11 Creepy Places To Visit In New Mexico That'll Get Your Heart Pounding

Derelict places often make you feel uneasy, but Cuervo turns that sensation up a notch. Yes, there are still 58 residents in this borderline ghost town, but the sheer number of well-preserved but abandoned buildings makes this place unsettling. When combined with the discovery of what appeared to be a predator’s "trophy room" in one of the empty structures, Cuervo officially becomes creepy. For more info.

Fort Stanton is now the Fort Stanton Museum, however its turbulent, often tragic past, perhaps explains why rumors persist that it is haunted. In 1862, an army doctor and captain died when each shot the other during a fight about the harsh way in which the captain was treating the Mescalero Apache. In addition, 1500 Merchant Marines are buried in the cemetery close by, from the days when the fort acted as a TB hospital. It has also been used as an internment camp and a women’s prison.

If you’ve ever instinctively closed your eyes at the mere picture of a snake, you’ll understand why a place housing the world’s largest collection of live rattlesnakes might test your courage. However, this small museum is packed with interesting nuggets of information. A visit here might even be enough to persuade you that snakes have more to fear from us than we have from them. The museum is located at 202 San Felipe Street NW in Albuquerque. For more info.

Bonito City was flooded during the construction of the reservoir, Bonito Lake. Before the settlement disappeared beneath the water, it was the site of a mass murder committed by a man named Martin Nelson. According to rumors, his restless spirit still haunts the lake. During the Little Bear Fire, this area was damaged and closed. You can now hike and bike here, although camping remains off-limits for the time being. For more info.

The ghost town of Dawson was once a company town for the Phelps Dodge Corporation. Tragically, the town suffered two major mining disasters, a decade apart, which left hundreds dead. Although Dawson didn’t become a ghost town until 1950, those mining accidents are why some feel that this place is haunted. The cemetery is all that remains of Dawson today - it is on private land but you can still get close enough to see it. For more info.

As with snakes, some people can’t stand creepy crawlies, so the idea of hanging out with thousands of mounted specimens plus a large collection of live insects seems daunting. View everything from scorpions to spiders in this informative museum that is tucked away in the DeVargas Mall. The mall is located at 552 N Guadalupe Street in Santa Fe.

This gorgeous eatery is located inside an old hacienda where an irate mother supposedly stabbed her son and his lover to death. The slain couple apparently remained together in death and are believed to haunt this restaurant – specifically the Carlotta Salon. For more info.

Fancy taking a haunted hike? Then, you'll want to explore Box Canyon, which is part of Georgia O’Keeffe’s ghost ranch. Back in the day, a pair of ne'er-do-well brothers spread rumors that this place was haunted so that their many crimes could avoid detection. Since those sins are thought to have included murder, the canyon may actually be haunted at this point! For more info.

Fort Bayard is a sprawling complex of vacant buildings. When an entire base is empty the vibe can be unsettling. That being said, this place is also beautiful in a slightly eerie way. There's a lot of history here. The facility has been used as a fort, a POW camp during World War II, and a tuberculosis hospital. For more info.