Spooky Adventures and Haunted Places
How a stay at a haunted hotel turned into a new sort of adventure…with ghosts.
I was getting ready to check into The Stanley Hotel; my then twelve-year-old son and I were excited to stay at a haunted hotel and add to our spooky adventures. As we pulled into the parking lot, my son asked, “Why don’t we see if we can stay on the haunted floor?” I replied that I wasn’t interested in staying on the haunted floor. You see, I was up for an adventure but only up to a certain point. I didn’t want to encounter ghosts, but I wanted to get close enough to have fun. My son’s reply? “You always tell me to ask, and the worst that can happen is they will tell us no.” Well shit. He was throwing my teaching back at me. So, I agreed. We’d ask.
Wouldn’t you know, the desk clerk was like, “Sure! We can accommodate that.” He then proceeded to tell us his own ghost stories, tales he experienced himself…on the 4th floor…the haunted floor, as he checked us into the hotel.
We made it through the night. After the evening ghost tour, we headed to the room and turned on Ghost Adventures. Did I sleep that night? Barely. I was creeped out. But we had fun, and thus began an intriguing relationship between me and my little ghost adventures.
The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado, The beginning of our spooky adventures

The Stanley Hotel is top of my list. The tale I mention above is a true story, a story of my first overnight experience here. The hotel plays up its haunted roots. They say they’re friendly ghosts. They told us that the ghosts would straighten things out if we left something in our room out of place or out of order. Hence, we carefully lined up our shoes after our evening ghost tour. We ensured to turn one set in the opposite direction…slightly. And guess what?! Before I went to bed, my shoes were in a perfect line. I still have doubts that my son didn’t do that himself to trick me, but who knows? Again, it was fun.
The hotel encourages you to walk around and take as many pictures as possible. The more images you take, the better chance of capturing a ghost. Being on the fourth floor, apparently the most haunted floor, we had a lot of traffic outside our door in the hallway with all those ghost hunters. My son would sit by the door and hit the doorstop, making a “boing” noise, causing people in the hallway to stop and ask, “what was that noise?” Again, it was fun. See a theme here?

After the ghost stories from the staff and the tour, I did not sleep well on the 4th floor this first night. Once the lights went out and the floor quieted, I had this disquieted feeling. It took me forever to fall asleep.

If you’re truly adventurous looking for some real spooky adventures, you can stay on the second floor in room 217, which is said to be the most haunted room in the hotel. Room 217 is where Stephen King was inspired to write “The Shining,” and the room that Jim Carrey suddenly decided to vacate in the middle of the night and asked to be moved out of the main building.

I’ve stayed twice at this hotel. I also sometimes visit just for a quick bite or a bourbon when I’m in town.

The Elms Hotel, Excelsior Springs, MO, a spooky adventure that wasn’t so spooky

I stood in the lobby feeling like I was taken back in time. Elegant and historic. My friend, Marie, had come home for her niece’s wedding. We had driven from St. Louis to Kansas City in a rented Dodge Challenger, attended the wedding, and then made our way to The Elm Hotel in Excelsior Springs, Missouri.

During our visit, the hotel didn’t like to talk much about their ghosts. When conversing with one of the staff asking why they didn’t have ghost tours, they said they thought the hotel management didn’t want to scare their “events” away. It is a great event hotel- a destination. The hotel has since changed their minds. Visit their website, and under The Elms Experience, you will see they fully embrace their ghosts now.
After Marie and I spent time in the spa, I got my handy Ghost Radar app out (don’t laugh!) and walked around the hotel looking for ghosts. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any.
Built in 1888, because of the healing spring waters in town, it burned down, not once, but twice. It was a getaway for the famous mobster Al Capone. One employee even told us about a police raid in the basement near the lap pool where one gangster was killed and is said to haunt that room.
Although we did have any ghostly experiences, it was still a fun spooky adventure.

The Inn at Cedar Grove, Vicksburg, MS,a very spooky adventure during my first stay, but my second was perfect

Currently under new ownership and recently reopened, this Vicksburg mansion lived through the Civil War, still carrying a cannonball in its wall as proof. I was in town for work and decided to try to stay somewhere new. I would typically stay at the casino where I was working. But I was looking for a change of scenery, a unique experience. I decided to stay here.
I was not expecting to have the experience I had, but was expecting a lovely historic bed and breakfast. By the time I settled into bed to sleep, I felt weird. What felt like a looming presence, someone watching me, kept me from sleeping soundly. I was not expecting this.
At the time, some quirky things in the room were slightly unsettling, contributing to my uneasiness. For instance, the room seemed recently repainted—all except for the area of the wall where the headboard stood. The painter decided not to move the bed when painting the wall.
There was also the walk-in closet, bare unfinished wood next to the head of the bed where I lay. I’d have to walk through it to the bathroom. I was super creeped out.
The staff never talked about the mansion ghosts. I was not thinking of staying at a haunted hotel when I decided to stay here. But as the night closed in, I was beginning to question what experience I was looking for.
It didn’t help that I was up at 4 am to begin an early shift at the casino. It was still dark when I walked through the courtyard, the frogs croaking very loudly. I’d never heard anything like it. I was somewhat relieved getting to the casino that morning.
UPDATE: 10/2022 The inn has opened! Check out their website.
I stayed since and it was very nice. I did have a talk with the ghosts and asked them to let me sleep. So my spooky adventures were less than the time before but still a lot of fun.
The McRaven House, Vicksburg, MS, the most haunted home in Mississippi

The McRaven house is not a hotel but is open for tours and events. Also, in Vicksburg, it claims to be the “most haunted house” in Mississippi. My colleague from town told me a story. He had heard that the last owner of the home suddenly sold it. The story goes he was renovating the house, and a ghost pushed him down the steps. This is all hearsay…is it true? I have no idea. But it was a good enough story for me to want to visit.
After lunch, I headed to the house. I was knocking on the door with the creepy yet lovely doorknocker in the shape of a hand. It turns out my visit didn’t coincide with the timing of the tours. So, I wasn’t able to tour the home. But I was able to walk around the property.

Once serving as a Confederate campsite and field hospital, the McRaven House claims to know who the ghosts are that is haunting the home.
You can read about them in the link.
Jailer’s Inn Bed and Breakfast, Bardstown, KY, where the inn keeper kept all the spooky adventures to himself until the tour the next morning

Stay in a 100-plus-year-old jail cell overnight? Why not? It sure sounded like fun for a mom and her teenage son. That is what we did. And it certainly felt like a creepy old jail cell! Yes, I was creeped out. Thankfully, the ghost stories didn’t start until the following day after breakfast, after I’d had a little sleep and a full tummy.
The room was just as expected for such an old jail cell. With original bunks, what looked like an original shower, and a steel door locking us inside, located in the old part of the jail.

I didn’t see or hear any ghosts that night, but I didn’t sleep well, with just a slight creep factor and a slight fear of rolling off the edge of the top bunk (I’m still not sure how I ended up on the top bunk).
Thankfully, the breakfast was fabulous. During breakfast, the owner tells ghost stories, gives you some history, answers any questions, and then gives a tour of the property. Out back is where the hangings would occur.
Don’t be fooled; there are beautiful rooms, and should you choose one, know that they were also jail cells at one time. BUT you won’t get the full effect as my son and I did.


Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tours, Knoxville, TN, a true spooky adventure

Leaving Bardstown, my son and I headed to Knoxville for more ghost adventures. This was truly a spooky adventure. I expected to walk around with a tour guide sharing haunted stories of downtown Knoxville. But instead, we were given ghost-hunting tools, and the guide trained us to search for ghosts. I felt somewhat silly; my son and I were talking to and searching for ghosts. But I have to say it was quite a bit of fun. Our tour guide not only taught us how to use the tools and search for ghosts but also enlightened us about the history of each area we walked. His historical knowledge was intriguing, and we had a fantastic time ghost-hunting.


The Lemp Mansion, St. Louis, MO

I’ve not been brave enough to stay at this house yet. Oh, but I’ve visited. My son, his friend, and I have had lunch here. It operates as a restaurant and inn. The website claims that CNN Travel selected the Lemp Mansion as one of the “10 Spookiest Buildings in the World”.
The Lemp Mansion was part of the Lemp family home and business, the Lemp Brewery, and the Falstaff beer brand back in the 1800s and early 1900s. Four members of the Lemp family died by suicide.
One time, my friend Marie and I visited the warehouses. A friend rented space in the warehouse. While there, we went into the basement looking for ghosts…maybe? Who knows, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. But it was creepy as all get out. I can almost see an image of one of the Lemp men in one of my photos (when I find that photo, I will post it. It suddenly disappeared!). And I’m sure that Elsa Lemp took Marie’s earing as it disappeared during our outing.
The basement leads to tunnels underground. The Lemps would store their beer here as it was the perfect temperature for the beer. They would also hold events there.
As we headed down, all the horror movies I watched when I was young flashed into my mind as we walked into the darkness. I hear myself screaming at the TV, “DONT GO IN THERE”!! It is a great story. We made it out alive to tell the tale.
Do you have ideas of haunted places to visit? Please share!
My Spooky Places and Haunted Places Recap
- The Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado Estes Park Hotel – The Historic Stanley Night Tour (stanleyhotel.com)
- The Elms Hotel, Excelsior Springs, MO Haunted Hotels Excelsior Springs | The Elms Hotel and Spa
- The Inn at Cedar Grove, Vicksburg, MS Home | Cedar Grove (cedargroveinn.com)
- The McRaven House, Vicksburg, MS GHOSTS | United States | McRaven Tour Home
- Jailers Inn Bed and Breakfast, Bardstown, KY Welcome – Jailer’s Inn Bed & Breakfast (jailersinn.com)
- Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tours, Knoxville, TN Haunted Knoxville Ghost Tours l Tennessee Ghoost Tours
- The Lemp Mansion, St. Louis, MO Is It Haunted? / The Lemp Mansion // St. Louis, Missouri, 63118 // 314-664-8024 // St. Louis Restaurant / St. Louis Inn / Lemp Museum / Lemp Gift Shop / Lemp Mansion Banquets / Lemp Mansion Weddings / St. Louis Event Venue / Lemp Mansion Trivia Night / Is Lemp Mansion Haunted / St. Louis Halloween/ World Famous Sunday Chicken Dinner / Lemp Experience / Mystery Dinner
Like this post? Check out Colorado Wanderer: The Armstrong Hotel and The Oldest Hotel In Denver.