This Haunted Hotel in Massachusetts Was Perfect For A Last-Minute Anniversary Getaway

When my husband and I married many years ago, we celebrated our honeymoon by taking a seven-day cruise through the gorgeous Caribbean. We had so much fun on this incredible vacation that we vowed to get away, just the two of us, once a year on our anniversary. Well, it is now almost two decades later and we have somehow (with a few exceptions) made this vision into a reality. While our anniversary trips are never as exotic as that island cruise, we have realized that just getting away for a quick local overnight is still a fantastic way to reconnect and experience a new town or city. 

Now that we have children, finding a night to celebrate is always the hardest part of coordinating these trips. Between busy schedules, overnight childcare, and other family obligations, we often book a stay several months after our anniversary date. We take our trips whenever we can get them, even if that means that they are pieced together at the last minute, as was the case with this year’s trip to historic Concord, Massachusetts.

2024 was coming to a close, and we hadn’t even thought about planning our anniversary getaway. I was starting to think that it wouldn’t happen. Then we found out some fantastic news -  both kids got invited to sleep over at separate friends’ houses - ON THE VERY SAME NIGHT!  This has never happened in the history of family sleepovers, so we knew that we had to take advantage of this rare occasion. With only days to plan and just a short 24 jour window to celebrate, we quickly put together a last-minute overnight.

I love dining at old restaurants and staying at historic hotels, so booking a stay at Concord's Colonial Inn was a no-brainer. This quaint hotel had been on my radar for years. Luckily, it still had some openings for our desired night, and we were able to get a great rate through Expedia. What I didn’t know when I made the reservation, was that the inn is rumored to be haunted. With this news, our good luck got even better!

On the night of the trip, we dropped the kids off at their respective friend’s houses and made the quick trip to Concord, arriving just in time for dinner. We headed down to the Liberty dining room and enjoyed a hearty New England meal and a glass of wine. While waiting for our food to arrive, I read all about the hotel's fascinating history.

Concord’s Colonial Inn can trace its routes all the way back to 1715. The 54-room hotel was originally three different buildings. The West section was once home to a local doctor named Timothy Minot Jr., who played an important role in the historic Battle of Concord and Lexington. Minot used his home as a makeshift hospital for wounded soldiers, and he cared for many of them in different portions of the home. The Liberty Room served as the main hospital, and Room 24 was turned into an operating room. There was also another room (27) that was used as a morgue. Talk about creepy! While strange activity and apparitions have been spotted throughout the inn, the majority of the action takes place in room 24. Former guests have observed flickering lights, shadowy figures, and slamming doors. Ghost hunters have even captured paranormal activity within the hotel.

I was completely fascinated by all this Revolutionary (and haunted) history. I couldn’t wait to explore more of the inn. We finished up our meal and spent some time exploring. We wandered through the hotel’s common spaces, stopped at the inn’s cozy tavern for a quick nightcap, and even went upstairs to check out the area around room 24.

Our room was located in the oldest portion of the hotel. When it was time to settle down for the night, I found myself feeling a little uneasy. This might be a good time to mention that this wasn’t the first time that my husband and I spent the night at a haunted hotel. Several years ago, we celebrated another anniversary by sleeping in the murder room of the Lizzie Bordon B&B in Fall River. Although a stay at the Colonial Inn was not nearly as nerve-wracking as this past overnight, it was still a little creepy. While we did not see any apparitions, I did awake to some strange noises coming from the hallway.

We spent the following morning exploring Concord’s cute downtown area and stopping for breakfast at a local coffee shop. And because a trip to a haunted hotel isn’t complete without a visit to a historic graveyard, we also spent some time at Concord’s Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, which happens to be located just steps from the inn. Several famous local authors, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Louisa May Alcott, are buried in a section of the cemetery called Author’s Ridge. 

While I didn’t experience the most peaceful night’s sleep, our quick stay at the Colonial Inn was definitely memorable and was perfect for our last-minute getaway. I can now check another historic haunted inn off my list. My husband and I are already planning next year's anniversary trip. Perhaps a chilling stay at one of these haunted Massachusetts hotels may be in our future?

Have you ever spent the night at a haunted inn or hotel? Did you experience any strange activity while you were there? More information about this historic Concord hotel can be found on the Concord’s Colonial Inn website and the Concord’s Colonial Inn Facebook page.