By Marnie Kunz

Haunted New York has a surprising amount of creepy places and ghastly sightings, from Amityville Horror House and Lake Placid to the Headless Horseman’s stomping grounds in Sleepy Hollow. Whether you want to celebrate Halloween with some spooky adventures or learn about local history, this guide includes 21 of the most haunted spots to check out in New York state. If you’re looking for a ghoulish getaway from New York City, read on for ideas. And don’t forget to check out my Haunted Brooklyn Guide for more haunts in the boroughs of NYC.

Haunted New York State

1. New York State Capitol, Albany

One of the more surprising tales of haunted New York is the state Capitol in Albany. The storied building’s history includes a 1911 fire that killed Samuel Abbott, a Civil War veteran and 78-year-old night watchman whose ghost is said to make rounds on the fourth and fifth floors, jingling keys, turning out lights, and testing doorknobs. The supernatural tales also include a demon carved in the building’s stone, the spirit of a disgruntled artist who painted some of the murals in the building, and more.

If you want to experience the paranormal side of New York’s Capitol, there are free Capitol Haunting Tours throughout October. You can book tickets here.

2. Lake Placid

The picturesque lake nestled in New York’s Adirondack Mountains is one of the most haunted places in New York. The lake is home to more than water sports - Lake Placid’s ghost stories are legendary and plentiful. One of the most well-known is the story of the Lady in the Lake, which is said to be the ghost of Mabel Smith Douglass. Mabel was rowing on the lake on Sept. 21, 1933, and went missing for almost 30 years, until her body was discovered in the lake. She was at the bottom of the lake, with a rope tied around her neck and a 50-pound anchor. To this day, the circumstances around her death remain unsolved, and many people claim to see her ghost by Pulpit Rock, where her body was found.

3. Buffalo Central Terminal

Historic Buffalo Central Terminal opened in 1928 and served as the city’s rail hub until its closing in 1979. But some passengers didn’t get the memo, as their spirits are said to roam the dilapidated building’s corridors. You may meet a ghost named Rose in the old baggage terminal or see some of the spirits of World War II soldiers whose remains were sent to the station to be claimed during the war. Learn more about the paranormal phenomenon and explore Trolly Lobby yourself on a ghost tour.

4. Canfield Casino

Scenic Saratoga Springs is home to the haunted Canfield Casino. The historic building was constructed in the late 1800s and opened as Saratoga Club House. The gambling house has become known for paranormal occurrences, with people smelling cigar smoke when no one is smoking, objects moving in rooms that had been locked for the night, sudden freezing temperatures, and a woman dressed in a Victorian gown roaming the hallways. Check out the Saratoga Springs Ghost Tour to explore the casino and learn more about this haunted New York spot.

5. Burn Brae Mansion

This Victorian bed and breakfast at the foot of the Catskills in Glen Spey, New York, has a history dating back to the early 1900s. Paranormal happenings at the haunted mansion include reports of a ghostly woman pacing the hallways, unexplained noises, footsteps, and music from an unseen piano. The haunted New York bed and breakfast is open for overnight stays or murder mystery dinners for the morbid and curious.

6. Sagamore Hotel

The Sagamore Hotel on Lake George in Bolton Landing is not only a haunted New York spot but was also named one of the 10 most haunted hotels in the nation. The upscale 19th-century resort has experienced plenty of paranormal activity, including laughing children in the hallways. There are reports of the spirit of a little boy who was hit by a car in the 1950s who throws golf balls at people on the golf course. Other spiritual sightings include a couple fighting in the dining room and the man flings his lover to the floor and she reaches for him from the carpet, only to fade away. According to reports, a blonde woman once spoke to a hotel chef, then walked right through him, causing him to quit on the spot. You can book a stay at the luxury hotel and experience the supernatural for yourself.

7. Iron Island Museum

This Buffalo museum and former funeral home has so much paranormal activity that the Discovery Channel and "Ghost Hunters” came to check it out and witnessed voices, shadows, orbs of light, and other evidence of lingering spirits. One of the ghosts said to haunt the museum is Edgar Zernicke, whose ashes were discovered in the basement of the old funeral home.

8. Hyde Hall

This expansive estate in Cooperstown, New York, was built over two decades beginning in 1817. It became the largest private residence in the U.S. But the owner, George Clarke, died within a year of the home’s completion. Ever since then, paranormal activity has been detected, with ghost sightings, footsteps in the hallways, and sheets being pulled off of beds. The family crypt completes the chilling atmosphere of the expansive estate.

9. Forest Park Cemetery in Brunswick

Although most cemeteries have an element of paranormal phenomena, Forest Park Cemetery in Brunswick, New York, has more than its share. The cemetery dates back to the 1850s and has a long history of ghastly occurrences, including a decapitated statue of an angel that reportedly bleeds from the neck, mausoleum doors collapsing, and missing caskets.

Hauntings in Westchester and Long Island

10. Amityville - The Amityville Horror House

Long Island is home to more than suburbs - the horrific murders of the Amityville home on the south shore of Long Island shocked the nation and inspired movies, books, and true crime podcasts galore. On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed six members of his family in the house - his parents, two sisters, and two brothers. Tales of hauntings by families who moved in since then have become the subject of haunted house lore ever since, with some debate as to what is really accurate outside of the grisly murders and family dysfunction.

The original Amityville Horror House at 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville, New York, still exists but with a changed address for the privacy of the current owners (unlike the other places on this list, it is not a destination trip unless you want to just drive by).

11. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery

Sleepy Hollow, New York, is the legendary setting of Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and the Headless Horseman, a gothic tale that has become a Halloween classic. One summer day, I had the chance to visit the historic Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where the author is buried. Although I did not see any ghosts on this day trip from NYC, the creepy vibe is strong in the old cemetery, which makes for a great spooky adventure. Many people claim to see the ghost of the Headless Horseman riding by the cemetery at night. (I didn’t stay late enough to find out). Also, the cemetery is dog-friendly as long as your dog is leashed.

Spirits in the Finger Lakes Region

12. Rolling Hills Asylum

Rolling Hills Asylum is said to be a hotbed of paranormal activity, with the disaffected spirits of the former asylum residents and what was formerly called the Genesee County Poor Farm in East Bethany, New York.

The asylum, dating back to the 1820s, housed orphans, indigent people, those deemed mentally or physically unable to care for themselves, elderly people, and criminals.

Today the asylum has decaying furniture and remnants from its former tenants, and the second floor of the east wing - called the Shadow People Hallway - is said to be full of paranormal happenings. Tales of ghosts around the asylum include sightings of a cruel nurse who worked at the asylum, one large inmate who suffered from gigantism, and spirit sightings in the potter’s fields where thousands of people were buried in unmarked graves. “American Horror Story: Asylum” was filmed at the asylum.

13. Naples Hotel

This historic Naples Hotel was built in 1818 as a tavern and expanded to include a hotel and restaurant. The haunted New York spot is said to be home to several spirits, including resident ghost Alice and her children who sit in the front dining room, two men in one of the hotel rooms who flicker lights, and a Civil War soldier who was seen floating down the basement steps. Flickering lights, moving hangers, and movement in artwork have all reportedly occurred at the old hotel in Naples, New York. You can experience the hotel for yourself by booking a room at the Naples Hotel.

14. Palmyra Historical Museum

The town of Palmyra in the Finger Lakes region of New York is full of ghastly occurrences, including at the Palmyra Historical Museum. A young mother and her six children died in a fire at the former residential property In 1964, and there have been reports of paranormal activity ever since, including the smell of burning, toys flying off shelves, and the sounds of children’s footsteps and laughter.

15. Landmark Theater

Syracuse’s Landmark Theater has a resident ghost named Clarissa who was said to have fallen to her death from the theater’s balcony. Theater-goers have reported cold air, scents of lilac, and a snow-white ghost floating around. You can experience the paranormal possibilities on a visit to the historic Landmark Theater.

16. Fort Ontario

Ghosts are said to haunt Fort Ontario, in Oswego, New York. The historic site dates back to 1755 and the French and Indian War. Hundreds of slain souls - civilians and soldiers - have been killed at the fort, and some still roam the grounds, according to reports. People have witnessed a ghostly child, a woman in an upstairs window, and strange lights and music. Check out the paranormal activity for yourself at the state historic site (which is also dog-friendly if you want to bring your pup).

17. Sylvan Beach Amusement Park

If you hear screams at Sylvan Beach Amusement Park, it may not be from people on rides. The spooky vintage amusement park in Sylvan Beach, New York, was highlighted on an episode of Ghost Hunters titled “Scream Park.” Paranormal phenomena are widely reported, with poltergeist activity, shadow figures appearing in photos, and much more.

18. Belhurst Castle and Winery

Belhurst Castle resort in Geneva has a long, twisted history and reports of ghosts haunting the buildings on the grounds. The most prominent is the ghost of Isabella, an opera singer who is said to have died when she was trying to escape with her lover and a tunnel collapsed on her. Staff report bottles and glasses flying around the bar, while guests have heard screams and sounds of children playing and furniture moving.

19. Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County

You’ll find more than books at Rundel Library, as paranormal activity is especially high in the stacks of books lining the shelves. In 1902, 26-year-old Laura Young’s body was found in the waterway underneath what is now the library stacks, where there have been reports of her ghastly figure as well as books flying through the air, voices, and motion sensors going off when no living person is there.

20. Woodlawn Cemetery

Cemeteries are natural places for spirits to dwell and Woodlawn Cemetery in the Finger Lakes region is a classic haunted New York cemetery. Nighttime visitors to the cemetery report being chased by a ghastly figure who patrols the grounds at night.

Paranormal Activity in Niagara

21. Lockport Caves

If you want to descend into a shadowy place, check out the Lockport Caves in Lockport, New York. The subterranean tunnels date back to 1788 when the Holland Land Company acquired the land and developed the Clintons Ditch in 1805. Plenty of paranormal activity has been detected in the depths of the caverns, including people seeing faces in the water, a strange mist, voices, moans, and footsteps. Ghost Hunters explored the caves and called them “tunnels of terror.”

Bonus: Haunted Hotel in Nichols, NY

The Fainting Goat Island Inn, voted USA Today’s #1 Best Haunted Hotel in the U.S., serves up ghastly encounters in a cozy Victorian atmosphere. If you're feeling daring, you can even book a room and sleep in the haunted hotel and decide for yourself if the ghost stories are true. The Haunted History Trail of New York State has more details on the paramormal happenings at the hotel.

Have you been to any of these haunted New York places? New Yorkers, are there any I missed? Comment below or follow and tag @Runstreet on Instagram to share your top spooky spots.👀 Looking for even more creepy spots in New York? Check out my haunted Brooklyn guide.

Marnie Kunz is a NASM-certified trainer and USATF- and RRCA-certified running coach, dog lover, Akita mom, and writer based in Brooklyn, NY. She is the founder of Runstreet.

Haunted New York State: 21 Spooky Spots to See