Halloween in Ohio can be extra spooky because of all the incredibly spooky places throughout the state. If you’re the type that doesn’t scare easy and you’re looking for an extra spooky place to (bravely) visit this year, consider the following destinations and attractions. (And proceed with caution. And courage.)
- The Ohio State Reformatory and the Haunted Prison Experience (Mansfield)
Tabitha Kaylee Hawk/Flickr Formerly known as the Mansfield Reformatory, this historic prison is home to the state’s most violent ghosts. Spirits of rioting inmates who often fought each other to the death in overcrowded isolation cells haunt the halls and cells of this former prison. The Haunted Prison Experience is located at the Ohio State Reformatory at 100 Reformatory Rd., Mansfield, OH 44905.
- The Ridges (Athens)
Justin Masterson/Flickr What was once the Athens Lunatic Asylum is now owned by Ohio University, but parts of the facility still hold shadows, stains and spirits of former mental patients who often suffered from violent treatments such as lobotomies.
- The Ridges Cemeteries (Athens)
Justin Masterson/Flickr The grounds of the former Athens Lunatic Asylum are still home to a few unusual—and extremely eerie—cemeteries. Patients of the former insane asylum were buried on the facility’s grounds, and their restless spirits are left to wander to property. Most of the graves are without names, and merely display the number of the former mental patient buried beneath.
- Dead Acres Haunted Hoochie (West Pataskala)
Haunted Hoochie/Facebook One of the America’s most outrageous haunted houses can be found just a few miles east of Columbus. Dead Acres Haunted Hoochie is located at 13861 E. Broad St. SW Pataskala, OH 43062 and may not be suitable for children under the age of 12. General admission is $25 and it’s open Thursday through Saturday until the end of October.
- Lima Tuberculosis Hospital
Shawn Walker/Flickr Hidden behind a small neighborhood on Lima’s far west side sits this abandoned TB ward, where the ghosts of patients wander the halls and hospital grounds.
- Franklin Castle (Cleveland)
Tabitha Kaylee Hawk/Flickr Cleveland is home to what is considered to be Ohio’s most haunted house, where secret passageways, hidden rooms and ghosts of families who have lived in the historic mansion abound.
- Factory of Terror (Canton)
Factory of Terror Haunted House/Facebook This three-time Guinness World Record winner for largest indoor haunted house in the world features an extreme haunt that isn’t intended for children under 12. Factory of Terror is open Friday through Sunday during the month of October and is located at 4125 Mahoning Rd. NE, Canton, OH 44705.
- Moonville Tunnel (McArthur)
Jayson Shenk/Flickr The abandoned town of Moonville in southeastern Ohio holds a haunted tunnel, where legend has it the ghost of a man who was killed instantly by a train passing through the tunnel wanders along the track bed near the old tunnel at night.
- Akron Haunted School House and Laboratory
Akron Haunted School House and Laboratory/Facebook Brave seven floors of terror at the Akron Haunted School and Library, open Thursday through Sunday until the end of October. It is located at 1300 Triplett Blvd., Akron, OH 44306.
- Lake View Cemetery (Cleveland)
Tim Evanson/Flickr This cemetery is home to more than 100,000 graves and occupies 285 acres. Many notable individuals are buried here, including John D. Rockefeller, James A. Garfield and Eliot Ness (who modernized Cleveland’s police force but was unable to catch the infamous Torso Killer.) The Haserot Angel (pictured) is another famous statue in the graveyard for its eerie representation of “The Angel of Death Victorious.”
Have you been to any of these places before? How are your spending your Halloween this year?
Tabitha Kaylee Hawk/Flickr
Formerly known as the Mansfield Reformatory, this historic prison is home to the state’s most violent ghosts. Spirits of rioting inmates who often fought each other to the death in overcrowded isolation cells haunt the halls and cells of this former prison. The Haunted Prison Experience is located at the Ohio State Reformatory at 100 Reformatory Rd., Mansfield, OH 44905.
Justin Masterson/Flickr
What was once the Athens Lunatic Asylum is now owned by Ohio University, but parts of the facility still hold shadows, stains and spirits of former mental patients who often suffered from violent treatments such as lobotomies.
The grounds of the former Athens Lunatic Asylum are still home to a few unusual—and extremely eerie—cemeteries. Patients of the former insane asylum were buried on the facility’s grounds, and their restless spirits are left to wander to property. Most of the graves are without names, and merely display the number of the former mental patient buried beneath.
Haunted Hoochie/Facebook
One of the America’s most outrageous haunted houses can be found just a few miles east of Columbus. Dead Acres Haunted Hoochie is located at 13861 E. Broad St. SW Pataskala, OH 43062 and may not be suitable for children under the age of 12. General admission is $25 and it’s open Thursday through Saturday until the end of October.
Shawn Walker/Flickr
Hidden behind a small neighborhood on Lima’s far west side sits this abandoned TB ward, where the ghosts of patients wander the halls and hospital grounds.
Cleveland is home to what is considered to be Ohio’s most haunted house, where secret passageways, hidden rooms and ghosts of families who have lived in the historic mansion abound.
Factory of Terror Haunted House/Facebook
This three-time Guinness World Record winner for largest indoor haunted house in the world features an extreme haunt that isn’t intended for children under 12. Factory of Terror is open Friday through Sunday during the month of October and is located at 4125 Mahoning Rd. NE, Canton, OH 44705.
Jayson Shenk/Flickr
The abandoned town of Moonville in southeastern Ohio holds a haunted tunnel, where legend has it the ghost of a man who was killed instantly by a train passing through the tunnel wanders along the track bed near the old tunnel at night.
Akron Haunted School House and Laboratory/Facebook
Brave seven floors of terror at the Akron Haunted School and Library, open Thursday through Sunday until the end of October. It is located at 1300 Triplett Blvd., Akron, OH 44306.
Tim Evanson/Flickr
This cemetery is home to more than 100,000 graves and occupies 285 acres. Many notable individuals are buried here, including John D. Rockefeller, James A. Garfield and Eliot Ness (who modernized Cleveland’s police force but was unable to catch the infamous Torso Killer.) The Haserot Angel (pictured) is another famous statue in the graveyard for its eerie representation of “The Angel of Death Victorious.”
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