appearances at the watering hole, and Forbes claims patrons of the bar have often seen his full-body apparition hanging out by the fireplace on the first floor. Guests also report having seen a more sinister type of activity, a pair of demonic red eyes that stare at them out of the first-floor corners of the room. Now, that’s one way to get people out of the bar at last call.