North Carolina is full of history and haunts, between the Lost Colony of Roanoke to the Pink Lady of the Grove Park Inn, there are all sorts of mystery, mayhem, and things that go bump in the night across the state. With Halloween fast approaching, what better way to scare yourself silly than to visit some of the most haunted places in North Carolina? Why wait and pay for the October thrills found in a make-believe haunted house when you can have a truly frightening paranormal experience now? Follow this road trip for the scariest ride of your life!

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Google / maps [enhanced]
What could be more fun than a road trip to experience some extremely scary places in North Carolina?! The trip starts you off at the Great Dismal Swamp. Your next stop is Crybaby Lane in Raleigh, next the Devil's Tramping Ground, followed by an extra scary experience at Gravity Hill. Then, you'll drive down the extremely haunted Edward's Road (Payne Road) and head west for the mystery of the Brown Mountain Lights. And finally have a place to rest and maybe see the Pink Lady at the Grove Park Inn.
1. Cry Baby Lane
Cry Baby Lane, Western Boulevard, Raleigh, NC, USA
East Coastal Ghost / Youtube
After a fire destroyed an orphanage outside of Raleigh, and sadly, killed several children who called this place home, locals began to notice something strange. Weeks after, in the field where the fire took place, the smell of smoke was so strong it would fill up their lungs and they would violently cough. After the coughing subsided, a quiet cry floated through the air. The cries began to multiply and all at once there were deafening screams and cries throughout the field. Cry Baby Lane is home to one of the truly tragic real North Carolina ghost stories, and not many people are able to stay in the field for long.

Learn more about Cry Baby Lane and go on a ghost hunt in this video from East Coastal Ghost:
2. Great Dismal Swamp
Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina 27976, USA
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service / Flickr
Great Dismal Swamp, 2294 US-17, South Mills, NC, 27976
U.S Fish and Wildlife Service / Flickr
The Great Dismal Swamp is beautiful during the day but becomes extremely haunting and spooky come nightfall. Spanning 112,000 acres along the state's northern border, The Great Dismal Swamp inspired novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe's novel revolves around runaway slaves, known as 'maroons,' who lived in complete isolation in various parts of the swamp.

A place of sadness, hostility, and beauty, the energy here is palpable. It's best to go around sunset, but we wouldn't recommend staying too late after dark. Visitors have reported hearing strange sounds, seeing lights, and encountering ghosts.
3. Devil's Tramping Ground
973 Devils Tramping Ground Rd, Bear Creek, NC 27207, USA
Atlas Obscura
The Devil's Tramping Ground is a 40-foot diameter circle completely devoid of life. Nothing will grow here. Leave something in the circle, and the legend says it will be thrown out the next day. If the legends behind this place are true, then it's definitely at the top of our list of scary places in North Carolina! Read our whole article on the Devil's Tramping Ground.

Head to the Devil's Tramping Ground in this video from Hitch Hiking Yeti to explore more haunted North Carolina places:

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4. Gravity Hill
Gravity Hill, 8762PH4H+7W, Laurinburg, NC 28352, USA
Teddi Mathes/Google Reviews
Optical illusion, or a ghost pushing your car up a hill? Many are left undecided on what exactly is occurring at Gravity Hill in Richfield. Legend says a young mother and her child were left stranded on the road, when a transfer truck plowed into their car, instantly killing both. Today, if you park at the bottom of Richfield Road your car will be pushed up the hill. Put baby powder on the hood and you'll be able to see handprints.
5. Payne Road
Payne Road/Google Reviews
Edwards Rd, North Carolina 27045
Forsyth County Public Library
Payne Road (now Edward's Road) is rooted in urban legend and folklore. The long country road located in Rural Hall is a prime spot for paranormal sightings and really a general uneasiness. The stories revolve around a murder-suicide, the murder of multiple slaves and then a family, and even a young man burning alive while other people watched. Read all about Payne Road and the North Carolina ghost stories of the three legends surrounding it.
6. Brown Mountain
Brown Mountain Beach Road, Brown Mountain Beach Rd, North Carolina, USA
Jina Chin/Google Reviews
As night falls over Brown Mountain, different color orbs of shapes and sizes rise through the trees and bob through the mountain terrain. Is it marsh gas, aliens, energy, or spirits? Many legends circulate around this strange phenomenon that has been captured on video, and photographs, and you can see with your own two eyes. Read all about Brown Mountain, and watch a video of it, in our featured article.
7. Grove Park Inn
Management/TripAdvisor
The Omni Grove Park Inn, 290 Macon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804, USA
Steviep187 / Flickr
Perhaps a debutante, perhaps a scorned secret lover, the Pink Lady fell to her death from a 5th-floor overlook. Seen in a pink ball gown, or just with a pink 'aura' around her figure, she is said to be good-natured and takes kindly to children. One guest even left a note at the front desk, thanking the 'lady in pink' for playing with his children during his stay. Employees treat the pink lady like she is one of them. Her 'laid back' fun spirit is known to play pranks and take a particular fascination with room 545. Even if you don't stay in the room, you might witness something extra spooky, and if not, at least you'll have a great weekend away in one of North Carolina's best hotels.

Check out the Grove Park Inn, one of the most haunted places near Asheville, North Carolina, in this video from Jake The Viking:

Halloween – or not – any time of year is the perfect time to get extra spooky and visit some haunted places in North Carolina! What are some haunted places near you that give you the creeps?

For a road trip that’s still spooky, but a bit different, travel through North Carolina’s ghost towns. Have you ever taken a haunted road trip? Now is a good time, just head on over to RVShare to rent an RV and start planning your getaway.

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More to Explore

Most Haunted Places In North Carolina

Robin Jarvis | September 07, 2023

What is the most famous ghost story in North Carolina?

The most famous ghost story in North Carolina is about Helen's Bridge.

Helen's Bridge, located at 201 Beaucatcher Road in Asheville, is known to attract ghost hunters and thrill seekers from all over who are interested in exploring the many haunts reported by folks visiting this infamous stone bridge. The tale involves an inconsolable mother who, after losing her daughter in a fire, hung herself from the high archway of the old bridge. The creepy part of the story isn't so much what people experience while at the location, it's all of the paranormal activity that follows them home - and sometimes occurs even weeks after a visit - that keeps this place at the top of the most haunted list in the Tar Heel State. Read more about Helen's Bridge, and consider skipping any visits to this notoriously haunted place in North Carolina!

What is the most haunted town in North Carolina?

The most haunted town in North Carolina is on Ocracoke Island.

When you really want to engage the spirits of the netherworld, head to Ocracoke Island. Even though the island is tiny (it's 9.6 miles long), it harbors an unusually large number of spirits. You can spend the night in a haunted inn, where the mischievous ghost of a woman will play irritating games, like sitting next to you on your bed or rearranging your belongings. If that's not creepy enough, there's a nature preserve on the island rumored to harbor the ghost of a bearded man who may actually chase you - if you believe in that sort of thing. And last, but not least, Teach's Hole (the notorious hangout for Blackbeard, the pirate) is found on Ocracoke, not far from where Blackbeard was slayed and said to have been decapitated. Still not enough to joggle your senses? Tiny Ocracoke Island has 81 cemeteries. Explore until your ghost-seeking heart is content.

What is the creepiest abandoned place in North Carolina?

The creepiest abandoned place in North Carolina is Lost Cove.

The abandoned town of Lost Cove, located in Yancey County on the Tennessee and North Carolina border is among the most creepy abandoned places in all of North Carolina. Only a few buildings remain intact after the last resident disappeared more than 60 years ago, but the place looks as if everyone left all at once, leaving all of their belongings behind.

Another awe-inspiring, yet disturbing, place in North Carolina is found hiding along a gently rolling road outside of Durham. Castle Mont Rouge, an unfinished eclectic castle structure decaying alongside the road, has tugged at the interest of passersby for ages. In truth, the eccentric structure was reportedly a love-inspired project undertaken by a husband for his wife. But sadly, she died before it was completed.

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