Dark Tourism Destinations for Fans of the Macabre

Opened in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is a National Historic Landmark that features a museum for tours seven days a week.

In addition to housing famous criminals, including mobster Al Capone, bank robber Willie Sutton and others, there are many paranormal experts who believe the facility is haunted. For Halloween, the prison is transformed into a world-renowned haunted house, dubbed Terror Behind the Walls.

The 142-room Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado, has become one of the most notorious haunted facilities in the United States. It was the inspiration for Stephen King's story and subsequent film, The Shining.

The Stanley Hotel has gained a reputation among paranormal investigators thanks in part to shows such as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. The facility also hosts guided ghost tours of hotel areas that have a paranormal history.

From the exterior, the bed and breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts, looks like any other historic building in the area. In reality, the Lizzie Borden House was the site of one of the most brutal and famous double murders in history.

In 1892, Lizzie Borden was charged with murdering her father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby Borden, by striking them repeatedly with a hatchet. While she was acquitted of the crimes, the house has become the center of paranormal attention and ghosts stories. The bedroom where Abby Borden was killed has become the most requested room at the bed and breakfast.

The former Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary located in San Francisco Bay is one of the most famous prisons in the world. With such a long history, the facility has been described as one of America's most haunted places.

Before the prison was ever built on Alcatraz Island, Native Americans talked about the evil spirits they believed were there. While officials from the National Park Service deny claims of ghosts in the buildings, people visit the prison to take part in tours of the creepy facility and judge for themselves.

Travelers looking for one of the most haunted locations in the world should look no further than the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia. The facility was forcibly closed in 1994 due to the poor treatment of its patients, and the paranormal reports began surfacing almost immediately.

With several paranormal television shows-including Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures and Paranormal Lockdown-finding tangible evidence of spirits, the site now hosts guided historic tours during the day and ghost hunts during evening hours.