Haunted hotels, cemeteries, & more: 7 spooky spots to visit around Colorado this fall

Spooky season is upon us, making for the perfect time to experience some of Colorado’s historic spots.

Here are seven haunted locations to visit around Colorado if you’re looking for a slight scare:

1. The Stanley Hotel

This haunted hotel in Estes Park inspired Stephen King to write “The Shining” after his visit. Children’s laughter is said to fill deserted hallways, and piano music can be heard from the empty ballroom.

This year Peacock and Blumhouse are hosting Overnightmare, an immersive overnight experience at the hotel from Oct. 18 – 20. The event will include “electrifying scares, interactive activities, shady characters, and heart-pounding horror.” The experiences will be themed to the Blumhouse films “Insidious,” “The Purge,” “Freaky,” and “Happy Death Day.” The Stanley also hosts many other activities and events, including The Shining Ball, Trivia Haunt, and tours that highlight the spookiest parts of the hotel.

2. Highlands Ranch Mansion

This historic mansion reflects the lifestyle of early settlers and pioneers of what is now known as Highlands Ranch. The mansion is also allegedly haunted by Julia, the daughter of Frank Kistler (who was one of the mansion’s owners).

There are plenty of opportunities to experience the mansion during the spooky season, including the Spirits with the Spirits Mansion Tours. These tours will take place on the first four Wednesdays in October from 6:30 – 9 p.m. Guests will follow their guides through the dimly lit mansion, hearing the “mysterious, spine-chilling experiences” and history of the place, all while sipping on beer, wine, soda, or cocktails.

The Highlands Ranch Mansion will also hold an outdoors-only “Last Stop” Halloween event on Oct. 31 from 6:30 – 9 p.m. There will be a DJ playing Halloween music and a cash bar, and guests can also trick-or-treat.

3. Central City Masonic Cemetery

Supposedly haunted by a woman who appears twice a year to place flowers at the grave of John Cameron, this cemetery is part of the Gilpin County Historical Society’s Creepy Crawl tour. The Creepy Crawl takes visitors to Central City’s scariest sites and will take place Oct. 11, 12, 18, and 19.

4. Hotel Colorado

Sign for Hotel Colorado. Photo Credit: ablokhin (iStock). (ablokhin)
Sign for Hotel Colorado. Photo Credit: ablokhin (iStock). (ablokhin)

In Glenwood Springs, this hotel is home to plenty of paranormal activity, including the sound of a woman wailing and the lights unexpectedly flickering. Hotel Colorado was also leased to the U.S. Navy for use as a hospital in 1943. The hotel is hosting a Halloween Ball on Oct. 25 from 7 – 11 p.m. The event will take place in the Devereux Ballroom and Colorado Ballrooms and will include a DJ, cash bar, costume contest, horror movies, and ghost tours of the hotel.

5. Molly Brown House Museum

Molly Brown House Museum. Photo Credit: RiverNorthPhotography (iStock). (RiverNorthPhotography)
Molly Brown House Museum. Photo Credit: RiverNorthPhotography (iStock). (RiverNorthPhotography)

Lightbulbs allegedly unscrew themselves and the door to the kitchen opens and closes itself at the Molly Brown House. Molly Brown was a Titanic survivor and is now known for her charitable, philanthropic, and humanitarian status.

The museum will host the Victorian Horrors theater program three weekends in October in which “deathly tales written by well-known but long-gone authors” will be read by local actors. The “Is Mrs. Brown Still Here?” event will take place on Oct. 29, where participants will learn about various ghost-hunting methods in the house.

6. Cripple Creek

Cripple Creek, Colorado. Photo Credit: Boogich (iStock). (Boogich)
Cripple Creek, Colorado. Photo Credit: Boogich (iStock). (Boogich)

As a former mining camp, Cripple Creek is a hot spot for haunted sites. Buffalo Billy’s Casino is said to be inhabited by the spirit of a young girl who draws on the walls and makes bar glasses fly through the air. The Colorado Grande Casino is reportedly home to Maggie, an Irish woman from the turn of the century who plays slots after hours. The Hotel St. Nicholas and Mt. Pisgah Cemetery are some other haunted places to stop by when exploring Cripple Creek.

7. Cheesman Park

Cheesman Park. Photo courtesy david_shankbone via Flickr.
Cheesman Park. Photo courtesy david_shankbone via Flickr.

This graveyard-turned-park was Denver’s first cemetery. When it was converted to a public park in the late 1800s, an attempt was made to move bodies. However, it is believed that many are still buried underneath the park, leading to paranormal occurrences. There will be 90-minute ghost tours of the park from Sept. 25 to Nov. 14. Participants will hear stories of paranormal activity and learn about how bodies were removed from the cemetery by “questionable means,” all while exploring the park.

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The Stanley Hotel. Photo Credit: gregobagel (iStock). (gregobagel)
The Stanley Hotel. Photo Credit: gregobagel (iStock). (gregobagel)

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