The mountain regions of Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas have no shortage of ghost stories and mysterious creatures. From the foothills of Upstate South Carolina to the ridge lines of Western North Carolina, these haunted places will make you think twice about The Great Outdoors.

Haunted places in Georgia

👻 Lake Lanier: Legend has it unseen hands pull swimmers into the depths of Lake Lanier and that a ghostly woman in blue haunts a well-known bridge.

👻 Screamer Mountain: A Cherokee legend gave this mountain in Rabun County its name. One version says a woman leapt from a cliff rather than submit to the Trail of Tears. Another attributes the name to a woman who screamed on the mountain all night long.

👻 Tallulah Gorge State Park: The Cherokees claim Tallulah Gorge was once home to a race of ferocious “little people”. Is it still?

Haunted places in North Carolina

👻 Andrews Geyser: This man-made fountain in Old Fort honors fallen railroad workers. A few of the workers may haunt Andrews Geyser today.

👻 Balsam Mountains: Boojum, a half-man, half-beast covered in thick gray fur, reportedly lurks on the cliffs and outcroppings of the Balsam Mountains. Drink a pint in his honor at Boojum Brewing.

👻 Brown Mountain: For centuries, the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights have blinked across the landscape, sparking fascination, folklore, and scientific investigations.

👻 Chimney Rock: On July 31, 1806 four people reported seeing huge beings garbed in white darting around the sky over Chimney Rock. Were they angels, aliens, or something else? And will they be back?

👻 Conestee Falls: Legend has it a hidden door to another world flickers in and out of existence behind this scenic waterfall near Brevard.

👻 Devil’s Courthouse: This scenic cliff and overlook is just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. If the Cherokee legend is true, a frightening giant named Judaculla once lived in a cave below Devil’s Courthouse.

👻 Dismal Falls: A cloaked witch with glowing white eyes reportedly haunts this remote waterfall in Panthertown Valley.

👻 Glen Cannon Falls: At night, a headless Civil War solider wanders Williamson Creek near Brevard, crying out for his lost comrades and searching for his missing head. How does he scream without a head? The world may never know.

👻 Grandfather Mountain: Legend has it a mysterious figure known as the Phantom Hiker roams the wilderness of Grandfather Mountain.

👻 Lake Norman: A mysterious creature known as “Normie” reportedly rises from the lake’s depth.

👻 Lover’s Leap: A young Cherokee woman leapt to her death here after witnessing her lover’s murder. Now, the ill-fated couple reportedly haunt the scenic site in Hot Springs.

👻 Nantahala Lake: A huge unknown creature lurks at the bottom of the lake. Fisherman who felt their boats rise on the creature’s back swore off night fishing and insisted it was no ordinary fish.

Haunted Places in South Carolina

👻 Herdklotz Park: This Greenville park was once the site of the Greenville County Tuberculosis Hospital. Many patients died, and today visitors hear disembodied voices and spot unnatural shadows moving about the woods bordering the park.

👻 Lake Jocassee: Legend has it mysterious figures swim deep beneath the flooded valleys of Lake Jocassee. Divers see dark shapes between the ruins of a town 300 feet below the surface. The sight is so disturbing, they refuse to return.

👻 Poinsett Bridge: While the historic bridge is picturesque and peaceful by day, unexplained noises and lights spook those who visit at night

👻 Stumphouse Park: Legend has it a melancholy ghost at Issaqueena Falls and doomed laborers at Stumphouse Tunnel haunt this scenic park in Walhalla.

Haunted Places in Tennessee

👻 Big Ridge State Park, Ghost House Trail: A short trail loop leads visitors past an old cemetery and the remains of the Hutchinson family home. Stories from the area tell of Mary Hutchinson, a young girl who died nearby. Her father, Maston, is said to wander the woods in a restless search for her.

👻 Cades Cove: Legend has it orbs and lights begin dancing around headstones as twilight falls over the old churches and graveyards of Cades Cove in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

👻 Elkmont Ghost Town: Abandoned cabins in the once booming logging camp and resort town now echo with the ghostly music and laughter of days gone by. The town and nearby campground are part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

👻 Holston River, East Tennessee: Legend has it a young bride named Rowena Ross haunts the banks of the Holston River, searching for her lost love. In nearby Kingsport, a hell hound howls in the night.

👻 Locust Ridge Mountain: Historical audio from the Library of Congress tells of a skeletal woman with strange abilities that once roamed the mountain. Does she still?

👻 Roan Highlands (Jonesborough): Legend has it a drifter once stumbled upon the cabin of two women on a bitterly cold night. The women fed the man and gave him a place to sleep, but he soon awoke to the women coating themselves in lard. These “greasy witches” then flew out the chimney and began raiding the general store in nearby Jonesborough. Now, on cold winter nights, food and drinks reportedly disappear from local homes.

👻 Roan Mountain: In the late 1800s, the luxurious Cloudland Hotel sat atop of Roan Mountain. At nights, guests heard strange noises. Some described it as a distant choir. Others heard shrieks, wails, or a low hum that rose and fell with the breeze.

👻 Roaring Fork Motor Trail: A disappearing hitchhiker named Lucy reportedly haunts this scenic driving trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

👻 Ruby Falls: Playful spirits tug at lanterns and unscrew lightbulbs at this popular underground waterfall near Chattagnooga.

👻 Tennessee River Monster: A massive serpentlike creature once slithered in the river near Chattanooga. Witnesses who saw its dark ridged back rise above the current died shortly thereafter.

👻 The Road to Nowhere: This abandoned road near Bryson City was supposed to connect families displaced by Lake Fontana’s creation to their former land and family cemeteries. However, the government failed to complete the project. A ghostly orb now lurks in the area.

Know of a haunted place to add to the list? Email the details to [email protected].