6 of the Most Haunted Bars in America

Located in the basement of Venice’s century-old Townhouse bar, the Del Monte functioned as an actual speakeasy during prohibition. People believe that former owner Frank Bennett, who passed away in 2003, still sits in his favorite corner booth listening to the live music every Tuesday.

It couldn’t be a list of haunted bars without a stop in New Orleans. The building the Old Absinthe House now occupies was built in 1806. According to patrons, glasses and chairs move around on their own—or, more likely, under the power of the ghosts like 18th-century pirate Jean Lafitte.

The old railcars in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood just look haunted, don’t they? They serve Thai and Chinese food there, but more important, strong drinks. According to reports, lights have exploded several times inside thanks to a pissed-off spirit that wanders the bar.

Drive west from Baltimore about ten miles and you’ll hit Ellicott City, Maryland, and once you get there you can stop in for a drink at the Judges Bench. The 19th-century courthouse made it into an edition of The Ghost Hunters Field Guide and is said to be home to a ghost named Mary. It’s also home to a healthy, rotating tap list 17 beers long.

The 2 Way Inn isn’t much to look at, but that’s probably what most people want and expect from their haunted bars. 140 years ago, former Civil War spy Colonel Philetus Norris built the 2 Way Inn as the area’s first jail and general store. Years later, the owners regularly spotted his bearded ghost walking through the bar.

Regarded as one of the most haunted places and home to plenty of ghost hunters, people have seen apparitions in stairwells and dark corners of this dive bar for years. Just as odd? The old jukebox seems to have the ability to read people’s minds and always plays just the right song.