13 Most Haunted Places in Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta may not have the same spooky charm as Savannah, but it still has plenty of haunted history. From Civil War spirits and ghostly apparitions in historic theaters to eerie legends surrounding the city’s cemeteries, there are plenty of places around Atlanta with a good ghost story to tell.

As an Atlanta local, I’ve spent plenty of time exploring the city’s spooky side. Between my yearly tradition of trying ghost tours around metro-Atlanta, visiting historic cemeteries, and checking out haunted landmarks, I’ve found that you don’t have to travel far to get your ghostly fix.

If you’re ready to do a little paranormal investigating, these are my favorite haunted places in Atlanta for eerie history, local legends, and a few good scares.

Spookiest Haunted Places in Atlanta

1. The Ellis Hotel

The Ellis Hotel, formerly the Winecoff Hotel, was the site of the deadliest hotel fire in US history. It’s no surprise that this hotel is still haunted by spirits.

When the hotel opened in 1913, it was one of Atlanta’s tallest buildings at 15 stories and was deemed “fireproof” despite having no fire escapes, fire doors, or sprinklers. The night of the fire, the fire department arrived on scene quickly, but their ladders only reached up to 8 stories, and their nets could only withstand jumps from about 6 stories up.

The fire killed 119 of the 280 guests. Many guests died jumping from the building.

Today, if you stay at the hotel, you might smell smoke and hear disembodied footsteps and people screaming. From across the street, people report seeing terrified faces in the windows of the hotel. The fire alarm sometimes goes off at 2:48 a.m., the exact time of the deadly fire.

The Ellis Hotel is all up to code now. In fact, within days of the fire, cities all over the country began enacting more stringent safety ordinances.

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

2. The Fox Theatre

The Fox Theatre is a gorgeous building built in the 1920’s with Islamic and Egyptian design elements. This is the best place in Atlanta to see a show. But underneath its twinkling night sky ceiling lay some spooky secrets.

The theater’s most notable ghost is Roosevelt, who maintained the boiler room until his death in 1945. He doesn’t like to be disturbed in his work and may slam doors and turn off the lights.

There are even more stories of shadowy figures roaming the building, sudden blasts of cold air, and odd technical glitches during shows.

Every year in October, the Fox holds special Ghost Tours so you can explore the haunted history behind the curtains of this Atlanta landmark. I’ve taken the tour before, and luckily all the haunts were just actors (I think). My favorite part is seeing the Hospital room (yes, really!) and getting to see into the men’s bathroom.

3. Bulloch Hall

Bulloch Hall is the childhood home of Teddy Roosevelt’s mother and is a beautiful Greek Revival mansion north of the city in Roswell, Georgia. But inside this beautiful mansion is some dark history.

People report seeing the spirits of enslaved workers wandering the property near where the slave quarters would have been. The home’s alarm system will go off for no discernable reason, and the Roswell Police are now weary to investigate these calls, especially when they have to search the attic.

On our ghost tour of Roswell, we were encouraged to take a picture of the outside of the house and pay special attention to the attic window and the rocking chairs on the front porch, in case we captured a ghostly specter!

I didn’t see anything odd in my pictures, though my friend claims to see a face in a window in one of hers. And when I’ve visited the home during the day, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, but you never know!

If you want to see even more haunted places in Roswell, check out the Roswell Ghost Tour.

4. Oakland Cemetery

Of course a cemetery is bound to be haunted! Established in 1850, Atlanta’s haunted Oakland Cemetery is the city’s oldest public park.

There are over 70,000 people buried at the cemetery, including many prominent figures in Atlanta’s history.

The hauntings in Oakland Cemetery include the specter of a Union soldier hanging from a tree, ghostly voices of soldiers calling out names in roll-call, and a young woman still searching for her lost love in the afterlife.

You can tour the cemetery’s history any time of year, either on your own or on a guided tour. But in October, they have the Spirits of Oakland Cemetery Tour where you can get special after-dark access to the cemetery and hear from some of the residents themselves (in actor form, of course). This is one of my favorite times to visit, but tickets sell out fast, so plan ahead!

Check out more of Atlanta’s historic cemeteries here.

5. The Wren’s Nest

The Wren’s Nest was the home of writer Joel Chandler Harris. Even though the house has no dark past, the Wren’s Nest is still haunted. Though no one is positive, most believe the ghosts belong to the Harris family.

Visitors to the house museum have heard and recorded disembodied voices and unexplained noises. Some guests have seen apparitions of two young boys playing on the stairs and in the yard, likely Harris’ grandchildren.

Harris himself may be the specter seen sitting in his favorite rocking chair. Harris’ son also seems to make an appearance in Harris’ bedroom and the dining room.

I didn’t see anything when I visited the museum, but just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there!

Every year in October, the Wren’s Nest holds Ghost Hunting with the Southeastern Institute of Paranormal Research. Seasoned paranormal investigators lead you through the house for ghostly experiences that never disappoint.

6. Rhodes Hall

Rhodes Hall is a glamorous turn-of-the-century home sometimes called the “castle on Peachtree”. It was built in 1904 as the home of Rhodes Furniture founder Amos Rhodes. He and his wife may still haunt this castle.

There are also reports of noisy children, lights turning on and off by themselves, and an attic door that locks and unlocks itself. You may also hear disembodied voices and footsteps throughout the home.

The scariest spirit, though, is one described as a dark and evil presence lurking in the basement. If you book your wedding at Rhodes Hall, beware that the groom’s dressing room is in the basement and keep an eye out for this dark spirit!

We briefly considered booking this venue for our wedding, but I really didn’t want Kevin harassed by a dark entity on our wedding night.

7. Beverly Hills Inn Apartments

The Beverly Hills Inn Apartments in Buckhead used to be an 18-room hotel and a home for elderly widowed women. Today, it’s just a regular Atlanta apartment complex haunted by three elderly female ghosts.

The apparitions have been known to throw glassware at rude guests and tell them to “Get out!” The ghostly activity is usually concentrated on the building’s third floor.

I actually have a friend who lived in these apartments for a couple years. I never saw anything ghostly while visiting her, which is probably for the best.

8. The Thornton House

As the oldest restored home in Georgia, it’s no surprise that the Thornton House in Stone Mountain comes with its fair share of paranormal sightings.

Built in 1790, the house moved locations many times, including settling at the High Museum for a bit, before landing in Stone Mountain Park. People report strange occurrences, like candles blowing out even when there’s no breeze.

The ghost of a preteen girl is the house’s main apparition. She seems quite jealous and likes to pull the hair of teenage girls. Both staff and guests have seen the girl appear on the stairs.

9. Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse

The Shakespeare Tavern in Midtown was designed with a Globe-inspired stage and façade that will transport you right to Victorian London.

The Atlanta playhouse is even said to be haunted by a few ghosts — and not just during their performance of Hamlet.

Ghostly apparitions include a young boy in a blue suit, a woman in Elizabethan dress who moves things in the women’s dressing room, and an old man. Staff members also refuse to go into one cold and disturbing room on the top level of the playhouse.

I definitely recommend going to see a play here, it’s one of my favorite playhouses in Atlanta, though I can’t guarantee any ghostly activity while you’re there.

10. Kennesaw House, Marietta History Center

The Kennesaw House, the historic building that houses the Marietta History Center, has plenty of backstory fueling its hauntings.

It was first constructed as a cotton warehouse in 1845, later remodeled into the Fletcher House Hotel, and then served as a hospital and morgue during the Civil War.

During our Marietta ghost tour, we were told that the museum is haunted by unexplained noises, phantom smells of popcorn and cigar smoke, and the elevator moving on its own.

Visitors have even stepped into the basement and instead found themselves in a gruesome hospital scene. Sometimes children see the figure of a lady in a pink dress identified as Mrs. Fletcher.

If you want to see more haunted spots in Marietta, check out the Ghosts of Marietta tour.

11. Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

As the site of bloody Civil War battles in the summer of 1864, it’s no surprise that Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is still home to spirits.

5,350 people died on these battlefields during the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain. The deadliest battles took place at Pigeon Hill and at Cheatham Hill, which became known as the “Dead Angle”.

While hiking the park’s numerous trails, you may catch sight of a ghostly specter, hear the sounds of cannons and gunshots, or even smell blood and gunpowder.

Locals with homes that back up to the battlefields, like my friend’s aunt and uncle, have also reported the ghosts of Civil War soldiers stopping by for a visit.

12. Kimball House

Located in an old Decatur train depot dating back to the 1800s, the Kimball House is a restaurant known for its oysters and cocktails. The restaurant takes its name from and pays homage to a historic Atlanta hotel that was demolished in the ’60s.

The Decatur restaurant keeps the past alive with plenty of hauntings, too. Strange occurrences like flickering lights and doors closing on their own could be a sign of the building’s age, or they could be supernatural.

Sightings of apparitions at this haunted Decatur spot are a little harder to explain away. Some people report seeing a little boy’s face in a bathroom mirror. Some have heard someone enter the bathroom and close the door loudly, but find the bathroom empty when they investigate.

The hauntings extend beyond the building, too. Some have seen a figure of a woman on the train tracks just beyond the restaurant.

13. Otto’s Apartment Hotel

Otto’s Apartment Hotel (formerly The Highland Inn & Ballroom) is a historic building in the Poncey-Highland area that was established in 1927.

During its years as The Highland Inn & Ballroom, the building operated as a hotel and wedding venue. The owners of the hotel never confirmed any ghostly activity, and staff denied there was anything strange going on, but guests felt differently.

People reported seeing odd shadows on the walls, hearing unexplained noises, and experiencing cold spots throughout the building. Some people even reported being touched by ghosts.

The building now serves as a modern flexible living space with short- and long-term leases. We’ll see if the hauntings continue with the new ownership or if the souls finally find some rest.

Top Atlanta Ghost Tours

The best way to see even more of Atlanta’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 cemetery tours.

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

• The Burning & the Bound: Grievous Ghost Tour of Atlanta — This 60 minute walking tour takes you to the haunted sights in Midtown Atlanta.
• Ghosts of Marietta Tour — Choose from a haunted walking tour of downtown Marietta, a haunted pub crawl, and a haunted bus tour to explore the spooky sights in this Atlanta city with a bloodied past.
• Roswell Ghost Tour — Take this tour led by a paranormal investigator as you explore this haunted Atlanta city.
• Decatur Ghost Tour — This psychic led tour of one of Atlanta’s most haunted areas gives you a unique perspective on its ghostly residents.
• Fox Theatre Ghost Tour — Each October, you’ll get the chance to explore the darkened Fox Theatre after hours and hear from the ghosts themselves on this theatrical ghost tour.
• A Tour of Southern Ghosts — This family-friendly tour keeps the Southern tradition of storytelling alive as you stroll the moonlit paths of Stone Mountain Park’s Historic Square.

Haunted Atlanta Map

Create your own tour of Atlanta’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.

I hope you enjoy exploring Atlanta’s haunted places!

Haunted Spots in Atlanta FAQ

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• A Tour of Southern Ghosts Review
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Ready to visit Atlanta, Georgia? Plan your trip with these tips.

• Get Familiar With the City: Check out my Ultimate Guide to Atlanta to help plan your trip!
• Book Your Flight: Find the cheapest flights using Skyscanner, my favorite flight search engine.
• Find Accommodation: You can find top hotels in Atlanta using Booking.com.
• Save on Attractions: Save 50% on admission to Atlanta’s top attractions using the Atlanta CityPASS.

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Cheers!

Paige

Have you visited these haunted places in Atlanta, Georgia? Let me know in the comments!