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Explore Spooky Sites Along Upstate New York’s Haunted History Trail

posted by Teresa Farrell at 2023-09-14 09:53:00

Spooky season is upon us, and what better way to get in the spirit of Halloween than by exploring some of Upstate New York’s most haunted spots? There are hundreds throughout the state, many of which area featured on New York’s Haunted History Trail.


Spanning more than 400 miles, the Haunted History Trail is home to more than 90 creepy sites in every part of the state, from the Capital Region, the Catskills and the Hudson Valley to the Adirondacks, the Thousand Islands and Seaway Trail, Central and Western New York to the Finger Lakes and the Chautauqua-Allegheny region. No matter where in Upstate New York you’re located, you’re sure to find some paranormal activities to enjoy this time of year along the trail.


Explore cemeteries, historic inns, mansions and other buildings, abandoned asylums, and dozens of other spooky spots where people swear they’ve seen a ghost. Take an afternoon tour, savor a spooky meal at a haunted restaurant, climb to the top of a haunted lighthouse, enjoy an evening excursion through the cemetery by candlelight, or even spend the night in a haunted locale. The choices are endless—as long as you don’t chicken out!

In addition to the landmarks, which can be found along the trail and beyond, there are several special events and tours taking place in haunted locales throughout the season. Western New York is brimming with them: in addition to famous ghost hunts at Rolling Hills Asylum, a haunted spot so well-known that Haunted North America considers it the
second most haunted site in the United States, there are also ghost tours being offered throughout October in cities and towns like Buffalo, Hamburg, Batavia, East Aurora, Lockport and Lewiston.


While a lot of the activity is concentrated in the western part of the state, the rest of Upstate offers plenty of ghost tours as well. The Thousand Islands-Seaway region city of Oswego offers haunted tours around town. In Central New York, Cooperstown offers candlelight ghost tours around town as well as haunted tours of the historic Hyde Hall. In the Finger Lakes, you take a ghost walk around the towns of Canandaigua or Lyons. Meanwhile, in Binghamton, the haunted Roberson Mansion will open its doors for haunted tours throughout the month as well.


Further southeast, in the Hudson Valley town of Kingston, you can explore the haunted Old Dutch Church Cemetery on tours throughout October. In the Capital Region, Haunted Saratoga Ghost Tours offers 90-minute walking tours of haunted sites in the Spa City. A bit further north, in the Adirondacks, you can take a candlelit ghost tour to visit the spirits still said to roam Fort William Henry in Lake George.


Of course, this is only a starting point; it would take a lifetime (or an afterlife?) to explore all the places to experience a little paranormal activity in Upstate New York. Some are open year-round, others with limited hours or by appointment only, so check before you go, but the options are endless—the only limit is how much haunting you can handle!


PHOTO CREDITS
Phelps mansion photo credit Haunted History Trail of New York State
Rolling Hills Asylum photo credit Haunted History Trail of NYS
Old Dutch Church Cemetery photo credit Haunted History Trail of NYS
Hyde Hall photo credit Haunted History Trail
 

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