The metropolis of New York City holds a greater depth of history than most cities in the United States, and such a history often accompanies mysterious stories of the supernatural. New York has been the center of the action from the birth of the nation and through the lives of modern America's most famous cultural figures who called it home.
The legacy of these stories often live on in the most unsettling ways, like the scream of a woman from inside a well or an apparition eerily having the appearance of Mark Twain haunting a hallway. With so many experiences to be had in NYC, here is a list of super spooky destinations for those brave enough to step inside.
10 Morris-Jumel Mansion
The Morris-Jumel Mansion, built in 1765 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is the oldest building in Manhattan that once served as General Washington's headquarters during the Revolutionary War.
The house has been home to a long list of residents over hundreds of years, with the most controversial story involving former owner Eliza Jumel and Alexander Hamilton's killer Aaron Burr.
Spooky stories of disembodied voices in the house have arisen throughout the years, and resident spirits are suspected to be those of Eliza and Stephen Jumel, Aaron Burr, and a servant who once ended their own life in the building.
The mansion is open for self-guided tours on Friday to Sunday afternoons and tours of the house and exterior grounds on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
9 The Octagon On Roosevelt Island
The Octagon functioned as a mental asylum from 1841 to 1894 that was the focus of a controversial exposé titled Ten Days in a Mad-House brought to light many mistreatments of its patients.
Now serving as a luxury rental, this inspiration for the Arkham Asylum of Batman comics and movies allegedly is the host of a many spirits who linger long after their horror stories of abuse and being the subject of scientific experiments ended hundreds of years ago.
8 The Dakota
Possibly the most famous apartment building in New York City is the Dakota. Residents have always reported incidents of running into the ghost of a playful little girl in the hallways, and John Lennon himself claimed the building was home to a "crying lady ghost."
Lennon's own murder at the Dakota made it this filming location for Roman Polanski's disturbing film Rosemary's Baby even more famous, and his spirit is now counted among the others which haunt the halls.
7 House Of Death
The aptly titled House of Death has long been considered to be one of the most haunted places in New York City following its long history of mysterious deaths inside it since its construction in the 1800s.
Mark Twain was a resident for a short time and his ghost has been reported among others, like six-year-old Lisa Steinburg who was murdered by her own father. It's a ghastly addition to any Greenwich Village itinerary; tours can be booked here.
6 The Manhattan Well
The notorious "Manhattan Murder Well" was the focus of a 1799 trial of a man named Levi Weeks who was accused of strangling his girlfriend Elma to death and casting her corpse into this well in an attempt to hide his crime.
The controversial trial ended with Weeks being acquitted of all charges, but Elma herself still seems to hold a grudge against someone.
Many claim to hear her screams from inside the well or to have seen her spirit wandering the streets of SoHo. This well that was featured on Travel Channel's "10 Most Haunted Places in America" is now on display inside COS SoHo clothing store.
5 Woodlawn Cemetery
This cemetery in the Bronx is the resting place of hundreds of thousands, with the most famous being Mark Twain and some participants of the Underground Railroad. It covers a picturesque yet somber landscape filled with decorative headstones, mausoleums, and ages-old trees with winding paths throughout.
For many years now, visitors have reluctantly reported their experiences with frightening apparitions on the cemetery grounds.
4 White Horse Tavern
The White Horse Tavern, built in 1880, is the second-oldest pub in New York and is known to have been a favorite of big names like Bob Dylan, Jim Morrison, and most notably Dylan Thomas, whose spirit reportedly still remains in the building.
This locale had an old reputation as a bar for writers and Thomas, the Welsh poet who pinned some classics such as "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night", is said to have drunk 18 whiskeys there on the evening of his death at the age of 39.
3 Machpelah Cemetery
The famed escape artist Harry Houdini who passed away on Halloween night in Detroit at the age of 52 in 1926, is buried at Queens' Machpelah Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery established in 1860.
His wife Bess attempted desperately to communicate with him from beyond by conducting a séance at the grave every October 31 (the date of Houdini's death) until her passing in 1943.
Houdini himself is yet to be seen or heard of, but this cemetery has a heavily eerie vibe for visitors.
2 The Landmark Tavern
This Hell's Kitchen tavern dating back to 1868 has historically been a hangout for dockworkers and sailors and also has one floor that was used as a Prohibition-era speakeasy.
Some of its more tenacious patrons seem to still be lingering within the tavern's walls, like the spirit of a Confederate Civil War veteran who allegedly climbed up to the second level of the bar and died in a bathtub after being stabbed during an altercation, and a young Irish girl who died of cholera.
1 Washington Square Park
The 350-year-old Hangman's Elm which is still standing in the park's northwest corner has a frightening past that dates back to its use as a hanging ground during the American Revolution.
Later, the area that is now Washington Square Park was used as a public burial cemetery, where an estimated 20,000 bodies are supposedly buried.
Especially late into the night, visitors to this park frequently report unsettling paranormal encounters.