Haunted, Creepy Places You’ll Want To See For Yourself in North Alabama
Y’all know I love a good haunted adventure and North Alabama definitely offers up some spine tingling opportunities.
I’ve searched for and found some haunted, creepy places you’re going to want to visit on your next North Alabama trip.
Plus, we’ve included 5 ghost tours and paranormal investigations in North Alabama that you won’t want to miss.
Check out these other things to do in North Alabama:
7 unique trails found only in North Alabama
12 of the best places to eat and foodie trails to take in North Alabama
7 one-of-a-kind reasons to visit North Alabama
7 memorable spots to get outside in North Alabama
5 Haunted, Creepy Places You’ll Want To See For Yourself in North Alabama
Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville
This is the largest and oldest cemetery in Huntsville. There are over 80,000 final resting places located here. It may be the final destination for a lot of people, but there is also a lot of unexplained phenomena that goes bump in the night here. From ghostly encounters to spectra apparitions to hearing strange noise.
The one area of the cemetery that seems to be most haunted is the Dead Children’s Playground. Here, there are reports of swings moving by themselves when the air is deadly still and child-like ghosts frolicking about the play area.
A playground next to a cemetery is extra creepy vibes in my opinion, but this is also the place I’d be hanging out to try to have an otherworldly encounter.
Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll
Want a bit of history with your hauntings? The Maple Hill Cemetery offers living history strolls with more than 75 costumed characters, one of the largest in the U.S., that bring the history of Huntsville to life.
This event is free and happens each fall.
More About Dead Children’s Playground (aka Maple Hill Park) at Maple Hill Cemetery
So, officially, the playground isn’t located IN the cemetery, but instead is right next to it. However, the story goes that the 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic was cruel and unforgiving to the children in the area and they are laid to rest in the plots right next to the park.
So, it makes sense that if they loved a playground in life they may find some afterlife joy playing at one in spirit form. The park had old metal, creaky swing sets and stories abounded about the swings moving on their own. In my head, I can hear that eerie, bone-chilling noise of metal against metal (creeaaaaak, creeeakkk) and it sets all the goosebumps off on my skins (shudder). Apparitions I’m ok with, watching things move that shouldn’t be moving kinda freaks me out.
Today, the old metal swing sets have been replaced with the new, upgraded equipment but the stories are still around of swings moving on their own and hearing kids laughter echoing across the park when there are no kids there.
Huntsville’s Historic Depot
Built in 1860 the historic depot in Huntsville is reportedly haunted by Civil War soldiers. During the war, Union forces used the depot as a prison and apparently some of the soldiers have refused to leave.
It’s the oldest surviving train depot in Alabama, but is now a museum where you can see graffiti from the soldiers and, if you’re lucky, you might see a ghostly spirit or two.
The most haunted places in the depot appear to be on the second and third floors.
There are additional reports of a train engineer that paces the platform.
Drish House in Tuscaloosa
In the late 1800’s the Drish House was not a lucky place to be. In 1867, John Drish fell down the stairs and yeeted himself right out of this reality. His wife, Sarah, kept all the candles from her husband’s funeral to use at her own funeral in the far, distant future.
Unfortunately for Sarah, that future wasn’t as far away as she probably hoped and she passed away in 1884. Her family knew of her wishes for the same candles to be used at her funeral, but after extensively searching the house they were unable to find them.
I can hear Sarah trying to yell through void telling her family to “look on the top shelf of the closest in the guest bedroom” or some such, but of course, they don’t and the right candles don’t get used and now you have a pissed off spirit on your hands. Or, at least, that may be how the story went.
It was after Sarah’s death and the wrong candles being used that seemed to be the catalyst for strange happenings around the house. The weirdest being that of people seeing a fire in the third-story tower when no fire is there and ghostly light shining out of the house.
I guess she never got over her snit about the candles because weird occurrences still happen to this day.
Weeden House
There is over 200 years of history at the Weeden House which is a lot of time to build up the history to be considered one of the most haunted houses in the Huntsville area.
Stories of clocks chiming that have no working parts, to a rocking chair that moves around the house and exterior walls that the paint just peels away from and gives it a “crying” appearance.
It’s thought that the house is haunted, in part, by Maria Howard Weeden who lived the entirety of her earthly life in the house. I guess she just decided her house was better than anything on the other side and she’s decided to stick around.
With over 200 years of history my guess is there could be any number of ghostly spirits roaming the halls.
History tours of the house are available, but the best way to learn more is on a Huntsville Ghost Walk.
5 Ghost Tours and Investigations in Haunted North Alabama
Huntsville Ghost Walk
September and October is your time to take the popular Huntsville Ghost Walk. Stories told on the walk have been thoroughly research so that you hear the local history and not a fabrication tale.
Costumed storytellers offer up tours in one of three historic districts. Twickenham (think Weeden House), Old Town (a replica of the Salem Witch house), and Downtown (around the Square).
Pick one or take all three for an in-depth haunted history tour of Huntsville.
Athens Haunt Walks
You don’t have to believe in ghosts to enjoy the Athens Haunt Walks…though having a hunger for history and the mysterious and unexplained does make the journey more fun
During Athens Haunts Walk, experienced and entertaining tour guides tell spooky stories of paranormal activity at 13 local structures.
Stories include the college student who fell to her death and is said to still roam the halls at Athens State University’s Founders Hall and the great 1893 fire that burned the wooden buildings on Marion Street.
Tours include a stop at Founders Hall where the students of the then-named Athens Female Institute watched Union and Confederate soldiers battle and the steps of the Houston Library where a crowd gathered on the night voters elected George Houston as the state’s first governor after reconstruction.
Haunted History of the Shoals Ghost Walk
Tour the Downtown Florence Alabama Haunted Historic District At Night with author and tour guide, Debra Glass.
For over twenty years, we have included the most famous haunted locations on this spirited walk through the haunted historic district and hidden courtyards of Florence, Alabama.
On The Downtown Florence Haunted History of the Shoals Ghost Walk Tour you’ll visit:
Downtown Florence’s most haunted restaurant. We’ll show you where to eat at a haunted location
The infamous spot where the meanest man who ever lived in Florence met a grisly fate
A Civil War hospital where the victims still haunt the living
Homes of famous residents whose ghosts still walk the halls of their past live
Friday 13 Haunted Halloween Ghost Hunt ,The Lowry House Huntsville, Alabama with Southern Ghost Girls
The extremely haunted and mysterious Lowry House in Huntsville. One of the Most Significant Homes in Alabama to have a Civil War History.
The Home Holds a Sad Love Story that Ended In Tragedy for the Occupants in the Home that has led to the Lady in White Apparation being seen many times in the front Bedroom. Investigate to see if she is still lingering there.
The Home was also part of the Underground Railroad. There have been many sightings and noises in the house that could be the Spirits of those desperate souls. A Full Bodied Apparition was seen in the Kitchen.
Other strange things have happened and it is said that there are several bodies buried on the grounds of the property in unmarked graves.
Old South Pittsburg Hospital with Southern Ghost Girls
Note, this is coming up quickly on October 7th so be sure to make plans now!
Haunted Old South Pittsburg Hospital in South Pittsburg, Tennessee located Just across the Alabama State Line. This place will not disappoint! It has been featured on the Travel Channel on Destination Fear and several other TV shows!
Be prepared to encounter things that you will not be able to explain. Investigate the 3 Story building that has a haunted and unique history. The hospital sits atop a natural underground spring.
Water is known to be a conductor of energy and spirits. Dating back to 1778 when the “Chiaha” Tribe occupied the land to the Civil War times where Turmoil occurred on the land where Union Soldiers, Confederate Soldiers, Chiaha and Cherokee Tribesmen lost their lives the land has been a place of injury, illness, death and destruction.