Most Haunted Places in the Carolinas

You can find ghosts all over the Carolinas, but some places have many more specters than others.  For example, Charleston (SC) is full of ghosts. I’ve been asked during media interviews why some places are more haunted than others. I believe it is because some cities are so old that much has transpired over the years. Charleston was founded in 1670 and is considered a ‘City of Firsts’. The first shot of the Civil War was fired in Charleston Harbor at Fort Sumter, and Charleston boasts the world’s first successful submarine attack against the Union warship Housatonic during the Civil War. Charleston had the country’s first golf course, first Jockey Club, first passenger train, first railway mail service, first prescription drug store, first Chamber of Commerce, first lighthouse in the state, first musical society, first science museum, first theatre…you get the idea, a lot has happened here!

Also, ghosts can be found where old lighthouses and plantations are located ( or once stood ) and where bloody wars were fought, such as the Yemasee Indian War (Daufuskie Island), Revolutionary War, and the Civil War.

I have included links to tourism information for your convenience. Please do not contact me to complain that Aiken or Walterboro is not on this list! I am only including places with an abundance of ghosts. Use this contact information as a starting point for finding out about haunted places. You’ll notice that I did not include a list of haunted places in the Carolinas. That is because there are too many! Also, a list is not sufficient. Next you’ll want to know the whole backstory as to who haunts it and why and when was the last sighting and so on…This information can be found in ghost books, such as The Best Ghost Tales of North Carolina and Ghosts and Legends of the Carolina Coasts.

There are some haunted inns that you can not only visit, but where you can actually spend the night, such as is The Carriage House Inn on Battery Park in Charleston, and the Reed House B & B in Asheville or the Grove  Park Inn (also in Asheville). Tourism officials and locals are usually all too happy to share their great stories with visitors.  You can do a basic search online using keywords and you may also choose to read books that have been written on the subject. All of my ghost books include a street address for a haunted place and any other info I feel will be helpful. For example, the best time to see the Brown Mountain Lights is in the fall around 9 p.m. There are several suggestions as to the best spot but I believe Wiseman’s View Overlook is where you should go.

North Carolina

Asheville Convention and Visitors Bureau can be reached at their website, or (828) 258-6108.

Crystal Coast Tourism Authority includes Cape Lookout, Atlantic Beach, Beaufort, Morehead City, Emerald Isle, and Pine Knoll Sholls. (877) 206-0929.

New Bern/Craven County Convention and Visitors Bureau. (252) 637-9400 or (800) 437-5767.

Outer Banks Visitors Bureau has information for the entire upper coast of NC. (877) 629-4386.

Wilmington/Cape Fear Coast Convention & Visitors Bureau has tourism information for everything south of the Crystal Coast except Bald Head Island and Ocean Isle.
(877) 406-2356.

South Carolina

Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau has lots of brochures, free parking, walking maps, a film presentation, and more. 375 Meeting Street. (843) 853-8000 or (800) 868-8118.

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center is at 531 Front Street (waterfront) and offers visitors ample parking in the sometimes hard to find parking Historic District. (843) 546-8436 or (800) 777-7705.

Greater Beaufort Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center is at 1106 Carteret Street. (843) 524-3163 or (800) 638-3525.

Hilton Head Island Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau is located at One Chamber Drive, HH. (843) 785-3673 or (800) 523-3373.