Connecticut’s not just famous for its wealth—it’s got a whole lot of restless spirits too.
Seriously, the list of haunted places in CT is quite long. It makes sense, though. It’s one of the oldest states, with settlers arriving way back in 1640, just 20 years after the Mayflower dropped anchor. Fun fact: Connecticut also hosted the first witch trials in the American colonies, 30 years before Salem’s more famous ones.
And don’t forget the Native American tribes that were here for millennia before any of that.
Map design by Stanton House Inn with resources from Flaticon
Haunted Places in CT
Looking for ghosts? You won’t have to go far. These spooky spots are scattered all over the state, and since Connecticut’s pretty small, a haunted road trip through some of the cutest towns in New England is totally doable.
I’m always adding new spots as I dig up more ghost stories, so keep checking back if you’re hunting for new thrills on CT day trips!
Haunted Places in Greenwich, Connecticut
When I started researching this post, I Googled the term, “haunted places in Greenwich, Connecticut”.
Stanton House Inn popped up as one of the top results!
Which is ridiculous. I’ve lived here two hundred years, and have never seen a ghost.
But seriously, Stanton House Inn doesn’t appear to have any hauntings of its own.
If we are on the list of haunted Connecticut inns, the ghosts keep to themselves.
Or at worst, mess with our WiFi network in one specific room on the property, as our IT specialist has decided.
But while the inn seems ghost-free, a few other places around town have some seriously creepy stories. Shout out to Carl White, the local history librarian at Greenwich Library, for gathering most of these Greenwich ghost stories.
1) Dunnellen Hall
First up is Dunnellen Hall. Now, it might not be haunted exactly, but it’s definitely cursed. And curses make for great stories too, no?
Built in 1918 on 26 acres along Round Hill Road, Dunnellen Hall has brought nothing but bad luck. After the original family moved out, every single owner has faced financial ruin and an untimely death.
The latest victim? Leona Helmsley, aka the “Queen of Mean.” She bought the house in 1983, only to end up in prison for tax evasion and later died there after her release. Karma? Maybe. Curse? Definitely.
You won’t get a great look at it, though. The place is tucked behind a huge fence and set way back from the road. But if you’re curious, there’s a video tour of the inside below—though it skips the haunted bits.
2) The Bruce Museum
Now, this place is one of the most haunted places in Connecticut, according to local legend.
The (Bad) Luck of the Irish
Two Irish servants, working at fancy Belle Haven mansions in the late 1800s, fell in love. The boy, a flute player, would serenade the girl right near what’s now the Bruce Museum. They were all set to marry when, poof—the boy mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Heartbroken, she moved back to Ireland and passed away from consumption (that’s tuberculosis in old-timey speak).
Fast forward to the early 1900s, and people start seeing a ghostly couple outside the Bruce Museum. A man plays a flute while a young girl listens, just like old times. But here’s where it gets creepy: sometimes, folks hear an evil voice beckoning them into the museum. The couple always refuses, saying if they go in, they’ll never leave. Then, just like that, they vanish into thin air.
Today, the Bruce Museum is one of Greenwich’s top attractions. And don’t worry—you can visit anytime and leave whenever you want!
3) Bruce Park
In 1996, a group of teenagers were drinking beer and getting rowdy in one of Bruce Park’s picnic grounds.
When the teens got too loud, a ghost made its appearance.
According to local legend, the body of the ghost was that of a woman. The most frightening aspect, though, was the head, which was a collection of snakes.
As these snakes hissed and twisted at the teenagers, the entire group jumped in their cars and fled.
4) Bush-Holley House
Ever heard of Anya Seton? She’s a local author who swears a ghost haunts the Bush-Holley House. It’s the ghost of a young slave girl who lived there when the house’s owners kept slaves before Connecticut abolished slavery.
The girl supposedly died of a contagious disease, and every now and then, you can hear her screaming from the old wash house on the property. If you visit today, you can tour the attic where slaves used to live. The museum recreated the space—minus the ghostly screams (hopefully).
5) Homestead Inn
One of the top hotels in Greenwich, CT, the Homestead Inn, has history and it’s own ghost story.
The legend goes that a ship’s figurehead was placed on the porch. This wasn’t just any figurehead—it had rosy cheeks, dark eyes, and wore a flowing white robe. It came from the Lady Lancashire, a ship that sank after its figurehead was removed for repairs. The carver gave it to the Mead family, who owned the Homestead Inn.
Over the years, guests reported strange happenings. One claimed to hear footsteps pacing in a second-floor room all night. Another saw a woman in an old-fashioned dress staring out a window directly above the figurehead.
The Homestead Inn is closed for renovations right now, but you can try your luck with ghost sightings when it reopens!
6) Audubon Greenwich
Alright, so the Audubon Greenwich Center itself isn’t exactly one of the most haunted spots in town. But it’s close enough to the site of a spooky local tale to get the goosebumps going.
Back in the 1990s, a girl decided to take a shortcut around dusk near the intersection of Riversville Road and John Street. Classic evening in fall in Connecticut, leaves crunching underfoot—but something was off. The rustling behind her wasn’t just the wind. It sounded like someone—or something—was following her.
Every time she stopped, the sound stopped. When she walked, it followed, always about fifty feet behind. Finally, after what must’ve been the longest fifty feet of her life, she called out, “Who’s there?”
Bad idea.
Suddenly, the rustling sped up, closing the distance to just ten feet. That’s when she bolted—sprinting up the hill, screaming all the way home.
So, maybe steer clear of those trails around dusk… not that I’m suggesting you trespass. Just sayin’.
Haunted Places in Fairfield County, CT
If you’re not ghosted out yet, there’s plenty more to explore just beyond Greenwich. Next up: Stamford, Connecticut—a town known for a thriving dining scene, arts… and maybe ghosts?
7) Fort Stamford
In the ‘70s, local teenagers started spreading rumors that Fort Stamford was haunted. By the ‘90s, a group called the Smoking Gun Research Agency decided to check it out, and what they found? Let’s say it wasn’t Casper-level friendly.
They reported all kinds of eerie stuff:
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Footsteps when no one was there
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Whispers
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Weird blobs of energy
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And even temperature drops of 10 degrees in certain spots
One investigator even felt extreme heat, like a fire, and saw what seemed to be a soldier’s ghost, protecting the fort.
So, who’s haunting Fort Stamford? Could be the troops stationed there, who endured brutal winters. Or maybe it’s the spirits of the Siwanoy tribe, who lived on that land before disease and war wiped them out. Or… something else entirely.
Drive up the coast to Norwalk, Connecticut for the next spot on our haunted tour.
8) Sheffield Island
Sheffield Island and its lighthouse might be famous for its clambakes and a classic New England lighthouse. That said, it’s also seen its share of tragedy. One of the worst maritime disasters, the Lexington Steamship Fire, happened right off its coast in 1840. And in July 1872, a lighthouse keeper dropped dead for no reason while chatting with tourists—just like that.
In 1991, an archeologist working on the island reported hearing strange music, a faint foghorn, and distant cries for help… but couldn’t find where they were coming from. She wasn’t alone. Over the years, others have reported hearing strange noises too.
Whether you’ll catch anything spooky on your next visit for the clambake and lighthouse tour? Well, that depends on your aura. But haunted or not, Sheffield Island is definitely one of the most unique attractions in Connecticut.
For even more ghostly adventures, head up to the charming town of Newtown, Connecticut. The hauntings don’t stop here!
9) Fairfield Hills State Hospital
Believe it or not, the grounds of Fairfield Hills State Hospital are now pretty peaceful. Walking trails and nonprofit offices dot the landscape. But the crumbling old buildings, still standing and very much off-limits, tell a different story.
Back in its day, this place was a mental hospital that housed criminally insane patients. From 1931 until it closed in 1995, it was home to some pretty rough treatments—stuff we’d consider barbaric today, but it was standard fare back then.
Some of the “treatments” included:
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Psychosurgery
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Hydrotherapy
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Electric shock therapy
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Unauthorized lobotomies
In 2004, the town of Newtown bought the land. And while it’s mostly a lovely spot now, the eerie past of Fairfield Hills lingers in those empty, shuttered buildings.
10) Union Cemetery in Easton, Connecticut
You can’t talk about haunted Connecticut without mentioning Union Cemetery. It’s a must-see on any ghost hunter’s list.
The cemetery’s most famous ghost is the “White Lady,” a ghostly woman with long dark hair, wearing a nightgown and bonnet. No one knows exactly who she is, but there are plenty of theories:
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She’s a mother looking for her infant son, who died in childbirth
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She was murdered in the 1940s
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She’s the mother of the woman who was murdered in the 1940s
One driver even claims he hit her with his car, only to find a dent but no trace of the White Lady herself. And if that’s not enough, famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren claimed to have seen her too.
There’s also “Red Eyes,” another spooky entity people say haunts Union Cemetery. Folks report seeing glowing red eyes staring from the bushes, followed by the sound of footsteps chasing them as they run for dear life. Many believe this spirit is Earlie Kellog, a man who was set on fire in 1935.
11) Remington Arms
Next up is the Remington Arms factory in Bridgeport. This place was once one of the biggest munitions factories in the country. Now it’s a creepy, abandoned shell of its former self.
People say the factory is haunted by shadowy figures, possibly the spirits of workers who died in a factory explosion in 1942. It’s the kind of place you’d want to explore during the day—unless you’re really brave (or really curious).
12) Palace & Majestic Theaters
Sticking with Bridgeport, Connecticut, next on the list is the Palace and Majestic Theaters. These two theaters sit empty, right in the heart of downtown, like relics of another time.
According to legend, infamous bootlegger Dutch Schultz used these theaters as a hideout for his gang. Some say his crew killed people there. And today, EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomenon) sessions have picked up mysterious orbs of light and shadowy figures wandering the theaters. Maybe the mob never really left?
13) Saw Mill City Road
During the day, Saw Mill City Road in Shelton, Connecticut is a picture-perfect country road. But at night, it’s a whole different ballgame.
People have reported:
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Seeing orbs of light
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Hearing screams from all directions
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And even spotting shadowy figures darting between the trees
And if that’s not enough, there’s also a local legend about the Mellon Heads—rumored to be inbred, possibly cannibalistic monsters. Local kids say you can even hear them breathing on summer nights, or worse, come face to face with them.
So, if you decide to take a drive down this road at night, just know… it’s not going to be a relaxing one.
Haunted Places in New Haven County, CT
Cross the Housatonic River into New Haven County to find even more of the most haunted places in CT.
14) Charles Island
This small island off the coast of Milford, Connecticut, is now part of Silver Sands State Park, one of the best beaches in Connecticut.
Visitors can visit when low tide exposes the causeway connecting it to the mainland.
Don’t visit the center of the island during the summer, though, as it’s a major breeding ground for endangered seabirds.
And definitely don’t search for Captain Kidd’s treasure here.
Locals know the island as thrice-cursed, due to curses placed on the island in the 17th and 18th centuries.
And the most famous curse is from Captain Kidd, who swore that whoever found his treasure buried there would suffer bad luck for the remainder of their (likely shortened) life.
15) Gunntown Cemetery
A small cemetery established in 1790 in Naugatuck doesn’t have any local legends to explain the high amounts of paranormal activity emanating from it.
But there are plenty of claims of random music playing and disembodied children’s laughter.
Famed paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren even deemed it haunted.
Still others claim to see sightings of:
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A man carrying a lantern and leading a horse through the grounds
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A little boy playing by the back wall, or a large black dog, who both quickly vanish
16) Sterling Opera House
Derby’s opera house was recently refinished on the outside. But the inside is still abandoned, and has been so for decades.
The spirit of a young boy named Andy haunts the halls of the Sterling Opera House. Locals leave toys strewn about the opera house for him to play.
The hidden jail cells under the stage once held a serial killer, just feet below where Harry Houdini performed.
The opera house was the focus of an investigation by the team of TV’s Ghost Hunters in 2011.
17) Crypt at Center Church on the Green
There aren’t any reports of haunted sightings here, it’s just an appropriate place to go for Halloween in Connecticut.
Center Church was built over a portion of New Haven’s burial ground in 1813. The church’s crypt was built to hold the graves directly beneath the church, rather than displacing them.
The site holds the area’s founders and earliest citizens, with dates ranging from 1687 to 1812.
The entirety of Center Church is on our list of the best free things to do in Connecticut, click over to see why.
18) Grave of Midnight Mary
The local legend of Midnight Mary derives from the grave of Mary E Hart in the Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Connecticut.
According to legend, Mary fell in a swoon in 1872 and was buried. A relative suffered nightmares that led them to believe Mary was buried alive, a fairly common occurrence at the time.
Mary’s grave was exhumed, and the family found ghastly signs that Mary was buried alive and tried to escape once she became conscious.
On her epitaph is written a phrase from the book of Job, “The people shall be troubled at midnight and pass away.” In the context of the biblical story, it’s a statement about being resigned to fate.
To locals, however, it’s a curse Mary set as punishment for burying her alive.
Supposedly, anyone caught in the cemetery after midnight or who desecrates her resting ground will quickly die.
Haunted Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut
There aren’t many haunted places in the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. Apparently, its inhabitants have lived happy, peaceful, and untroubled lives for centuries.
But the most haunted place in the Litchfield County area is a major one.
19) Dudleytown
This abandoned corner of Cornwall, Connecticut, is probably the most famous haunted place in the state.
While never an actual town, the area was settled in the 1700s and abandoned by the turn of the 20th Century.
Supposedly, anyone with the name of Dudley is cursed after a member of the family attempted a coup against Henry VIII. The curse followed the family to America and Dudleytown, which was the sight of everything from demonic possessions to grisly suicides.
Local legend states that anyone who tried to live in the former confines of Dudleytown comes to terrible misfortune, including untimely and harrowing deaths. Visitors report an utter and very eerie silence in the area of the old town.
The storyline of this town is also a source for much of that of the film, The Blair Witch Project.
Dudleytown went a bit crazy after some paranormal experts highlighted it in the 1970s.
Today, Connecticut State Police arrest trespassers with fines starting at $75.
20) 1754 House Inn & Restaurant, formerly known as the Curtis House
Gordon Ramsey featured this historic Connecticut inn in his aptly-named show, “Hotel Hell”.
He claimed to feel uneasy during his stay, and had trouble leaving his room. Having watched the episode, it seemed to be more of a maintenance problem with the door than any ghostly entities. He also spent more time focused on the dining side of the business, known as the Curtis House restaurant at the time.
That said, this historic Connecticut site is often touted as one of the most haunted inns in the entire United States, let alone Connecticut.
During its almost three centuries in business, guests have commented of hearing strange music as well as disembodied voices and footsteps.
Some of the more common sightings mention:
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A male spirit wearing clothing more typical of the 17th or 18th centuries
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A man dressed in Confederate attire in the liquor room
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A ghost of a former work, Joseph Hardesty
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A female spirit who actively disturbs visitors to her home
Be sure to read our guide to the most romantic restaurants across Connecticut, if you’d rather not risk getting spooked over dinner.
Haunted Places in the Connecticut River Valley and Eastern Connecticut
No list of the most haunted places in CT would be complete without including the house that inspired The Haunting in Connecticut book and film. But it’s not the only place to visit in the Connecticut River Valley.
It’s not even the most intriguing. Or entertaining, for that matter.
21) Lake Compounce
Supposedly.
One of the best parks to visit in Connecticut features a sinister past that has a habit of ruining some people’s lives.
Just ask Milli Vanilli.
According to Legend, Native American Chieftain John Compound died in the lake while attempting to cross in a large brass kettle. English settlers from Massachusetts named the lake after him. Which may have been the creative source for their water park.
Recent history has included more than a few accidents, including deaths, happening at the park.
Coincidence, or correlation?
That’s not for this writer to decide.
22) Snedeker House
Head to Southington, Connecticut, to be disappointed.
In 1986, the Snedeker family moved into a white rental duplex home that had been a former mortuary.
According to them, they found all sorts of mortuary tools in the basement, then started to experience evil and unexplained happenings in the house.
Or so they claimed.
Much of the story has been debunked, but that didn’t stop it from becoming popular.
Today, it’s just a house in the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut. There’s not even anywhere convenient to park nearby so that you can do the only thing you can do: stand on the curb and gawk at the house.
23) Bara-Hack
So keep driving east to the Quiet Corner of Connecticut, home to Roseland Cottage in Woodstock, Connecticut.
In nearby the nearby town of Pomfret, CT, you’ll find another abandoned village.
This one was founded by Rhode Islanders of Welsh descent. The name means, “breaking of bread” in Welsh, in fact.
Legends grew within Bara-Hack until it was abandoned by the Civil War. Slaves owned by the families there claimed to see a ghost baby reclining in a nearby tree.
After the town was abandoned, the curious and foolish report seeing that same ghost baby, a bearded face in the cemetery, and lights and orbs streaking in front of their faces. Still others hear the sounds of disembodied voices, farm animals, and horse-drawn carriages.
24) Devil’s Hopyard State Park
Connecticut state park
In fact, local Puritans believe it was Satan’s hiding place. Visitors who wandered too deep into the woods would lose their soul to the Devil, according to local legend.
Even modern hikers in Devil’s Hopyard State Park claim to hear demonic voices.
Hopefully that won’t deter you from seeing Chapman Falls and exploring other fantastic CT hiking trails here.
25) Norwich State Hospital (closed)
This former mental hospital in the city of Norwich, Connecticut, was a must-see for ghost hunters in the past.
The Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority has filled-in the most infamous feature, the underground passageways below the complex.
Developers have demolished the majority of the Norwich State Hospital campus to add new facilities on the site.
Some of the original buildings remain, with plans for new uses.
It remains to be seen how the spirits representing the orbs and disembodied voices inside the buildings will like the new changes.
It’s close enough to swing by here on your way to visiting the casinos. Or before and after you enjoy the many things to do in Mystic, Connecticut.
Still more to explore after the most haunted places in Connecticut
Now that you’ve finished the list (or looking for more stops along the way), be sure to check-out other fun fall activities in Connecticut:
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Hiking trails in Connecticut for fall foliage hikes
Or you can download your free copy of the complete guide to Fall in CT.
Updated and republished: September 19, 2024
