BedandBreakfast.com’s 2008 Roundup of Bootiful and Spirited B&Bs
Hysterical or historical, ghostly spirits enjoy America’s B&Bs, just like living guests. For the past seven years, BedandBreakfast.com, the largest online B&B directory and reservation network worldwide , has compiled the most comprehensive list of inns where ghost seekers will enjoy potentially close encounters with the other world, bed-and-breakfast style. For a complete list of Halloween packages and over 100 great places to sleep with a ghost, visit www.BedandBreakfast.com and click Halloween Happenings or Haunted B&Bs. From west to east, here is a sampling of B&B ghost stories:
Thornewood Castle, Lakewood, WA: This B&B served as a set for Stephen King’s mini-series Rose Red in 2002. In real life, guests have reported their share of chills and plenty of orbs have been recorded on guest photos taken here.
Texas White House, Fort Worth, TX: The ghost here is believed to be the husband of the only family who ever lived in the house. He died here and now haunts his old bedroom (now the Lone Star Room). Interestingly, the ghost sightings occur only when a single woman is staying in the room.
Texas White House, Fort Worth, TX: The ghost here is believed to be the husband of the only family who ever lived in the house. He died here and now haunts his old bedroom (now the Lone Star Room). Interestingly, the ghost sightings occur only when a single woman is staying in the room.
Grand Avenue B&B, Carthage, MO: While the “no smoking” rule is in effect for all guests, the former owner is exempt. A ghostly whiff of his trademark cigar smoke wafts through the rooms when he visits here.
Honeybee Inn B&B, Horicon, WI: It’s believed that a lumber baron named Coton is still hanging around with his female companions. His beloved rocking chair, where he died, rocks by itself, and a woman in a long skirt has been spotted too.
Penny Farthing Inn, St. Augustine, FL: Spirited occurrences include midnight tugs-of-war with the blankets, and glasses leaning over and clinking on sherry bottles. One guest described a young lady in his room when he awakened. A few days later, the owners’ daughter described a strange lady in the dining room – identical to the guest’s description.
Inn on Main Street, Weaverville, NC: Innkeepers have heard pictures falling off walls, yet never find anything that has fallen. Doors open and close with no one there. Strangely, all ghostly happenings occur on New Year’s Eve.
By The Side of The Road Bed and Breakfast, Harrisonburg, VA: When the innkeeper went to turn off the basement light, something grabbed her hand, yet nothing was there. Just about every day footsteps are heard in hallways, and doors unexplainably open and close.
Manchester Inn, Ocean Grove, NJ: Check in to room 316, and ghosts may literally pull your leg. It’s been known to happen here, when a guest felt a tugging at her pants leg several times.
Cornerstone B&B, Philadelphia, PA: A floral scent precedes sightings of a ghostly female shape. Innkeepers claim she is an ethereal presence, and her signature perfume always occurs as she gently taps the foreheads of guests.
Inn at Jackson, Jackson, NH: Jason, once the inn’s trusted workman, committed suicide, yet returns to check on repairs at the inn. Guests have been awakened by hammering noises, primarily on the second and third floors.
To learn more about these inns and nearly 7000 others, visit BedandBreakfast.com. A variety of search functions and extensive maps enable inngoers to find the perfect B&B. Travelers can make reservations online, purchase gift cards welcomed at 4,000 inns, and read and write property reviews.
Additionally, for information on a range of independently-owned distinctive lodging, visit BedandBreakfast.com’s sister site, http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/about/www.Inns.com.
Source: BedandBreakfast.com
Ellen Barone is an American writer and wanderer. She co-founded and publishes the group travel blog YourLifeIsATrip.com and is currently at work on her first book "I Could Live Here".