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13 Chillingly Haunted Places in San Antonio, Texas

ByPaige Watts

A gruesome murder in a hotel room, a bloody battlefield that stretches across the historic district, and a cursed theatre — there’s a reason San Antonio is considered the most haunted city in Texas.

As soon as I heard how haunted San Antonio was, I was down to visit! While exploring, I kept running into stories tied to the Alamo, historic hotels, and some of the city’s oldest buildings. The mix of real history and local legends made it one of those places where the ghost stories seem to follow you around.

If you’re ready to explore for yourself, these are the haunted places in San Antonio I’d recommend for eerie history, local legends, and a few seriously spooky stops.

Silhouetted bagpiper stands in front of the illuminated Alamo at night in San Antonio, Texas. The historic church facade is highlighted, with "Crockett Hotel" sign visible.

Most Haunted Places in San Antonio

1. Menger Hotel

Menger Hotel in San Antonio, Texas at night with lit windows and a grand facade. Cars parked along the street.

The Menger Hotel has recorded 32 different spirits haunting its walls. The hotel is located just down the street from the Alamo and essentially sits on a battleground.

In 1898, Teddy Roosevelt recruited his Rough Riders from the hotel’s Menger Bar, and he is said to now haunt the bar still searching for recruits. Sallie White, a hotel maid who was brutally murdered by her husband, also often haunts the hotel and can be seen straightening up guests’ rooms.

Another apparition is that of Captain Richard King, once the owner of one of the largest ranches in the world, who was ill and chose to spend the last month of his life in his personal suite at the hotel. Guests may find him entering his old room, the King Ranch Room, through the wall where the door used to be before the hotel was remodeled.

Other ghostly sightings include: a woman in an old fashioned blue dress and wire-framed glasses knitting in the hotel’s original lobby; a man in a buckskin jacket and grey pants; and some “helpful” kitchen ghosts who like to transport utensils themselves.

When I visited, the most ghostly thing that happened was my camera had trouble focusing, but there were also a lot of Christmas lights around at the time, so who knows.

If you want to experience the hauntings yourself, you can book your room at the haunted Menger Hotel here.

2. Emily Morgan Hotel

Historic Alamo mission in San Antonio, Texas with rugged stone walls in the foreground, lush trees, and the tall, ornate Emily Morgan Hotel in the background under a partly cloudy blue sky.

Named the 3rd Most Haunted Hotel in the World by USA Today, the beautiful neo-Gothic Emily Morgan Hotel was San Antonio’s first skyscraper. It was also built as the city’s first Medical Arts Building.

The most haunted floors of the Emily Morgan Hotel are the 7th, 9th, 14th, and basement floors. These floors acted as the psychiatric ward, surgery level, waiting area, and morgue respectively.

But really, all the floors are haunted! Guests have reported feeling the sensation of something cool brushing up against them; the lingering heavy scent of medicine; opening their doors to the hallway to see a hospital scene; bathroom doors opening and shutting on their own; and bathroom faucets being turned on and overflowing in the middle of the night.

Even the elevators have a life of their own and may go up and down without a rider, skip past requested floors, or even trap people inside. They might just even take guests down to the basement, a restricted floor and the old morgue, where employees have reported the stench of burning human flesh.

Would you be able to stay the night at the Emily Morgan Hotel? I don’t think I’d last a second!

If you’re brave enough to stay the night, you can book your room at the haunted Emily Morgan Hotel here.

3. The Gunter Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk

Nighttime street scene with The Gunter Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas on the left with electric scooters lined up. A green traffic light and cars are visible. The street is calm and lightly trafficked.

The Gunter Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk (formerly the Sheraton Gunter Hotel) has almost always been a hotel since 1837. But it really gained notoriety in 1965 as the place of one of San Antonio’s most gruesome murders.

Though the Gunter Hotel is a few blocks from the Alamo, you’ll still find plenty of soldiers haunting its halls. You might also get a glimpse of two 1920s flappers (or prostitutes, depending on who you ask) who haunt opposite sections of the hotel and tend to argue with each other. And in room 414, you might catch the spirit of blues artist Robert Johnson who held a recording session in this room.

There’s also Room 636. In February 1965, Walter Emerick checked into the hotel under a false name for some partying and the company of a tall woman. Two days later, a housekeeper was bringing some things to the room when she found Emerick standing at the foot of the bed holding a bloody bundle, the room covered in blood. Emerick ran out of the room and disappeared. Despite the blood, there was no body left in the room.

A few days later Emerick, using another false name, checked into the St. Anthony Hotel nearby and requested Room 636. He became angry when that room was unavailable, but settled for Room 536. When the staff, by now suspicious of the man’s behavior, called the police to his room, Emerick shot himself before they could enter. The police have never found the woman’s body or identified her.

The Gunter Hotel has since split the original Room 636 into two guest rooms, but that hasn’t stopped the hauntings. Guests report seeing the murder endlessly repeating or the mystery woman standing in the room, arms outstretched.

You can book your stay at haunted The Gunter Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk here.

4. Hotel Gibbs

Modern hotel room at Hotel Gibbs in San Antonio, Texas with a large cushioned bed and a sleek gray headboard. Natural light enters through two windows with gray curtains.
Photo courtesy of Visit San Antonio

Hotel Gibbs (formerly Hotel Indigo) takes up residence in San Antonio’s first high rise building — the old Gibbs Building. It also sits on what is considered the bloodiest area of the Battle of the Alamo.

Its ghost sightings began during the building’s construction when workers uncovered two cannons used during the Battle of the Alamo. As soon as the cannons were removed from the building and placed in museums across the city, the ghosts came out to play.

One account tells of seeing figures pushing a cannon across the street toward the hotel and then disappearing without a trace. Hotel Gibbs certainly has plenty of Alamo soldiers roaming about.

The ghosts even take advantage of the hotel’s historic elevators, which are no longer in operation. Guests have seen the doors closing on women in vintage dresses or caught a glimpse of the phantom elevator operator inside.

If you want to stay the night, you can book your room at the haunted Hotel Gibbs here.

5. The Alamo

Night view of the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, illuminated against the dark sky. The stone facade is prominent, with a Texas flag visible to the left.

The Alamo is one of the most haunted spots in San Antonio. And why wouldn’t it be? The Battle of the Alamo left somewhere between 182–257 Texans dead and 400–600 Mexican casualties.

It didn’t take long for the restless spirits of the Alamo to appear. Just days after the 1836 battle, General Santa Ana ordered the church burned down; but the men sent to burn the church were stopped by ghostly apparitions carrying flaming weapons. In 1871, when the Alamo was again set to be demolished, people again reported seeing ghostly guards outside the church.

Today, you might see other famous Alamo ghosts: the little boy in the window of the gift shop; the Mexican soldier along the outer walls; a father and child up on the roof of the Alamo; and even guards protecting the church.

I’ve toured the Alamo during the day and walked around Alamo Plaza after dark, when you’d think the ghosts would be more inclined to make an appearance. Unfortunately — or maybe fortunately — I didn’t encounter any spectral soldiers or mysterious figures. Still, knowing how far the original Alamo compound stretched makes walking around the plaza at night feel a little different once you know the stories.

While you may think the Alamo looks rather small today, the Alamo Compound stretched over much of what is now Alamo Plaza. And during the Battle of the Alamo, the battlefield stretched even further out. It’s no surprise, then, that many of Downtown San Antonio’s ghosts are often thought to be Alamo soldiers.

6. Majestic Theatre

Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas with a vintage marquee that reads "WE LOVE YOU SAN ANTONIO, SEE YOU SOON."

Across the street from the Gunter Hotel is another haunted spot in San Antonio: the Majestic Theatre. This beautiful theatre with Baroque and Mediterranean design opened in 1929 and is the second largest theatre in the US.

The Majestic Theatre is home to a particular ghost who likes to hang out by the stage. Staff believe this to be the ghost of magic performer Zoroastro still putting on a show for his audience.

The theatre is also supposed to be haunted by a passed patron. She is usually seen up on the second level, always in the same box seat.

7. Aztec Theatre

Historic brick building, the Aztec Theatre in San Antonio, Texas, showcases a large vertical neon sign. Art Deco marquee displays event info.
Renelibrary, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Aztec Theatre was built in 1926, and it wasn’t long before trouble took the stage. In 1932, thirty projection operators went on strike, and the theatre fired the workers. Just a couple days later, a sulfur bomb exploded in the lobby of the Aztec, burning 6 people.

As the years went by, the theatre changed hands many times, leading people to believe the theatre was cursed.

One of the spirits at the Aztec Theatre is a phantom projection operator. He typically plays tricks on whoever is in the projection booth. However, since the renovations at the theatre changed the venue from a movie house to a live performance theatre, the ghost sightings and the hauntings have diminished. Maybe the phantom operator can finally be laid to rest.

8. La Villita Historic Arts Village

Curved stone staircase with decorative tiles leads upward, framed by archways and a rustic wall. A sign reads "La Villita, Little Village of San Antonio."

By day, La Villita Historic Arts Village is a quaint place for a stroll. But after night fall, San Antonio’s oldest neighborhood becomes a hotbed for paranormal activity.

Inside the former Chamade Jewelry Store, objects will move on their own, disembodied voices argue, and the temperature drops suddenly. Some people have also encountered an apparition of a woman in an apron. In the River Art Gallery, you may see a Woman in White.

A little girl haunts La Villita House. Some believe this little girl is the granddaughter of the former owner of the house.

I’ve wandered through La Villita plenty of times both during the day and after dark, and it’s always been completely peaceful for me. No disembodied voices, sudden cold spots, or Women in White so far. At night, though, the quiet historic buildings definitely make it easier to understand how the neighborhood earned its haunted reputation.

9. San Fernando Cathedral

San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio, Texas, an illuminated Gothic-style cathedral at night with dual towers, glowing golden against the dark sky, featuring arched doorways and a central circular window.

In the Main Plaza sits San Fernando Cathedral. In 1749, the Apache dug a hole in front of the cathedral and tossed their weapons in, showing that they were no longer going to fight against the developing city of San Antonio. This is where the phrase “burying the hatchet” is said to come from.

If you’re lucky, you may see the apparition of a white stallion galloping in front of the church, the ghost of the Apache’s peace offering.

The remains of James Bowie, William Travis, and Davie Crockett lay in a sarcophagus in the front entrance. And in the early days of the church, the parish buried its people within the cathedral walls. This is probably why ghostly shadows cling to the walls and why faces, gaping mouths, and sunken eyes appear in the exterior walls of the church.

I’ve toured San Fernando Cathedral during the day and returned to Main Plaza at night, but I’ve never spotted any of the ghosts supposedly hanging around the church. You can see the sarcophagus containing the remains attributed to Bowie, Travis, and Crockett right near the entrance, which is a slightly surreal thing to walk past even without anything paranormal happening.

10. The Old Council House

Abandoned building at the site of The Old Council House in San Antonio, Texas with boarded windows and overgrown greenery. A pergola with plants shades nearby benches.
Maps Data: Google, ©2025

Across the Main Plaza from San Fernando Cathedral, at the corner of Main Plaza and Market Street, is an abandoned bookshop. This building is the old Council House and the site of the Council House Fight of 1840.

This is where the Texans and the Comanche met to negotiate a peace treaty, but on the stipulation that the Comanche brought back all their captives. The Comanche brought one captive girl, badly disfigured by torture. So the Texans fired on the Comanche, killing 35 and losing 7 men of their own.

Though the building is empty, people have reported hearing screams and gunshots coming from inside. They also report hearing the chanting of Indian war calls.

I’ve stopped by the Old Council House, and honestly, the building itself was creepier to me than any ghost story. Seeing it sitting there boarded up and empty across from the lively Main Plaza just feels sad and eerie — even though I didn’t hear any phantom gunshots or screams coming from inside.

11. Spanish Governor’s Palace

Bronze statue of a historical figure in a cloak stands in a courtyard with a stone-tiled floor at the Spanish Governor's Palace in San Antonio, Texas. The white plaster wall features barred windows. Sparse trees add a rustic charm.

The 18th century Spanish Governor’s Palace is today a museum of Spanish colonial history and one of San Antonio’s most visited museums. It is also a hotbed of ghostly activity and one of the most haunted places in San Antonio.

People have reported seeing spirits here since the early 1900s. When you visit, you may notice translucent spectors of Native Americans and Spanish Colonials standing by the outer walls.

But the most haunted part of the Spanish Governor’s Palace is the hanging tree. Called the “Tree of Sorrows”, at least thirty-five were hanged here for their crimes. Visitors have seen their spirits hanging from the tree, swaying in the wind.

There are also plenty of children haunting the old palace. A little girl appears in one of the bedrooms. Another little girl who is believed to have fallen down the well still haunts the surrounding area. And yet another girl was murdered by robbers and thrown down the well. Some have heard gurgling from inside the well and witnessed the water bubbling up.

I’ve toured the Spanish Governor’s Palace, and the hanging tree was easily the part that stuck with me most. Knowing its history makes the courtyard unsettling enough without actually seeing anyone swinging from the branches. And as for the stories about dead children haunting the well? I’m perfectly happy keeping my distance from that particular ghost encounter.

12. Huebner-Onion Homestead

Huebner Onion Homestead in San Antonio, Texas, a historic stone house with boarded windows and a wreath on the door under a clear blue sky, surrounded by grass, bushes, and a leafy tree.
25or6to4, CC BY-SA 3, via Wikimedia Commons

Now we venture out of Downtown San Antonio, and outside the 410 Loop, to the Huebner-Onion Homestead. The home once belonged to jeweler Joseph Huebner before being converted into a stagecoach inn.

After Huebner’s death, the property stood vacant until Judge John Onion, Sr., and his family bought the home. By then, it seems, Huebner was already haunting the place. Onion reported hearing the steps creek though no one was on them. Machinery would turn on and off on its own, plates would shatter, and the family would hear sounds of piano keys.

The most common occurrence was the clacking of horse hooves coming across the yard.

13. Comanche Lookout Hill

Stone medieval tower with wooden shutters and crenellations set against a bright blue sky with scattered clouds, surrounded by trees at Comanche Lookout Hill in San Antonio, Texas.

Comanche Lookhout Hill sits just inside the 1604 Loop. As the fourth highest point in Bexar County, this served as a great lookout point for both the Apache and later the Comanche. The Comanche especially used this hill to ambush Spanish settlers coming into San Antonio.

In 1923, a man named Edward H. Coppock set to building himself a European-style castle on this hill. The Great Depression hit, and all he had completed was a single tower.

The spirits of the Comanche and of Coppock both haunt Comanche Lookout Hill. At dusk, you may hear chanting and war cries coming from deep within the trees, while shadows cross pathways and disappear into the woods. The Comanche seem to still be trying to protect their hill.

As for Coppock, you might spot his ghost wheel barrowing stone to and from the hill, desperately trying to finish his dream home. He too protects his hill, looking out from the top floor of his castle at any trespassers approaching his tower.

I’ve hiked up Comanche Lookout Hill myself, including to the unfinished stone tower, and my visit was decidedly ghost-free. I didn’t hear any mysterious chanting or spot Coppock hauling stones through the woods, but the unusual tower and wooded trails give the place an atmosphere that makes the stories surprisingly easy to imagine.

Top San Antonio Ghost Tours

The best way to see even more of San Antonio’s haunted spots is to take a ghost tour! There are all kinds of tours to choose from: walking tours, driving tours, pub crawls, and even Segway tours!

Check out these top-rated San Antonio ghost tours for a scary good time:

Top Haunted Hotels in San Antonio

San Antonio has way more than just 13 haunted sites, and a lot of them happen to be hotels. This is great if you’re the type of person who loves staying in haunted hotels (I’m too scared to even try). Book a stay at one of the top haunted hotels, inns, and B&Bs in San Antonio listed below!

  1. The Menger Hotel
  2. The Emily Morgan Hotel
  3. The St. Anthony Hotel
  4. The Gunter Hotel San Antonio Riverwalk
  5. Hotel Gibbs
  6. Hotel Emma
  7. The Crockett Hotel
  8. The Bullis House Inn
  9. Holiday Inn Express N-Riverwalk at the Old Bexar County Jail
  10. Omni La Mansión del Rio Hotel

Or if you want a likely not-haunted place to stay, check out the recommendations below.

Where to Stay in San Antonio (Not Haunted)

Find the perfect place to rest your head on your visit to San Antonio (that isn’t haunted!), from the top rated accommodations to unique stays you can’t get anywhere else.

Haunted San Antonio Map

Create your own tour of San Antonio’s haunted sights! I’ve put together this map of all the haunted spots listed in this blog post to help you get started.

You can click the star icon at the top of the map to save it to your favorites and open the locations in your own Google Maps app.

Haunted San Antonio FAQ

Why is San Antonio so haunted?

San Antonio has a long history with war, outlaws, and murder that have all contributed to it’s haunted reputation. With so much turmoil, it’s no wonder San Antonio has so many haunted places!

What are the most haunted places in San Antonio?

The most haunted places in San Antonio include the Menger Hotel, the Alamo, and the Emily Morgan Hotel, each with numerous stories of paranormal activity.

Are there any guided tours for exploring haunted places in San Antonio?

There are plenty of guided tours for exploring San Antonio’s most haunted places. The Haunted Ghost Bus Tour and the Haunted Dinner Tour are some of the most popular ghost tours of San Antonio.

Is the Alamo haunted?

The Alamo is one of the most haunted places in San Antonio. With hundreds of people who died on the grounds, there is a lot of trauma to cause paranormal activity at the Alamo.

Save on San Antonio’s Top Attractions

Want to save big on San Antonio’s top attractions? You’ve got two great options:

Visit bucket list attractions, enjoy top tours, and discover hidden gems handpicked by local experts. With one of these passes, you’ll have everything you need right on your phone.

Get your Go City San Antonio Pass here, or get your San Antonio CityPASS here.

Top San Antonio Tours

With so much to see, San Antonio can be overwhelming for any first-time traveler. To take some of the stress out of planning your visit, opt for a guided tour! Check out this list of the top San Antonio tours to help you make the most of your time in this Texas city.

Want More Haunted Travels?

Check out these other spooky locations around the world:

More Things to Do in San Antonio

Discover more of what San Antonio, Texas has to offer with these itineraries:

Ready to visit San Antonio, Texas? Plan your trip with these tips.

Cheers!

Paige

13 Chillingly Haunted Places in San Antonio, Texas

Have you visited any of these creepy haunted places in San Antonio, Texas? Let me know in the comments!

Paige Watts is a travel expert and author of What's With Atlanta?, a guide to the quirks and charm of the ATL. A life-long traveler, Paige is dedicated to helping you discover the best things to do in the Southern USA and around the world. Her work has been featured in The Culture Trip, Matador, Newsbreak, MSN, NPR, and countless other interviews and podcasts.

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