From actual haunted hotels to terrifying haunted attractions around Halloween, plus spooky roads and forbidden forests, you can’t deny the creepy, sometimes dark history that has shaped Texas throughout time. Today, we get to enjoy (or maybe avoid) all sorts of frightening haunts in the Lone Star State that have given us a reputation for sheer terror in some cases. Here are 12 reasons why we think Texas is the most terrifying, spookiest state of them all!

  1. We have numerous abandoned haunted hotels that only the bravest of souls dare to explore.

texaseagle/flickr Pictured above: the infamous Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas, known for the ghost of a distraught mistress of a previous hotel manager, who jumped to her death from the top of the building.

  1. There’s also Bragg Road..it may look inviting by day, but at night, it’s a totally different story.

nicolashenderson/flickr Out in the deep woods of Saratoga, this old logging road is linked to a frightening legend, in which a headless man searches for his lost head by light of a lantern during the night. He supposedly got decapitated in a horrible accident one day while working at the railroad. Whether the story is true, we may never know, but it sure does make the road more thrilling to drive down! Many people have reported seeing strange lights that they can’t explain while driving down Bragg Road.

  1. We have millions of acres of woods…where all sorts of scary creatures could be lurking, just waiting for victims..

brandon satterwhite/flickr

  1. We have some of the highest-rated haunted houses in the nation (not for the faint of heart).

kirk fuson/flickr

  1. Some of the bloodiest battles in our nation’s history have taken place in Texas, which means many restless, angry spirits still walk among the living at these sites.

bambi chicque of bampu legacie/flickr

  1. Texas has many old, creepy cemeteries across the state, including the City Cemetery in Galveston pictured below.

brandi korte/flickr

  1. Not haunted enough for you yet? Well, we also have several former insane asylums, such as the White Sanitarium in Wichita Falls.

Google Earth While someone else bought the property and converted it into a home, some people have reported hearing screams coming from inside the walls, as well as seeing ghosts playing cards in the building, and lights flickering on and off with no explanation. Who knows what went on here when it was open for business, but the ghosts still linger to tell the stories that the walls keep hidden.

  1. We have plenty of ghost towns scattered throughout the state, including Terlingua, pictured below.

ov.black/flickr While actual ghosts may not haunt these towns, it’s still quite spooky to visit a place where only a handful of residents live. Especially somewhere way out west, such as Terlingua.

  1. Texas is home to a bevy of ghosts, including La Llorona, who wanders along canals and rivers searching for her missing children.

denise rowlands/flickr

  1. In Marfa, Texas, many people report seeing mysterious orbs of light that they can only explain as alien sightings due to the erratic nature of the lights.

nicolas henderson/flickr If you haven’t noticed, alien sightings seem to occur mostly in remote desert towns, making Texas even more creepy.

  1. We have miles and miles of desolate land in Texas, which offers the perfect home for otherwordly creatures to hide and wait for passersby to fall into their trap…

david fulmer/flickr

  1. Ever seen the movie called The Descent? Then you know just what kinds of creatures can lurk in caves, which we have plenty of in Texas…

lars plougmann/flickr

Why else is Texas a scary state to live in? Share your thoughts in the comments!

texaseagle/flickr

Pictured above: the infamous Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells, Texas, known for the ghost of a distraught mistress of a previous hotel manager, who jumped to her death from the top of the building.

nicolashenderson/flickr

Out in the deep woods of Saratoga, this old logging road is linked to a frightening legend, in which a headless man searches for his lost head by light of a lantern during the night. He supposedly got decapitated in a horrible accident one day while working at the railroad. Whether the story is true, we may never know, but it sure does make the road more thrilling to drive down! Many people have reported seeing strange lights that they can’t explain while driving down Bragg Road.

brandon satterwhite/flickr

kirk fuson/flickr

bambi chicque of bampu legacie/flickr

brandi korte/flickr

Google Earth

While someone else bought the property and converted it into a home, some people have reported hearing screams coming from inside the walls, as well as seeing ghosts playing cards in the building, and lights flickering on and off with no explanation. Who knows what went on here when it was open for business, but the ghosts still linger to tell the stories that the walls keep hidden.

ov.black/flickr

While actual ghosts may not haunt these towns, it’s still quite spooky to visit a place where only a handful of residents live. Especially somewhere way out west, such as Terlingua.

denise rowlands/flickr

nicolas henderson/flickr

If you haven’t noticed, alien sightings seem to occur mostly in remote desert towns, making Texas even more creepy.

david fulmer/flickr

lars plougmann/flickr

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