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With a diversified terrain and cultural heritage, Kentucky, commonly known as the Bluegrass state, has attractions for everyone. Most people know it as the location of the Kentucky Derby, which takes place in May close to Louisville, the state's largest city and the site of the Louisville Slugger baseball bat's invention. Lexington, where the Kentucky Horse Park is located, is another well-liked vacation spot for horse lovers.

If tourists are looking for free things to do in Kentucky, the karst geology has given rise to numerous natural springs, magnificent caverns, and other distinctive features that may be found in the state's many parks. Additionally, Kentucky is a great location for a weekend trip, possibly in a cozy cabin among the Appalachian Mountains or other well-liked resort areas.

Moreover, it is the home of one of the most haunted locations in America, the Waverly Hills Sanatorium. Here is a guideline for visiting!

Discover The Story Of The Haunted Waverly Hills

Waverly Hills is not a place for the faint of heart to go ghost hunting. It was constructed between 1924 and 1926 to house the enormous number of tuberculosis sufferers in the neighborhood.

This disease was particularly fatal in Louisville due to its humid atmosphere.

Waverly Hills was a model institution employing the most up-to-date treatment techniques when it was housing more than 400 patients at the height of its operations.

Patients with TB had to undergo a routine of fresh air in all seasons and the sporadic need for rib removal surgery before drugs were developed.

Unsurprisingly, the effectiveness of those therapies was poor, and thousands of patients passed away at Waverly Hills throughout the course of its 35-year existence.

Be Brave And Take A Guided Tour of Waverly Hills

The interior of Waverly Hills, which had graffiti-covered walls and corroded lighting fixtures dangling from the ceiling, is much spookier than the outside. It also smells musty.

The sole illumination in its rooms and passageways is provided by the guide's flashlight and moon if visiting during the night.

Visitors come here mostly for the many reports of paranormal activity, not to see a dilapidated structure, of course.

The guide regularly pauses throughout the tour of the hospital to inform visitors about these occurrences, including voices in empty rooms, spectral apparitions captured on cameras and other recording equipment, strange scents, and unexplainable physical feelings.

Related: 10 Haunted Places In America You Can Spend The Night In

On the fifth level, the guide confirms that a lot of paranormal activity had been observed in this chamber throughout the years, maybe because a nurse had committed suicide in this location many years earlier.

Get Tickets To Waverly Hills Events

For A Visit During This Fall Buy Haunted House Tour Tickets For 2022

Tickets for the September and October Haunted House tours are available online. Visitors can select the day and time that work best for them and show up 15 minutes early for their scheduled appointment.

Only people with reservations can enter the house.

Visitors shall have their tickets with them all the time because, without them, they will not be able to climb the slope. They are also recommended from Gate B.

  • Ticket price: $25 per person

Attend Horrorpalooza Weekend Event

Visitors will enjoy a weekend at Horrorpalooza while mingling with paranormal and horror celebrities. The event takes place in early November.

They will also have the chance to delight in lectures and excursions led by famous personalities. There will be food trucks and exhibitors.

  • Ticket price: $30 per day; $65 per weekend; $125 per VIP All-Pass; and $165 per Super VIP Package. $49 will be added to the ticket cost for a guided tour led by a celebrity
  • Celebrities: Danielle Harris, Michael Pare, and John Dugan

Opt For A Public Paranormal Guided Tour

Tourists will have an overview of Waverly Hills, and they will observe the structure with an informed tour guide.

As these tours do contain adult material that is considered probably not suitable for young children, it is highly advised that no one under the age of 13 take it and no child under 10 years old is allowed to enter.

Moreover, anyone under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

  • Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours
  • Ticket price: $25 per person

Go For A Public Historical Guided Tour

Visitors will learn more about Waverly Hills' past. They will observe the building on a guided tour.

Although issues about the paranormal will be addressed, the historical importance of Waverly Hills is the main emphasis of this trip.

  • Duration: 1.5 to 2 hours
  • Ticket price: $25 per person
  • Conditions: Visitor must be over 10 years old and any admitted minor shall be monitored by an adult.

Come With Your Friend And Get A Private Tour

A group of 25 visitors can book their own private tour and plan their trip, so they avoid busy times and crowds.

  • Ticket price: $25 per person
  • Conditions: Visitors must be over 10 years old, better to have celebrated their 13th birthday, and any admitted minor shall be monitored by an adult.

Related: You Can Hike To Kentucky's Only Abandoned Ghost Ship

Book A Public 6-Hour Investigations Ticket

During this tour, a guide will be there, but they will not be with visitors the entire time. Instead, they will be moving from group to group.

Until the staff investigator moves them to the next section, visitors are allowed to roam freely on the designated floor. They will be granted a specific amount of time to explore every part of the building excluding any locations that are off-limits to the public.

  • Ticket price: $75 per person
  • Conditions: Visitors must be over 18+ and they have to bring their ID cards

You Can Choose A Private 8-Hour Investigations Ticket To Spend A Day There

If visitors want assistance, a guide will be available and present with them during the entire tour. Within the allowed time, they are free to roam around and explore the building excluding any locations that are off-limits to the public.

  • Ticket price: $100 per person
  • Conditions: The group shall consist of at least 10 persons. Visitors must be over 13 years old, and any admitted minor shall be accompanied by an adult.