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Forget fall foliage and apple picking — the real fun this season comes from creaks in the night and shivers up one’s spine. Whether the goal is to experience the thrill of the paranormal or just to take in a historic setting, here are some of the most haunted options around the country to enjoy a spirit — in both senses of the word.
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1. The Biltmore Hotel, Miami
Back in its heydey, the grandeur of the historic Biltmore in Coral Gables attracted all types — including a mobster Thomas “Fatty” Welch, who met his untimely demise at the hotel in 1929. During World War II, the hotel was converted to a soldier’s hospital before being restored as a hotel in 1987. Customers claim the spirits of soldiers wander the halls, and Fatty Welch occasionally causes a ruckus. At the elegant lounge accented with dark wood, order a classic martini, executed perfectly, as a salute to the parties of yore.
(Note: This isn’t the only Biltmore with ghosts: The Los Angeles Biltmore is the last place Elizabeth Short aka the Black Dahlia was seen alive. The Gallery Bar and Cognac Room offers a cocktail named after her: citrus vodka with kahlua and one part blood-red Chambord).[/split_line_heading][split_line_heading]
2. The Basement Tavern, Los Angeles
Find the hidden entrance in this elegant Victorian house-turned-wedding-venue and enter a bar bursting with live music. However, it seems bass tones aren’t the only things causing the walls to shake. The house was built in 1892, but moved to its current location in 1973, and apparently, the spirits of former residents came too. Employees of the bar have dubbed the harmless elderly spectre “Delia” and concocted a bourbon-based drink in her name.[/split_line_heading][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” bg_image=”6275″ bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” parallax_bg=”true” parallax_bg_speed=”slow” bg_color=”#444444″ scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” top_padding=”14%” bottom_padding=”14%” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” top_padding=”30″ overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][split_line_heading]
3. Il Buco, New York City
The famed Italian restaurant is haunted by more than just fans of Aziz Ansari’s “Master of None.” A previous iteration of the building was a favorite of Edgar Allen Poe, and the massive wine cellar (which is over 200 years old and houses over 500 bottles) is a former speakeasy rumored to have inspired his tale “The Cask of Amontillado.” Some claim his ghost returns to partake of the wine, though the owners seem more likely to blame the staff (however, they have reported the spirit of a woman in the cellar). Ghosts or not, the restaurant boasts some of the best Italian food in New York City — just be sure the wine bottle hasn’t been “possessed.”[/split_line_heading][split_line_heading]
4. Driskill Hotel Bar, Austin
Dating back to 1886, The Driskill has maintained its status as a monument to Texas luxury, but its storied history holds dark twists. For example, peals of laughter are sometimes heard on the mezzanine, reportedly from a girl who died after falling down stairs. There’s a gruesome tale of two brides dying by suicide in room 525 — 20 years apart to the day. The ghost of hotel’s first owner Colonel Jesse Driskill is also rumored to wander the halls, leaving the scent of cigar smoke. However, positive energy fills the space as well: former president Lyndon Baines Johnson took Lady Bird to the hotel’s cafe for their first date. Pay homage with the Lady Bird cocktail, with tequila, St. Germain, Ruby Red Grapefruit, and mint.[/split_line_heading][split_line_heading]
5. Villa Paul Restaurant, The Hamptons
Passed through three generations of the Pensa family, this mansion-turned-restaurant is known for comforting Italian-American dishes, fresh seafood, and roast duck. The building traces its history back to 1804, when a log cabin occupied the property. The cabin had a “borning room,” reserved for births, illness, and death (this original structure still stands as the restaurant’s bathrooms). Understandably, a cemetery was built nearby. In the early 19th century, Judge Edward Lazansky moved in with his wife Cora, and upon his death, she decided to remove the cemetery’s headstones to make the property easier to sell. Thus, the restaurant is next to an untouched grass lot and home to a few spirits. Open a bottle of Barolo and be careful not to disturb the neighbors![/split_line_heading][/vc_column][/vc_row]